Experience for yourself the space, enjoyment and “alpine chic” of the “new ” Parkhotel Bellevue. Extensively renovated last spring, the modernised restaurants with bar and lounge will delight you with their sweeping ambience, beautiful views and poetic lightness of touch – all combined with a vibrant hotel culture. The hotel is situated in beautiful and peaceful surroundings: slightly above the centre of the village, but nevertheless undisturbed by traffic. All around you is the view of the mountains and the heavens.
A style for every taste The three room categories, «tradition», «nature» and «privilege» are our answer to varying tastes and lifestyles. Certainly you will find just the place to escape to with us. Modern standards of comfort are as matter-of-fact as our discreet yet attentive room service.
Nature Are you in search of a sense of peace and privacy? The beautifully appointed «nature» rooms, finished in oak and furnished with Scandinavian furniture by Hans J. Wegner, promise just this. The bathroom will delight you with its lime green Bisazza glass mosaics and white corian.
Tradition If you like to be comfortable and don’t want to miss out on the imposing mountain view, a «traditional» room is the right choice for you. Some are warmly finished in cherry-wood, airy and bright yet cosy. Others have real shingle roofs and contain genuine, rustic furniture. Ask us about our spacious family apartments too!
Privilege The «privilege» junior suites certainly live up to their name. Warm brown and red tones, high standards of comfort and beautiful elm-wood impart a feeling of being cosseted and cared for. Original furniture by international designers such as Antonio Citterio, Konstantin Grcic and Seppo Koho are there for relaxing and just enjoying.
The gardens In the park you can do all the things you normally don’t have time for: dreaming, lazing, reading a book under the maple tree or taking a late breakfast. A small paradise awaits you in the peaceful calm of the mountains.
En famille Children have holiday wishes too – and we are happy to oblige! Thanks to our spacious surroundings, playroom, and family-friendly suites and apartments. On request we can also arrange supervision of children.
Moving and turbulent early days were followed by years of constant construction and extension to make the holiday hotel what it is today. In 2001 we celebrated three different anniversaries: «100 years of Parkhotel Bellevue», «75 years of ownership by the Richard family» and «70 years of the <new> Parkhotel Bellevue».
1901 Fritz Allenbach, a teacher, has the Hotel Bellevue constructed out of wood, with side towers and oriels. At this time in Adelboden, quite a number of other hotels are also springing up. The hotel boom prompts teachers and farmers to try to make their fortunes - or at least to maintain a secure existence – by going into these new ventures in much the same way as the Gold Hunters have done in America. Whole families help to provide the capital required to finance the construction work. At the same time, Adelboden is undergoing a form of ‘colonisation’ by hoteliers from the inner Oberlands, which have already become popular with English tourists some fifty to seventy years earlier. Because these areas have already become saturated with hotels by the turn of century, attention now turns to the still undisturbed Engstligental. With the outbreak of the First World War, the blooming tourist industry suffers its first setback. Visitors stay away and hotel bookings fall considerably.
1919 After the end of the war, the hotel is taken over by the Kantonalbank of Bern (now the Bernese Kantonalbank) and converted into what is for its day, a modern hotel. The en-suite bathtubs fulfil the highest standards of comfort. The hotel is run as a recuperation centre by Dr. G. Schaer as in-house doctor and Mr. A. Wenger as general director. From now on it is known as Parkhotel Bellevue.
1924 At the end of winter, an avalanche descends from Schwandfeldspitz – there are no avalanche barricades at this time – into the valley, breaking down the wall of the hotel’s dining room. Waiters are there at the time, preparing the room for lunch. Fortunately, nobody is injured or worse. Even today, some of Adelboden’s older generation still speak about this spectacular occurrence.
1926 Newlyweds Hans and Elisabeth Richard-Bohren buy the hotel. However, they find it problematic with the sanatorium, where Dr. Schaer cares for his sick patients. Hans, but especially Elisabeth - who comes from a family of Grindelwald hoteliers and herself grew up with her six brothers and sisters in the Grandhotel Regina – have a traditional hotel more in mind This leads to a conflict of aims with Dr. Schaer, and finally the Richards part company with him.
1928 Birth of the first child, Hans Rudolf.
1931 Birth of the second child, Beat Peter.
In March the hotel is completely destroyed by fire. The exact cause is unclear to this day, but an electrical short-circuit is suspected. In the same year, the hotel is rebuilt in a modern style in stone by architects Urfer & Stähli from Interlaken. They have also been responsible for the modern swimming pool constructions in Interlaken and Wengen. The insurance payout is way too small to finance the building of the new hotel.
1935 Hans Richard dies from tuberculosis aged 41. His widow continues to run the hotel alone for the time being. Shortly, she is joined by her brother Hans and later her widowed father- but he dies from a heart attack on New Years Eve 1937.
1943 A key date in the hotel’s history is General Guisan’s visit together with his military commanders on the occasion of the Swiss army ski championships.
1944 The government requisitions the hotel for military purposes and billets 30-40 American pilots as internees. «Normal guests» can no longer be accommodated. This action happens despite Swiss neutrality – for the internment of American pilots who have emergency-landed prevents further bombardment of Germany. The American flyers – all of them officers or NCOs – are not expected to be housed in an internment camp. Indeed, the government permits them to be lodged together with a detachment of guards at the hotel. This means that the Americans can continue with their luxurious way of life, and they live like lords. Proof, if it is needed, is the unbeaten record for whisky sales at this time.
The Second World War and post-war years create the greatest difficulties in the history of the hotel. Even after peace has been declared, the guests stay away – the Swiss choosing to go abroad, and foreigners having insufficient money to travel to Switzerland. Recovery comes only in the mid 1950s, thanks largely to the introduction of paid holidays, which are becoming more and more common at all levels of society.
1958 The hotel is extended with a single-storey annexe on the south-west side. It houses a new dining room as well as a basement games room for adults with indoor curling and indoor golf.
1964 The building work of 1964 is a milestone in the development of the hotel. At the rear, a modern, working kitchen with store and refrigeration is constructed. At the same time, the outlines for staff accommodation and private flats are set down. From 1964, both sons, Hans Rudolf and Beat, work for the family business.
1966 Marriage of Hans Rudolf Richard to Julia Dudler.
1967–1974 During this time their five children are born: Andreas (1967), Franziska (1968), Annemarie (1970), Bernhard (1971) and Hans Rudolf (1974).
1969 After a few terms at ETH Zurich, Beat Richard carries out the extension of the Scotch Club, a dance club in the English style, with restaurant and bar, which he now runs. The reputation of this choice establishment soon extends beyond the cantonal borders as it becomes well-known for its live jazz, French bistro food and classic cuisine. The Scotch Club becomes a magnet for those enjoying a night out, with people coming from as far as Bern for an evening in Engstligental.
1970 Elisabeth Richard dies from cancer. Hans Rudolf and Julia Richard take over the hotel management with Beat Richard responsible for the Scotch Club. A year later he leaves the family business to run the Gasthof Hirserenbad in Ursenbach, Emmental.
1970–1995 The difficult years are finally over and the business goes from strength to strength due both to the economic upswing and to judicious business management. The husband and wife team pay great attention to the individual and personal care of their guests. Many of them show their loyalty by returning year after year. Continued expansion enables ever greater building investments to be made over the following 30 years: In 1972 construction of the swimming pool is carried out and in 1974 the hotel entrance, reception and halls are redesigned. Step by step the rooms are renovated. In the 1980s the trend towards individualism is further highlighted by the construction of the Garden Wing (1983) containing 20 completely differently designed rooms and family apartments. In 1991 the rooms in the main house are renovated and the number of rooms is reduced to create larger individual rooms. In 1995 the swimming pool is recreated and converted to a Wellness-Center «Aqua vitalis», with Roman-Irish thermals, sauna and whirlpools.
1995 Andreas Richard takes over as Hotel Director, together with his mother, Julia, who remains in the business. Hans Rudolf Richard retires from the day-to-day operation on account of his age.
1999 The winter storm «Lothar» ensures an adventurous end to the millennium, throwing the hotel back into the middle ages from 26-30 December. The storm, which sweeps mainly across France and Switzerland, causes a power blackout across the whole area on Boxing Day. For the following four days, there is no electricity or warm water, but a good spirit prevails throughout the week. The multi-course festive meals are cooked on the fireplace and with help from gas stoves, being served by candlelight. A number of guests are able to see the positive side of all these upheavals – as the guest book shows. Dr. Reifler and family from Grellingen/BL write: «No swimming pool, no sauna, no electric light, no television, no skiing. Unshaven men, and women with damp hair at breakfast. In its place, romantic dinners of the finest quality by candlelight, keep-fit on the staircases, sledging and discovering the snowy landscape on foot, playing cards with the children, reading a favourite book by torch lamp, interesting discussions with fellow guests over Glühwein around the fireplace. All these things we could experience thanks to the tremendous efforts of the Richard family and their staff.»
2000 Due to heavy snowfall in February, the road between Adelboden and Frutigen is impassable and the area is cut off from civilisation for several days. With the increased risk of avalanches, the authorities – mindful of the «Belleview Avalanche» in 1924 – order the evacuation of hotel guests. This is despite the construction since then of a strong avalanche barrier, protecting the hotel from cascading snow. The entire Parkhotel is accommodated at the Hotel Regina for three days.
2001 Large expansion of the Wellness-Center «Aqua vitalis». An open-air saltwater pool is constructed together with a spacious rest-pavilion in the garden. On the ground floor there are beauty and massage rooms as well as a fitness area. The hotel is now renamed Parkhotel Bellevue & Spa.
2003 Reconstruction behind the scenes: renovation of entire kitchen, storerooms and part of the staff quarters. A new staff restaurant is built on the first floor and in the basement there’s a new air-conditioned wine cellar.
Market cuisine Less is sometimes more – this tried and tested gem of wisdom is equally true for the kitchen. So that we can concentrate our efforts entirely on freshly prepared food, we intentionally offer no à la carte menu. This frees Jürgen Willing and his team of chefs to put all their creativity and expertise into a special «menu du jour», based on fresh, high quality produce. One choice may be classic French, another Mediterranean, the third a hearty home-style dish as found in a typical brasserie; open-minded cuisine for gourmets of all ages and lifestyles.
Culinary pleasures in a relaxing ambiance Featuring huge panoramic windows, the Restaurant «Belle Vue» certainly lives up to its name. Use of natural materials gives the impression that nature has taken over. Feel free to experience space, magnificent views, poetry and playfulness - all combined with a vibrant hotel cultur
For after dark A sought-after place to be, with restaurant, lounge and bar. Here you can stay into the small hours, especially with a glass of good whisky.
Awakening the senses Wellness is not a religion for us, rather an already ten-year old fact of life – a stone in the mosaic, a principle part of many principle parts. We are not into every new fad, preferring to keep your health requirements in the foreground. And contrasts which awaken the senses and promote deep recovery: to passivity from activity, to nature from the works of human hand, and to health from the «vices of pure enjoyment». The body and spirit enhancing mountain world has become the backdrop to our expanded wellness area, «Aqua vitalis». Nature provides a spectacular show and «Aqua vitalis» stands squarely in the centre.
Aqua vitalis – an experience of nature Wellness stands for fitness, health and well-being. And with us something extra: an experience of nature. In the rest pavilion you can listen to the drumming down of the summer rain or climb into the steamy saltwater pool amidst the snow flurries. Equally mystical is the garden, surrounded by flowers, trees and mountains. Stunning views can also be enjoyed from the beauty treatment rooms and the garden sauna. The use of the facilities mentioned in the list on the left is included in the room price.
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