One of the world’s exclusive eco-friendly hotels, the Gstaad Palace, has elected to use Global Hotel Exchange, a revolutionary new online booking platform that makes an ideal bed-fellow for one of Switzerland’s most inventive and luxurious places to stay. As this fabulous Swiss resort proclaims in their video at post’s end, “Gstaad Palace is far more than just a hotel.” Where forward thinking joins old world tradition, excellence resides.
New of three iconic hotels having adopted the GHX system this Winter make a nice caveat to showcasing a truly spectacular bit of Switzerland. Gstaad Palace brings to the GHX distribution matrix a sterling reputation for refined, luxurious hospitality. Located in the romantic Alpine village of Saanenland, this stunning 98-year old mountain resort is seen as one of Europe’s most glamorous and historically significant resorts, and is a favorite place to unwind for many of the world’s elite.
Guests of Gstaad can choose from the comforts of its 104 guest rooms to the splendor of its 26 suites, or as a popular alternative they can opt to go ‘back-to-basics’ for an extended stay at the charming Walig Hut, a refurbished extant that dates back to the late 18th century and offers breathtaking views of the snow-covered mountain vista.
What really sets the Gstaad Palace apart from crowd is not its undeniable luxury however, but rather its reputation as one of Europe’s ‘greenest’ hotels. Sustainability means everything to the family-run Gstaad Palace, which last December instituted an ecological heating system, not just for the hotel, but for the entire village, through its new district heating network.
Gstaad Palace surroundings in Winter - courtesy the hotel photo gallery
Located six kilometers from the Gstaad Palace, the Fernwarme District Heating System is fuelled by a renewable wood source, and delivers heated water to the hotel and its neighboring chalets via a network of pipelines to keep those alpine chills at bay. Developed at a cost of $725,000, this communal heating system is expected to save on up to 270,000 liters of heating oil that was previously consumed by the village each year.
Eco-friendly heating is not the only endeavor made by the Gstaat Palace however. Other ‘green’ innovations include power outlets for guests who drive electric-powered cars, while guests who choose to stay at the rustic Walig Hut are treated to solar powered electric lighting and a traditional wood-burning stove.
In keeping with its environmentally-friendly attitude, the Gstaad Palace also makes regular financial contributions to Sustainable Travel International (STI), an organization that seeks to reduce the environmental impact of tourism, on behalf of each of its guests. Every aspect of Gstaad Palace, from the Palace Spa (image above) to the garages where the resort’s eco-friendly electrical sockets were installed to service green autos, this place literally leaves no stone unturned.
For hoteliers interested in connecting to Global Hotel Exchange, or learning about the services free market economics, please visit the links aforementioned or visit their g+ page here. For those interested in more information about this extraordinary hotel, please visit their Facebook profile here. We leave you with video from Gstaad Palace’s wonderful YouTube Channel. A last note, if you ever dreamed of a vacation in Switzerland, you owe it to yourself to visit Gstaad, even if just once.