The elegant, luxurious Grand Resort Bad Ragaz was recently named “Hotel of the Year 2009” by GaultMillau Switzerland, the Swiss branch of the esteemed restaurant guidebook.
In addition to recognizing the world-class quality of the food presented in the Grand Resort’s seven restaurants, the GaultMillau jury acknowledged that its decision was influenced by the Grand Resort’s new Spa Suites, each of which is equipped with its own “wellness oasis” bathroom and Bang & Olufsen television system supported by OTRUM Evolution HD.
“The GaultMillau award,” says Bjørn Ove Skjeie, President and CEO of OTRUM, “is given to hotels that strive to achieve the highest possible standards in the areas of innovation, quality and service. Clearly, the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz has not only met but surpassed the GaultMillau criteria. We are pleased that OTRUM has been part of this cutting-edge renovation.”
Tradition of renewal
Ever since the discovery of thermal springs in 1242, Bad Ragaz has been a center for wellness and, since the mid-1900s, a fashionable retreat to re-energize the mind as well as the body. Guided by the philosophy that “nothing endures but change” Grand Resort Bad Ragaz has always been ahead-of-the-times in the services it provides and the surroundings in which they can be enjoyed.
Costing over USD 160 million, recent modernization projects have used state-of-the-art designs and technologies to significantly expand the facilities and uphold the Grand Resort’s five-star reputation.
“The Grand Resort specifically chose OTRUM,” says CEO Peter Tschirky, “as our supplier of television-related services. Like us, OTRUM seems to recognize that each guest is unique and has different viewing needs as well as preferences. The OTRUM Evolution HD system opens up many possibilities for us to enhance the viewing opportunities we offer our guests – from prioritizing channels in their native language to connecting to the Internet.”
Partnerships of function and design
OTRUM Evolution HD, OTRUM’s fully-digital high-definition system, is installed in all 290 Grand Resort rooms. As Karim Taledano, CEO and Chairman of Hotelinnovativ AG and OTRUM’s partner in Switzerland, explains, ”Since most rooms have more that one LCD unit and some have as many as six, Hotelinnovativ has delivered over 550 LCD screens to the Grand Resort’s three hotels, and its many other facilities. This has been a major logistical challenge with five-star results.”
In the palatial Presidential Suite and in each of the Grand Resort’s 56 exclusive Spa Suites, OTRUM’s industry-leading technology is paired with Bang & Olufsen’s exquisitely designed television and sound systems to provide the ultimate contemporary, private spa experience. In addition to featuring the unique style and quality of B&O BeoVision entertainment centers, these rooms offer the Bad Ragaz thermal spa water “on tap”. The bathrooms or “wellness oases” are equipped with a whirlpool and steam bath and some also have a private sauna.
OTRUM’s CEO Skjeie concludes, “With state-of-the-art technology supporting one-of-a-kind amenities in a setting nestled in the midst of the Swiss Alps, it is clear why Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is the only hotel to twice be named GaultMillau’s Hotel of the Year.”
About OTRUM and Hotelinnovativ
OTRUM is a leading provider of interactive TV solutions and content to the hospitality industry. The company develops and supplies total systems consisting of hardware, software, TV channels, films and Internet access.
Founded in 1985, OTRUM is headquartered in Norway, with established country organizations in China, Denmark, Dubai, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Authorized distributors operate across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Since 1998 Hotelinnovativ AG, OTRUM’s partner in Switzerland, has provided discerning hotels throughout the country with communications solutions and support that meet and exceed the needs of their discerning guests.
For further information, visit the websites: www.otrum.com or http://www.hotelinnovativ.ch/.
About Bang & Olufsen
Bang & Olufsen is known world-wide as an icon of performance and design excellence in audio and video solutions for the home and, now, other areas such as the hospitality industry.
Founded in Denmark in 1925, the idea behind all Bang & Olufsen products has always been a design inspiration that is not compromised and, from beginning to end, combines craftsmanship with high-tech, innovative research and development.
For further information, visit the website: http://www.bang-olufsen.dk/.
About Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
Considered the best in Switzerland and among the best in the world, the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz offers a full range of luxurious options for fun as well as relaxation. These include: seven restaurants (three with GaultMillau rankings of 13 or more), a medical health center, a PGA championship golf course and an executive nine-hole course, the To B. Well-being & Spa, a world-class casino, and the thermal spa Tamina Therma which is open to the public.
The Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is located in eastern Switzerland, one hour by car from Zurich, less than three hours from Munich and Milan, and not far from numerous other locations in central Europe including Liechtenstein and St. Moritz.
For more information and booking arrangements visit the website: www.resortragaz.ch.