Familienhotels, Luzern, Schweizer Destinationen

Grand Hotel National Luzern (EN)

Feb 16, 2019 | by Aline | 25 comments

The Grand Hotel National Luzern has surprised us so positively that I am proudly sharing the experience with you. The Grand Hotel National Luzern is one of the most traditional 5-stars hotels in the city. Since its inauguration in 1870, it’s imposing Baroque and Renaissance lakeside building has become one of Lucerne’s symbols. In 1887, Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz menage Grand Hotel National, bringing a lighter and more personalized concept to guest service, innovating and treating them as friends of the house. It was revolutionizing the Hotel industry and not by chance, became known as “The King of Hoteliers and Hotelier of Kings.”

He established a lasting partnership with French Chef Auguste Escoffier, being considered pioneers of modern tourism. They received, among others, Sissi, the Austrian Emperor, Indian Maharajas, and Germania Emperors. Already in the mid-1880s, the Grand Hotel National Luzern was considered the most elegant hotel in Europe. In the nineteenth century lived its golden age. A curious fact is during World War II, the Hotel was used as a storage place for materials and food, like many others in the region. Almost 100 years later, architect Umberto Erculiani bought and restored the Hotel National completely. He installed some apartments for fixed residence and offices of his company, EF. Today, the Grand Hotel National Luzern has 41 Suites and Apartments, five Restaurants and one Cafeteria, two Ballrooms, Conference Room and Spa.

Location and How to arrive

Lucerne is one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland. Located by the Vierwaldstättersee lake, which means Lake of 4 Cantons and surrounded by the Alps, it attracts over 1 million visitors from around the world each year. It is a medium-sized city, by Swiss standards, has around 80,000 inhabitants. The Canton Lucerne is located in German Switzerland, 50 km from Zurich (the nearest airport) and 100 km from Bern in central Switzerland, in the heart of Europe. The Hotel National is located on Lucerne’s Promenade, overlooking the Alps, Mount Pilatus, the KKL Art Museum, Bahnhof Train Station, Chapel Bridge, and part of the Old Town.

Birthday at the Hotel

We booked the weekend at National to celebrate my husband’s birthday! The city was even more beautiful on that January snowy Saturday.
A welcome note from the manager, Ms. Winkler, a Nespresso coffee machine at our disposal, a bathroom all made of Italian marble, amenities from the English brand Molton Brown, a view binocular is some of the details that make a difference at National. Not to mention, they brought an exclusive dessert with the birthday card of the hotel staff !!! They are all very kind !!
In addition to our upgrade to the Lake View Suite, they provide it also an Fr.25 dinner voucher for National Restaurant. Kids’ favorite time was of the Spa and pool!! The hotel offers bathrobes and slippers for little ones! In particular, I loved the Spa’s dry sauna !! After Wellness, time to rest and get ready for dinner! Meanwhile, the maids came to open our bed, bring chocolates and the weather forecast. Soon after, we also received a cake and birthday card signed by the Hotel staff for my husband !! We love it; hope will come more birthdays like this !!

Gastronomy

The National Hotel has four restaurants beside the National Bar, with a beautiful, classic piano bar and great cocktails. If you like oysters, you will be a delight! Even if not, it is worth following how the Barmen Prepare then to serve. For our dinner at the National Restaurant, we ordered National Burger and Champagner Risotto with Shrimps. Was delicious! For those who want to go out after dinner, I recommend the Rooftop Monopol, next to the train station or the Club Schur, with DJ and live music!

After a great night’s sleep (for those who know Switzerland, you know you sleep well here! The cities are incredibly quiet at night!), Time to go down for one of my favorite moments- the breakfast 🙂 The National Hotel did not disappoint !! In addition to an excellent buffet with various types of bread, Swiss cheeses, yogurts, patisseries, and juices, we can also choose menu options, which include: American style pancakes, scrambled eggs, etc. Breakfast is till 10:30 a,m and from at 11:00 am start the Brunch, not included on the price.

Guest services

The Grand Hotel National Luzern offers several exciting packages that can be combined with accommodation: Ski or Snowboard Lessons, Lucerne Fastnacht (Carnival), Easter, New Year, and more! More information on the website ( click here to get to the hotel website)
The Hotel National is a partner to Fitness Park National for a special price. At a discounted hotel, the cost of Day-use drops from Fr. 37 to Fr. 25. I arrived a little early at the Hotel and bought a day pass for the Fitness Park National, which is in front of the Hotel. National is one of Lucerne’s finest gyms, and it has a beautiful spa area with an outdoor pool, several saunas, and two gym floors. After even swimming in the heated outdoor snow pool, doing several saunas (even aromatherapy), I was happy and relaxed for the Hotel. It also looked like the birthday girl was me 🙂