| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hospitality |
| Founded | 1980 [1] |
| Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland |
| Area served | International |
| Key people | Meinhard Huck, President[2] Petra Goetting, Vice President Marketing and Sales[3] Pierre Botteron, Vice President Human Resources[4] Lilian Roten, Vice President Operations[5] |
| Products | Hotels |
| Parent | Fairmont Raffles Hotels International |
| Website | http://swissotel.com |
Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts is a group of hotels pitched at the higher end of the hotel market. The chain currently includes 28 properties in 15 countries. The corporate offices for Swissôtel are located in Zurich, Switzerland,[6] and the company is headed by President, Meinhard Huck.
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Swissôtel was founded in 1980 as a joint venture between the Swissair and Nestlé groups with its headquarters in the Swiss city of Zurich. Initially hotels were operated in Berne, Geneva, New York and Zurich. In 1990, the hotel group became a fully owned subsidiary of the Swissair group and in 1996 its head office moved from Zurich to New York.[7]
In 2001, with the parent airline in the serious financial difficulties that eventually lead to its demise, Swissôtel was sold to Raffles Holdings Limited, the owners of the famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore. In July 2005, Colony Capital, a private international investment firm, acquired Raffles International Limited, the company that by this stage owned both Raffles and Swissôtel brands.[7]
In May 2006, Colony Capital, together with Kingdom Hotels International, acquired Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. With the completion of the transaction, the Fairmont and Raffles International portfolios were combined, transforming the companies into a global hotel leader headquartered in Toronto called Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, with 120 hotels in 23 countries under four brands – Fairmont, Raffles, Swissôtel and Delta.
After the transaction, the corporate office of Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts moved back to Zurich, where it is headed by President, Mr Meinhard Huck.
Swissôtel has a high profile approach to corporate social responsibility, which concentrates on charities who help underprivileged children around the world.[8] The company has formed a link with SOS Children's Villages for which it organises fundraising events such as an annual summer party in Zürich.[9] The company has supported particular projects including that in Lavrovo, Oryol, Russia.