A year of celebrations includes the planned publication of a book telling the Hotel’s colourful history, including recipes from its renowned gastronomic Italian restaurant, Il Lago.

Hotel des Bergues was the city’s very first hotel, and has been a beloved landmark since its opening on May Day in 1834. At the time, it was the largest in Switzerland, with boutiques and a café-restaurant on the ground floor, three guest floors and an attic to accommodate staff. Through the years, it was a centre of social life in Geneva and a centre of Europe’s political landscape, as it has hosted the French delegation since the first League of Nations assembly in 1920.

Today, it is reborn for the 21st century as Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva, and the now seven-story neoclassical building has been transformed through two years of refurbishments.

Interior architect Pierre-Yves Rochon focused on recapturing the spirit of the Hotel’s history – creating interiors that reminisce the early 1800s. Classic French furnishings blend Directoire, Louis XVI and Louis-Philippe styles to bring a fresh, bright and airy ambience and character.

Inspired by Lake Geneva (or Lac Léman, as it is known locally), Rochon opted for blues and greens, in all their shades, to set the predominant tone inside the Hotel. These colours are hinted throughout the public areas, in the 65 guest rooms and in the portfolio of the 35 premier suites.

In September 2009, the second Gala of Hope, together with the Run of Hope, will take place, both reflecting the theme of the Hotel’s 175th birthday.

View special value room packages at Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva