Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Michael Henssler 2 June took up the position of managing director of the year-old Kempinski Grand Hotel in Geneva. As part of his first day on the job he proudly showed a small group of guests around the hotel’s remarkable new Geneva Suite.
Hessler, 44 years old, comes to the hotel from Kempinski’s Hotel Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, which he has managed since it opened in 2004. He replaces Patrick Mossu, who is moving to another hotel in Geneva. Mossu has overseen the transformation during the past year of the Geneva Kempinski hotel from the Noga Hilton.
Photo: Patrick Mossu, left and Michael Henssler, right
Henssler, a chef by profession who several years ago worked in the kitchens at the Hotel Royal in Lausanne, is a graduate of the Hotel School of Lausanne. He has been with Kempinski since 1997, initially in Munich, then in several parts of the Middle East since 2000. His wife is German, but grew up mainly in French-speaking Switzerland. "We’re very pleased to be here, especially given the international education opportunities this offers," he told GenevaLunch.
He is also excited at the prospect of building the new hotel’s reputation, now that the renovation work is finished. "I’m really proud to be able to manage a hotel like this. Geneva is a very competitive market, with an extraordinary choice of hotels. Now [with renovations completed] we can concentrate on quality, on all the details. We certainly won’t be resting on our laurels!"
The Geneva Suite, at CHF50,000 a night, is more expensive than the top suite in Dubai, and it is beyond a doubt a showcase for the kind of quality the Kempinski believes is its strong point. The suite is the only apartment style five-star hotel suite on two floors in the world, Henssler believes.
Photo: Geneva Suite master bath, copyright Kempinski, 2008
Mossu, who accompanied guests on their Tuesday tour, says there are many suites that are what the hotel industry calls "patchwork," with several separate rooms linked, but apartments designed from the start as a unit are far more rare. And suites of top quality – "maybe one in each large city in the world."
The Geneva Suite is a complete 1,000m2 apartment with three bedrooms on the hotel’s 7th and 8th floors, each with its own large bathroom and beds for which all the linens must be specially ordered because they are 220cm wide and 240cm long, large enough so they don’t feel too small in the spacious rooms.
Each has a very large screen TV and of course, a private balcony and a spectacular view of the Mont Blanc, Geneva’s jet d’eau and the city’s waterfront. Two large sitting rooms, with open fireplaces and bars are decorated in tones of brown and cream with rich textures, the ensemble of which creates a sense of peaceful luxury.
Photo: Geneva Suite master bedroom, copyright Kempinski, 2008
One of the living rooms has a 110-inch television screen with four smaller screens around it: a cupboard hides the 15 decoder boxes that make it possible to have 1,500 TV stations from around the world. A billiards room and an exercise room with TechnoGym equipment ensure that you can do more than be a couch potato and there is, of course, an elegant office and a small private meeting room, in case work calls.
The apartment has a private elevator and private access to the underground garage, with cameras that can be watched by a guard in the apartment’s own security room. An elegant little kitchen inside the apartment comes complete with chef service 24 hours a day. And in case spaciousness, top of the line equipment in every corner and service fit for a king is not enough, the decor is also very special.
What initially looks like tiny ivory-coloured ceramic tiles on the wall next to a beautiful, contemporary wooden staircase, turns out to be small squares of stitched leather.
The question comes up: how often a hotel can expect to rent out a space like this? Henssler beams. The Geneva Suite has already been occupied five times since it opened just a few weeks ago. "Word is getting out," he adds, noting that the number of inquiries has climbed sharply.
Photo: Geneva Suite stairwell, with open fireplace and leather tiles on the left, and specially-designed curved glass on the right. Copyright Kempinski 2008. Photos reproduced with permission.