An ESCAPE PLAN
Vintage Style City Hotel - on our post lockdown travel listby Tsitaliya Mircheva
Do you catch yourself lately fantasising about your next post lockdown escape? This has becoming almost a hobby for our team lately, choosing destination and hotels we would travel to, going into details such as what we would order for breakfast and what we plan on wearing every time we god down to the lobby and the bar.
Today we are excited to share with you one of the most exciting discoveries we made last year, a location we have found right in the heart of Zurich, next to the lake of Zurich and the lively Sächseleutenplatz, right behind the Opera house at Bellevue.
As you may know by now, our brand owner has a soft spot for historic architecture, artistic design and patterns, and spaces with bohemian vibe. As soon as she found Hotel Europe she felt a connection, falling in love with the character of this place, its heritage interiors and nostalgic charm, its relaxed spirt, bright and bold colours, contrasting patterns and decadent elements, where old and new co-exist in an effortless and harmonious way.
And the best thing our By Adushka team loves about Hotel Europe is that it has nothing to do with minimalism. In fact all the accessories and decor give the impression that this place relates to well travelled people , interested in culture, art, tradition and handcrafts. People who value beautiful fabrics, authentic vintage furniture and elegant, luxurious, but not loud, accessories collected from all over the world.
In fact, in the 1970s the famous Russian ballet dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nurejew used to stay in Suite 22 at Hotel Europe and today his Suite is named after him. The Suite impresses with its classy interior design. From the chandelier to the curtains and the French styled bathroom and iconic portrays of Rudolf Nurejew.
In 2019 an old lady who arrived at the hotel as a guest turned out to have been a prima ballerina, dancing at the Zurich Opera house in the 70ies. When she heard about the Nurejew Suite she became very emotional and immediately recollected the time when she was dancing with Nurejew in Schwanensee.
And while this place is loaded with all kinds of stories and original historic features, the young family Kramer keeps writing its own story, while softly updating the old authentic charm and creating one-of-a-kind contemporary experience for the modern guests of Hotel Europe.
Last summer the owners have renovated Restaurant Max&Otto at the hotel emphasising on a high quality modern menu that offers young, regional and creative product & experiences. And before we give you some more history about this wonderful Zurich hotel we want to share with you what Eva Kramer, the wife of Sebastian Kramer, whose family owned the hotel for more than 20 years, told us in an exclusive interview before our SS 21 photoshoot at the Romantik Hotel Europe:
When you are with us in the hotel we
want you that you feel at home in
the heart of Zurich
Tsitaliya: If you have to describe Hotel Europe in three words - what words would you use?
Eva Kramer:
1) CHARMING as this is what we are: from the décor to our team.
2) ACCESSIBLE we have a great location in Zurich’s heart which is perfectly accessible from Zurich airport & main station. Sightseeing very easily accesissble by foot – the ideal location. Zurich is also known as having the one of the world best infrastructure. We profit from it and on top of that we have one of the best locations you can have while staying as a tourist in Zurich.
3) PERSONAL. We used to be a family owned and managed operation and we still keep that family spirit –when you stay with us you will feel it
Tsitaliya: In what way do you try to differentiate your hotel and services from the other existing hotels? What are the elements you really care for?
Eva Kramer: We absolutely care about personal service. When you stay with us we want you to offer our best service possible like a friend. We recommend the places that we love ourselves and regularly go to, we want you to experience the same great experiences that we have made for ourselves in Zurich and the surroundings. We want you to experience the best in Zurich and every time we give you a recommendation we want you to feel that you didn’t get this recommendation from a receptionist but that it feels as if a good friend gave you a hint to go to a special place in Zurich. When you are with us in the hotel we want you that you feel home in the heart of Zurich and that you feel well cared for your needs. We offer in our Restaurant a mix of creative dishes and also the best of Zurich dishes. We offer you a classic Zurich experience with an exciting twist.
Tsitaliya: Interior design - where do you look for inspiration when it comes to interior design and choosing the styles for each room?
Eva Kramer: I would say the greatest inspiration comes from the style of my mother-in-law. She originally created the cosy style of the hotel décor that I personally love. I am a big fan of the cottage core trend while I still appreciate classic design. Design that lived and was here forever. I don’t believe in trends when it comes to room interior design. I get my inspiration from other great hotels around the world or even from Instagram accounts. At the moment I am a big fan of Paula Sutton’s Instagram profile “hillhousevintage”. Now we are planning to softly update the rooms inventory and design by maintaining the hotel’s charm. I believe it is very important to update the design of the rooms to the modern needs of our guests while still conveying the vintage look.
When I would have to choose, it would be the green room, where, my husband and I had our engagement photo shoot. We were dressed like the couple of Grand Budapest Hotel, Zero and Agathe. I absolutely love the green old silk wallet paper.
Tsitaliya: The most interesting room/suit you personally would love to stay in at Hotel Europe?
Eva Kramer: What a hard question for me! I have to admit when I do room tours with external guests, I every time fall in love even more with our hotel rooms. When I open the hotel rooms: I feel like : this is such a beautiful room and when I enter the next one: I am like : no, this is the most stunning room. When I would have to choose, it would be definitely our green room, Junior Suite Nr. 32: here, my husband and I had our engagement photo shoot. We were dressed like the couple of Grand Budapest Hotel, Zero and Agathe. I absolutely love the green old silk wallet paper. One-of-its-kind and can never be found anywhere else.
People who are looking for authentic experiences. People, who care about story and culture and value preserved antique and vintage character.
Tsitaliya: Do you have a personal story you can share about the hotel from the time your husband’s family and now you have been managing the hotel?
Eva Kramer: You have to know that when I was 18 I fall in love with my husband Sebastian. At that time he, also 18 years old, was helping out his mother at reception as a trainee. We often went to the 6th floor together and would sit on the old roof top (by then it wasn’t yet renovated, everything old) and it was kind of dangerous and absolutely forbidden to climb in the attic. We would sit there and have the most stunning view over Zurich. This was magical.
Tsitaliya: What kind of people like to stay in your hotel most often?
Eva Kramer: People who are looking for authentic experiences. People, who care about story and culture and value preserved antique and vintage character.
The Romantik Hotel Europe is a 4 star hotel which is part of one of the most beautiful old buildings in Zurich, the Utoschloss. Designed and built in 1900 by the same architect who worked on the Zurich Opera house, the Utoschloss kind of looks like a Zurich Mini Version of the British Buckingham Palace. The hotel was owned by Sebastian Kramer’s family from1996 to 2018. It used to be a traditional family hotel, decorated and run by the mother of Sebastian Kramer. She chose to decorate all rooms in a cozy style, which was a mixture between English and French old house style.
In 2019 Sebastian Kramer and his wife took over the management of the hotel and made some changes. However, they are doing their best to preserve the authentic old features of the hotel layering new details to tell more stories. Most of the old patterns, colors and fabrics in the hotel are preserved and every hotel room is different. It is a quaint, charming boutique hotel, beginning of the favored Seefeld-district. For more information visits their website: https://www.europehotel.ch