The Beau-Rivage Geneva Is A Grand Dame For The Modern Age

Opened in 1865, the Beau-Rivage is the kind of hotel that anchors a city, with its cream-colored facade and name in lights perched along the rooftop for all to see. For five generations the property was Swiss-owned and run by the Mayer family. But, in late 2020, the Casacubertas, also a family, but from Barcelona, took charge.

The hotel’s grand exterior has been painstakingly restored as were the soaring frescoes and marble columns. Inside, the rooms are grand but also modern and welcoming, while the service is friendly and intuitive.

Steeped in history, the Beau Rivage has played host to a number of familiar names and faces over the years, from the Empress of Austria and Emperor Ashkito of Japan to Elizabeth Taylor and Eleanor Roosevelt. It’s a heritage the hotel honors proudly, plucking the best-known and using them to name the rooms and suites that line the corridors.

No two rooms are the same. Of the 52 rooms, 43 of which are suites, each has its own identity, a witty amalgam of Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco design. And for a hotel smack in the center of the business and shopping district, the rooms are large, with high ceilings and picturesque balconies affording lake and mountain views.

You get the feeling that the Beau-Rivage is the type of hotel where people come to year after year. Where the bartender knows just how many shakes to give your martini and the concierge remembers your daughter’s graduation results.

It’s a story that sounds familiar to the property’s Executive Chef, Dominique Gauthier, who first walked through the hotel’s Belle Epoque doors more than two decades ago. “When I started as a line cook, I was only 25 years old,” says Gauthier. At the time, the restaurant had its charms, but nothing formal, no Michelin Star, no major acclaim.

And so Gauthier set to work, finessing his signature style, a blend of French gastronomy and Asian flavors. That pairing is deeply personal, owing to a passion Gauthier has nurtured over his career for Asian culture and cooking techniques.

On the subject of ingredients, Gauthier’s mouth curves into a smile. The current fixation on concepts like organic, local, and farm-to-table, have been second nature to the chef’s kitchen for more than 15 years, long before they were considered trendy or in vogue. “For the last 15 years or so I’ve surrounded myself with artisans—whether that is for animals, poultry, beef, or pork,” says Gauthier. “And I’ve immersed myself with people who grow organic products.”

But what truly inspires Gauthier is the guests. “The moment I walk into the dining room and see people smiling. I’ve had guests tell me it was the best meal of their lives!”

Outside of the hotel—the views, the meals worth lingering over—the city of Geneva is right there on your doorstep. Snap your fingers and the hotel can organise a city tour, personalized shopping, a turn around nearby vineyards in a svelte motorized tuk tuk.

Or if you want an adventure, start the day in downward dog over the turquoise ripples of Lake Geneva with yoga teacher Estelle Hartwig. Increasingly popular, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) yoga, helps to disconnect from the daily noise, easing stress and anxiety, while teaching balance and building core strength. There’s something primal about being surrounded by open water, that alongside the stillness, breath work, and concentration required to shift from pose to pose, it is worth getting out of bed for.

And, in fact, the same could be said for the Beau-Rivage in general. It’s a property that’s worth showing up for.