Room type: Junior Suite, Palace wing

Setting: Beau Rivage Palace is located in Lausanne-Ouchy, at lake Geneva. Downtown Lausanne is a 10-15 minute car ride, depending on traffic. The hotel as ample gardens, with two pools, tennis courts, and lounge seating. In front is the nicely arranged lakeside promenade.
The original hotel was founded in 1861, and has not been closed for a single day since. In 1908, an extension was built, so the hotel now consists of two wings, the Beau Rivage and the Palace wing. Today, it has 170 rooms. Public areas are about as palatial as it gets. There is a grand lobby, and a grand ballroom.
However, the hotel has been constantly maintained and upgraded. Rooms in the Palace wing have been refurbished in 2012The interior design is by Jean-Yves Rochon. The breakfast room, the bar, and some of the restaurants are also new. Everything is spotless.
This hotel is the truest incarnation of a grande dame I have visited so far. It is owned by the Sandoz family foundation (the family originally behind the pharmaceuticals giant Novartis), which also owns a few other hotels in Switzerland, including the neighboring Hotel d’Angleterre.

Room: Our room was lovely. We were on the third floor, with two lakeside balconies, enjoying a fantastic view over Lake Geneva. The room was spacious, with a sofa, very comfortable armchairs, a desk, another small table, and plenty of room for a rollaway bed for our child. It also had a historic fireplace. We particularly liked the bathroom. It was windowed, with a nice, freestanding tub in front of the window, separate shower and powder room. There was also a separate dressing area. The Jean-Yves Rochon interior design was classic, yet updated – a crème and white color schemes, and well co-ordinated fabrics.
There was also a Nespresso machine. The minibar was payable, but very nicely stocked, for example with organic fruit juices from a local brand. I also liked that the hotel still uses actual room keys, instead of cards.
In terms of room selection, I would recommend a room in the Palace Wing, as these have been refurbished. The Beau Rivage wing is more classic in style, with old wood floors and silk fabrics. A lake view is definitely worth booking – we spent substantial time on our balcony watching the boats passing by. Request a higher floor for a good view.

Pool/Spa: There is a decently sized outdoor pool with ample loungers, and a second indoor/outdoor pool. The garden area is extensive, and also includes a children’s play area, tennis courts, and lounge seating. There is also a spa, but we didn’t visit it, so no comment. Service around the pool is fine.
Service: Service was very good throughout. Everything worked seamlessly from start to finish.
The welcome amenity was very generous, including fresh flowers, champagne, fruit, and a separate amenity for our child with cookies, more fruit, and juice.

Food: The hotel has 3 restaurants, the Café Beau Rivage with French bistrot fare, the two-star Anne-Sophie Pic, and a Japanese restaurant. We only tried the Café Beau Rivage, and were very happy. It is run like a traditional French brasserie, with an ample choice of fish and meat dishes, and an impressive dessert cart.
Room service has an extensive selection and arrived very fresh.
Breakfast is a buffet, with a very ample selection of cold and hot dishes, including some special features such as fruit smoothies, and egg dishes prepared to order. Everything we ate was of high quality. The outside terrace with a view of the garden is also very nice.
Only issue: They need to do something about the birds. There is an infestation of sparrows, and they will immediately have a go at the bread basket once a guest gets up to get something else from the buffet. They should at least provide some covers/netting to be put over the food.

Overall: We enjoyed our stay very much, and would be very happy to return. This place is ideal for spending a relaxing weekend around the pool, or as a base for exploring the region. The local competition in Lausanne is the Lausanne Palace and Spa (located downtown, i.e., not at the lake ), and the recently opened Royal Lausanne (located close to the lake, but a few roads inwards). I haven’t stayed in either, but I feel they cannot compare in terms of location.