Five-star Two MICHELIN Keys Palacestrasse, Gstaad
Gstaad Palace
The turreted hotel on the hill above Gstaad, open since 1913, run by the Scherz family for three generations and open only in winter and high summer.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- Two Keys, 2026
- Rooms
- 90 rooms and suites
- Opened
- December 1913
- From the airport
- A few minutes from Saanen airfield
The hotel
Three generations of Scherz on the hill.
A Gstaad schoolteacher, Robert Steffen, bought the land in 1905 and found investors in Lausanne and Geneva for what was first called the Royal-Hôtel and Winter Palace. The Dutch architect Adrien van Dorsser drew it with turrets, on a hilltop above the village, and it opened in December 1913. Two years later its clay courts held the men's tennis tournament that became the Swiss Open.
Ernst and Sylvia Scherz became directors in 1938, and the family has run the hotel since 1947. Ernst Andrea Scherz took over in 1968 and his son Andrea in 2001. During the war a vault in the cellar held valuables for the Swiss Bank Corporation; fondue is served there now. GreenGo, the nightclub downstairs, dates from the early 1970s, and the façade appears in The Return of the Pink Panther.
- The Palace Spa A hammam and a wall built from about fifty tonnes of local granite, with an indoor pool and an outdoor one in season. Spa and pool are included in the room rate.
- Le Grand The main dining room, renovated in 2025, seats about ninety, and many dishes are finished at the table.
- Walig Hut The hotel's alpine hut above Gsteig, for lunch in the mountains.
Dining
Six restaurants and four bars.
Restaurants as listed by the hotel; Gildo's Ristorante is listed in the current MICHELIN Guide Switzerland. Luca Gatti becomes executive chef in September 2026, after Franz W. Faeh. Shown for information.
- Le Grand Classic, with table-side service Includes Le Grill and the Veranda
- Gildo's Ristorante MICHELIN Guide Italian In the hotel
- La Fromagerie Fondue In the old bank vault
- Gildo's al Fresco Italian trattoria, wood-fired pizza Outdoors, summer only, opened June 2026
- Bar du Grill Bar Jacket for gentlemen from 7 pm
Recognition
Keys and kitchen honours.
- Two MICHELIN Keys 2026
- Mérite Culinaire Suisse 2025, to culinary director Franz W. Faeh
- Travelife Gold certification, 2025
Good to know
Before you go.
- Season Winter 2026/27 from 15 December 2026 to 7 March 2027; summer 2027 from 20 June to 5 September.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by noon.
- Dress From 7 pm a jacket for gentlemen in Le Grill, Bar du Grill and the Veranda. No caps, hoodies or sports shoes in the evening.
- Pets Small pets accepted, for a fee. They stay with their owners or in a carrier.
Getting there
Flying to Gstaad.
Private aircraft and helicopters can land at Saanen airfield, a few minutes from the hotel by car, our estimate. Airline flights arrive at Geneva, 156 kilometres away by road, or Zurich; Bern Airport is closer, at 81 kilometres.
- Milan 35 min
- Nice 45 min
- Paris 55 min
- Brussels 1 h 00
- London 1 h 20
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How many MICHELIN Keys does the Gstaad Palace have?
- Two, in the 2026 Swiss selection of the MICHELIN Guide.
- When is the Gstaad Palace open?
- Only in two seasons. Winter 2026/27 runs from 15 December 2026 to 7 March 2027, and summer 2027 from 20 June to 5 September.
- Is there a dress code?
- Yes. From 7 pm gentlemen wear a jacket in Le Grill, Bar du Grill and the Veranda of Le Grand, and caps, hoodies and sports shoes are not worn in the evening.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Gstaad?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Gstaad, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Gstaad
Other hotels worth the trip.
- The Alpina Gstaad Fifty-six rooms and suites in old wood and antiques, a Six Senses spa, and the only hotel in Gstaad with three MICHELIN Keys.
- Le Grand Bellevue One of the original Big Four, more reserved than its neighbours, with a thermal spa and a private cinema.
- Hôtel Fouquet's Gstaad Formerly Ultima Gstaad, reopening under the Barrière Fouquet's name on 4 December 2026 with eleven suites, six apartments and a spa.
- Miiro The Mansard Twenty-nine rooms on the promenade, most with sheltered balconies, and the only rooftop restaurant in town.
Staying at Gstaad Palace?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Gstaad, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.