Switzerland's Newest Luxury Hotel to Open August 28

But what will impress the most are the sweeping 180-degree views of Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps looming on the horizon. High on a forested ridge, 2,800 feet above the spectacular lake, the five-star superior hotel, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, is the heart of Switzerland's newest luxury resort, the 148-acre Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne. Is this the setting of a James Bond movie, perhaps?

Five hundred fifty million Swiss francs has been invested in this sprawling resort dedicated to healthy living. No detail was spared. To select the architect for the Bürgenstock Hotel, Bruno Schöpfer, the Bürgenstock Selection's Managing Director conducted an international architecture competition drawing designs from ten firms. MKV was selected for its innovative design to work in conjunction with a local Lucerne firm.

In keeping with its bold statement, the Bürgenstock experience begins with a high-speed catamaran ride from Lucerne that brings guests to the resort's dock where they board the newly-restored funicular, originally inaugurated in 1888, to make the five-minute trip right into the lobby level of the Bürgenstock Hotel.

Once arrived, guests enjoy the Lakeview Bar & Lounge, a 66-seat private cinema, a wine cellar, cigar lounge and private dining room. In Spices Kitchen & Terrace, chefs will work in an expansive open-view kitchen cooking up Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Thai cuisine in woks, tandoors and bamboo steamers. And the 5,382 square-foot Lakeview Ballroom and Foyer is the perfect setting for weddings and special events with massive floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides.

All of the Bürgenstock Hotel's 102 rooms and suites have fireplaces and huge windows that extend out from the façade offering views of Lake Lucerne and beyond to the snow-covered Alps. Using natural materials, wood and local stone from the mountains, MKV Design brought nature into the hotel with fresh contemporary style. The guestrooms have brass fireplaces, American walnut parquet floors, oak cabinetry and furniture by Italian and Swiss designers. The Italian marble baths feature walk-in rain showers and double bathtubs with the same panoramic views.

The 82 Deluxe or Executive Lakeview Rooms measure an expansive 495 square feet. The 20 suites range from the 785 square-foot Bürgenstock Senior Suite and 985 square-foot Family Suite to the Presidential Suite at 3,315 square feet and at 7,230 square feet, the Katara Suite with six bedrooms on the hotel's top floor.

Equipped with the latest technology, guestrooms boast 49-inch LED televisions with 200 TV and radio channels, Bose sound systems with additional speakers in the bathroom, radios and two cordless telephones, guest tablets with hotel information, data ports and complimentary cable and Wi-Fi.

Next door, the indoor/outdoor Bürgenstock Alpine Spa – at 107,000-square feet, central Switzerland's largest – will open in the fall and feature 15 treatment rooms and three private spa suites; a 24- hour fitness area with state-of-the-art equipment, yoga studio, wet areas with hammam, sauna and whirlpools and hydrotherapy. A 1,383-foot heated infinity pool wraps around two sides of the spa offering mountain and lake views. The spa's 469-foot indoor pool has glass walls on three sides while the kidney-shaped is next to the Alpine Garden.

Also in the resort are two other hotels, the five-star Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence (opening in the fall) and the four-star Superior Palace Hotel and the three-star Taverne 1879, a 12-room inn, plus an additional nine bars, lounges and restaurants, three championship tennis courts, a nine-hole golf course, 43 miles of hiking and biking trails and a private lido on the lake for water sports.

In August, rates for the Lakeview Rooms at the Bürgenstock Hotel will start at CHF 800 (or about US$ 882).

For further information go to Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne, call 011 41 41 612 9010 or email info@buergenstock.ch.