Portrait

The Foundation for Hotel Heritage Switzerland traces its origins to the Swiss Hotel Archives Foundation, established in 2008. It emerged from the recognition that, in a country shaped by tourism, there had long been no central institution dedicated to the history of hospitality and tourism.

Building on research carried out in the 1990s, the idea developed to systematically preserve, catalogue and make accessible historical records, many of which were at risk. This vision led to the creation of the Swiss Hotel Archives as a national foundation in 2008, with the aim of safeguarding the history of Swiss hospitality and making it accessible for research, education and the wider public. The initiative was led by hotel historian Roland Flückiger-Seiler, with founding support from the Swiss Hotel Association, the Walter and Bertha Gerber Foundation, the Tschumifonds Foundation and Jeanne Barras Zwahlen.

In the years that followed, the foundation developed into an active centre of expertise. Archival collections were secured and catalogued across Switzerland and made accessible in collaboration with partner institutions.

Following a period of consolidation, key collections were permanently secured and integrated into established institutional structures. Materials of national relevance are now held at the Swiss Economic Archives in Basel, while collections from Western Switzerland are managed by the Archives de Montreux.

From 2025 onwards, the foundation underwent a fundamental transformation. It was strategically repositioned and now forms, together with the Friends of Swiss Historic Hotels association, a national competence centre for Switzerland’s hotel heritage.

Today, the foundation brings together archives, built heritage, research and practice within an integrated approach. It works to preserve historic hotels, make their history accessible and support their future as living places of hospitality.