Legendary Grand Hotels

1. “Hotel Adlon in Berlin” – Lorenz Adlon and his Hotel between Two Worlds
2. “Beau-Rivage in Geneva” – The Mayer Family and their Hotel of Fortune
3. “The American Colony in Jerusalem” – Anna Spafford and her Hotel in the Battlefield of Religions
4. “Le Bristol in Paris” – Hippolyte Jammet and his Hotel of Silence

Virtually every metropolis, every sought after ‘place in the sun,’ can boast a legendary hotel, a place steeped in tradition. The very words “Grand Hotel” emanate a special kind of magic. Such hotels are more than architecture, family history, tradition: they are chroniclers of our times. At a time when travel was still celebrated, grand personalities entered and exited Europe's grand hotels on a regular basis. For the upper classes, hotels were the hubs and linchpins of social life. Weaving themselves around these hotels – surrounded by an aura of glamour, as well as by a web of little anecdotes – were the most extravagant legends. In these palaces, people lived, loved, and suffered; there were celebrations, but also deaths. Familiar cocktails and desserts were named after guests, taboos and hearts were broken, far-reaching political decisions arrived at, and from time to time, world-famous works of literature composed.  The grand hotels survived two world wars, have witnessed democracies and despotic regimes come and go, and they provided the stage scenery for the dramatic societal transformations of the 20th century.

“Legendary Grand Hotels” is a high-quality four-part series that promises glamour, diverting anecdotes, intriguing stories, and enthralling views behind otherwise closed doors: Who were the visionary founders, the pioneering spirits of these hotels? Who was responsible for building the reputations they enjoy today? What family histories, or tragedies, played themselves out behind these walls, unbeknownst to the guests? What feats of architectural mastery, which ingenious design features are concealed within these edifices?

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