Hotel of the Year 2024 award for the Dolder Grand by GaultMillau

175 luxurious rooms and suites, 4,000 square metres of spa – and 64 GaultMillau points:  the Dolder Grand has put in place sophisticated new restaurant concepts in tune with the times.  GaultMillau is awarding the “Hotel of the Year” prize to the icon on the Dolder Berg for the second  time since 2016.

 

Editor-in-Chief Urs Heller: “Anyone who wins the title ‘Hotel of the Year’ twice in eight years must be  doing something extraordinary. The Dolder Grand has delivered. We were delighted by the new  MIKURIYA Japanese restaurant and the fascinating garden restaurant blooms. The jewel in the house is  The Restaurant, which holds 19 points and two stars.” The two masterminds who have turned a luxury  resort into a food destination are General Manager Markus Granelli and Culinary Director Heiko Nieder.    

 

The hidden suite, the hidden garden  “Our location is not particularly central,” acknowledges General Manager Markus Granelli, “but the  combination of rooms, spa, art and fine dining means we offer excellent reasons to come to the  Dolder.” Two new restaurants have made it into the GaultMillau 2024: the MIKURIYA, which scores 16  points, and blooms, which scores 14 points. What they have in common is sophisticated concepts.  Committed chefs. And: in this huge resort it takes time to find them both! A hostess in a kimono will  show you the way to the MIKURIYA. The Japanese restaurant is in what used to be Room 100, part of  the former Suite 100. “Omakase” is the order of the day. Chef Atsushi Hiraoka sets the 15-course  menus; the counter has space for just eight guests. blooms is in an idyllic spot in a part of the resort that  was not previously used. The tables are set in the midst of beds of herbs and vegetables and  surrounded by a giant steel object by Keith Haring. It’s the very soul of romanticism. The restaurant only  opens when the weather is good. The concept is vegan/vegetarian. “The garden is the source of our  inspiration,” says Heiko Nieder. Sous chef Robin Briner makes the challenging concept happen.

 

One of only six – chef Heiko Nieder scores 19 points  Heiko Nieder multitasks at the Dolder. He develops new concepts. He keeps an eagle eye on every  outlet. But above all, he’s a top chef – one of only six in Switzerland to score the maximum 19 points  awarded by GaultMillau. In spite of the fact that he juggles many balls at once: chef Heiko puts in a topclass performance in The Restaurant, welcomes guests with an endless cascade of starters and has  invented a cunning formula for the actual menu. New creations and a couple of signature dishes  combine to form a perfect unity. One of the unusual features for a five-star hotel is that the perfect service and sommelier assistance are provided solely by women. The Saltz all-day restaurant, a bold  design by Rolf Sachs, is run by Julian Mai and has gone upscale, winning its 15th point. A second chef  also now announces his presence in the restaurant and on the terrace: Firas El-Borji, the grand master of  Middle Eastern cuisine and favourite of the sheikhs who stay at the Dolder.

 

The best breakfast in Switzerland  Star chef Heiko Nieder is also in charge of breakfast. It’s served in the Saltz – and it’s the best in the  country. No fewer than eight (!) cooks led by Stephan Arnold get up first thing in the morning to spoil  the Dolder’s guests and make everything from scratch: 13 sophisticated dishes, served in 200 small  glasses. There’s sausage and cheese salad, egg salad, hummus, steak tartare, organic eggs every  which way, plus a couple of dishes the chef has developed to kick off the day: French toast. and onsen  egg with sea trout roe, marinated salmon, potato foam, dill and wasabi. The final touch to the offering is  changing pop-ups like the Lobster Club, the romantic ski hut in the Dolder Lodge and the Krug Lounge.  And once a year world-class chefs gather for the food festival: THE EPICURE.

 

Dalí, Murakami and Lord Norman Foster  The Dolder Grand was built in 1899 and is a fascinating resort. Lord Norman Foster lovingly restored  the historic part of the hotel and cleverly added in an elegant new extension. More than 100 works by  world-famous artists are generously displayed. The spa area offers 4,000 square metres of pure  relaxation with a pool, excellent treatments and spacious sun terraces. Relax, chill and feast above the  roofs of Zurich.