Maloja Palace

We love the flair of old hotels from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. century and have never been disappointed so far. The Maloja Palace has now managed to do that, and with full success at that. The entire complex was renovated between 2006 and 2009. There is basically nothing to complain about regarding the building and the rooms, but you can feel that the last 17 years since the renovation have not passed without leaving a mark. But we could have lived with that very well. When we drove into the parking lot, we noticed that only a few cars were parked there. Such a large hotel and barely 10 cars? That already seemed strange to us. Inside, we were greeted quite coldly. The room was tidy, clean, and we liked it a lot. After checking in, we wanted to enjoy the amenities of a 4-star hotel. However, we did not find any. In the dining hall and the bar, there were signs in English and Hebrew, and we soon noticed that the majority of the guests were Orthodox Jews. I do not know if the hotel has specialized in the needs of these guests or if there was some special event here, but in any case, we felt very unwelcome among this group of guests. Not a single time were our greetings returned. The climax was when two children from this group of guests tried to kick our dog, but little Moishe was then called back by his dad, without apologizing for the children's behavior. Food: None / Drinks: None. On the panoramic terrace, furniture is lying around, half of which is broken. Nobody cares... The salons are all deserted, the surroundings are unkempt. When checking out, we weren't even asked if we enjoyed it. The staff probably already knows the answer. A real shame! Such a great building that would have so much potential, and then they run everything into the ground. Now we are hoping for a change of ownership. Perhaps life will then return to the Maloja Palace with a new concept.

Location is beautiful. So is the Palace. But although part of the history of this beautiful structure is extensively highlighted, there is not a word to be found about its creation. A Belgian aristocrat, following what happened in the Belgian city of Spa (with the first spas in the world, hence the name of spa in English: "Spa") happened and which gave rise to the concept of "tourism" worldwide, make a meeting place for the European nobility around 1880. It was 2 Belgian architects who built the palace on behalf of this Belgian aristocrat. It was not called Maloja Palace in the beginning, but "Maloja Kursaal", following Casino Kursaal in the Belgian Ostend, the city where mass tourism (so no longer just the aristocracy as in Spa) really started worldwide. Even from the 20th century, when the Maloja Palace was used for summer and winter camps for Belgian children, you will not find anything. The building was then owned by a Belgian insurer and health insurance funds. The absence of these wonderful stories creates a damper when visiting the Palace today. Anyway, the Palace is now nicely renovated. But the price/quality ratio is poor. The breakfast was way too expensive for the fairly poor buffet. Also the rooms are on the pricey side.

Across the board a disappointment, a 4-star hotel that is very expensive. In the room the doors were missing at the wardrobe, toilet seat has wobbled. Kettle had a German plug in Switzerland, which was thus unusable. Door to the bedroom could only be closed by unplugging the floor lamp. Since the room was declared as an apartment, nobody cleaned. Breakfast for 35 Fr. you had to register in advance, buffet poor. Lobby unloved and also lifeless. Discussed all these points with the boss personally, there was no reaction.