Swatch uses Bürgenstock as advertising mountain

Swatch is planning five watch and jewelry stores for its 18 watch brands on 670 square meters at the 500-million resort, which is scheduled to open in mid-2017. In addition to 37 showcases with exhibits, Swatch is providing the resort with artworks from its own artist residency in Shanghai, China. The collaboration also includes the Hotel Royal Savoy Lausanne. Swatch also plans to display selected watch brands in 26 showcases in the latter. The partners did not disclose any financial details of the deal. For Swatch CEO Nick Hayek, the cooperation between tourism and the luxury goods industry is a commitment to Switzerland as a business location, as he explained at a media conference on Thursday at Bürgenstock. Switzerland, he said, must cultivate its heritage and brands, not least in view of the strong franc, and offer guests an emotional experience. Mountains and tunnels alone are no longer enough.

Hayek: "Lucerne at the capacity limit".

The tourist resort of Lucerne, which is popular for watch and jewelry stores and is about 30 minutes away from Bürgenstock, has reached its capacity limit, said Hayek. This is one of the reasons why the industry is interested in gaining a foothold on the Bürgenstock. The cooperation between the resort and Swatch is open. According to the partners, joint events or advertising campaigns in Swatch stores abroad are possible. It is also conceivable that guests will be able to pay for their stay at the resort with a Swatch watch on their arm, for example. Cooperation between tourism and the luxury goods industry on Bürgenstock is not new. The industries already worked hand in hand in the 1950s. The name of Swatch's competitor Gübelin, after which a house on the panoramic mountain is named, is now to disappear from the resort.

Resort with three hotels and a dozen restaurants

The car-free Bürgenstock Resort is scheduled to open in mid-2017. The tourism complex comprises 30 buildings and sports facilities. These include three hotels with almost 400 rooms and 800 beds, as well as a dozen restaurants. A wellness complex, a conference center and a shopping mall are also scheduled to open. The total investment amounts to around 500 million Swiss francs. Katara Hospitality Switzerland AG, based in Zug, is behind the resort. It is the operating company for Swiss hotels of a Qatari sovereign wealth fund. In addition to the Bürgenstock Resort, Katara Hospitality also owns the Schweizerhof in Bern and the Royal Savoy in Lausanne.

The operators are optimistic despite the current difficulties in the tourism industry. They expect 100,000 day visitors per year and 150,000 overnight stays, according to Bruno H. Schöpfer, Managing Director of Katara Hospitality Switzerland. In addition to the hotel business, the operators are counting on health tourists who can receive treatment at the resort, as well as conferences, residential guests and excursionists from the region. According to Bruno H. Schöper, work on the traffic development is on track. The concession for the construction of a funicular railroad from Kehrsiten NW to Bürgenstock has recently been granted. The construction costs for the new funicular are estimated at 15 million Swiss francs. In addition, a boat connection from Lucerne to Kehrsiten is to be created. (SDA)