Beau-Rivage Palace

Alexander Brailowsky, Yvonne Printemps, the duke and duchess of kent, Somerset Maugham, Gary Cooper, Richard Strauss, Ginger Rogers, Serge Gainsbourg, Pierre Fresnay, Sacha Guitry, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Kirsten Flagstad, Madeleine Renaud, Francis Poulenc, Mel Ferrer, Edward Kennedy and Georges Simenon. An unlikely roll-call of names, with one thing in common: they have all been guests at the beau-rivage palace and have each played their part in the history of this great theatre. Beyond the rich and famous, other people feature prominently in the history of the hotel, people who are less well known, yet equally important: those involved in building and decorating the hotel, who have brought life to it and who have ensured its success from 1861 onwards.

Published to coincide with the beau-rivage palace's double anniversary, this book offers a mosaic of different insights, opinions and perspectives on the hotel, from informative essays to personal memoirs. There are chapters dedicated to the history of the hotel, travel and tourism, the architecture of the buildings and design of the gardens, all richly illustrated, as well as four short stories set in this flagship hotel on the shores of lake geneva.