I have stayed at the Beau Rivage 5 times in the past 10 years and it is one of my favourite hotels in the world. Setting is stunning. The building is grand - exuding another era - but the rooms work as (very) comfortable modern hotel rooms. I had not stayed there for about 4 years and returned February 2008 with a family of 3 young children. The most striking change is the service. I spend much of my time in Switzerland and am familiar with the slightly cold style of service in the best hotels - not great with families but fine on business. The Beau Rivage fell into this category on my last visit. This time - it was fanatastic. The place has had a Four Seasons style service make-over. Totally professional but warm and friendly. The kids were made completely welcome (with lots of presents, attention etc.) - even in the spa. Spa is great even if you aren't having booked treatments. We fully tested the concierge. He had to help us recover our bag which someone had taken in error from the carousel and only realised when they arrived in France. We had it back with his help within a few hours of check-in. I am a breakfast addict and very critical - it was excellent. I won't go on about how beautiful the place is - other reviewers are all correct. As Lake Geneva goes - this is as good as it gets. One minor complaint - the beds are fine but not the level of comfort which most hotels of this standard offer these days. There has to be something to improve next time. One other point which may seem odd - I do think its quite cheap. In general, top end hotels in Switzerland don't come close to the highs of Paris, London etc. but for what you get here, the prices are excellent.

The Beau Rivage Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland is not for the small of pocketbook or loud of mouth. It is an old money place that has served wealthy Europeans for generations and so if you are nosiy and like to throw your weight around this is not the place for you. My daughter and I had a wonderful stay. The service is impeccable. the staff highly trained and knowledgeable, and the rooms overlooking the lake were immaculate and extremely comfortable. Because of its geographic location, Lausanne has an interesting micro-climate so that in January when we visited, there was fog and rain, but also brilliant sunny days and a few flowers and shrubs actually in bloom. Marvelous! The only caveat I will put forth is this is not a hotel for non-smokers. It seems that people in Switzerland smoke . .. a lot! And the grand central staircase running from the lobby to the upper floors acts as a kind of flue for the public places below, funneling smoke up from the lobby and (we suspect) into the upper hallways and rooms. It would be most useful if the administrators of this hotel would begin to tackle the problem by doing some specific ground floor ventilation/remediation to divert some of the smoke out and away from the hotel. I would suggest that the hotel also leave some rooms strictly for non-smokers. I had to request that the bedspread be cleaned because of the heavy smoke smell. It was taken care of immediately and with grace, but obviously those with serious allergies to tobacco should make note of this problem, and be prepared to stuff a towel under the door and/or keep their windows open. To end on a positive note, the hotel is gorgeous in an old-world way that is impossble to emulate today, the views from the lakeside rooms are spectacular, the spa is absolutely lovely, the pool is heated, and the hot tub/whirlpool is soothing. Finally, the food in the restaurants is fresh and delicious from breakfast on. Overall, if your pocketbook can stand it , you can manage the smoking issue, and you are not into vulgar glitz but true European luxury . . . this is the place for you!

My stay was very nice. The concierge services are excellent, the sushi in the restaurant is delicious, room service wonderful and the spa is fantastic. There was no request which was not taken care of swiftly.

We stayed here for 5 nights over New Year's and this is a 5* luxury hotel at its best. The view of Lake Geneva with the Mountains as the backdrop is absolutely stunning!! The food was great, especially the room service and if you like sushi, try Miyako which is part of the hotel. We had a great meal there one night. The selection and quality of the breakfast buffet was exceptional. The spa facilities and spa treatments I had were stupendous. I have to say that there were a few hiccups the first 24 hours but the front desk manager made sure the issues were sorted out and even sent a bottle of champagne to our room, what better way to say sorry! We will go back for sure.