In Memoriam: Ernst Andrea Scherz, Gstaad Palace GM, LHW President

Luxury hotelier Ernst Andrea Scherz handed away Could 13, 2021 at the age of 81, adhering to a very long health issues, the Gstaad Palace has shared. Scherz played a major job in establishing The Major Inns of the Globe and he presided more than the Gstaad Palace from 1968 to 2001—before handing it around to his son Andrea Scherz, who is continuing his father’s legacy as third technology proprietor and normal manager.  

“We are mourning our father, and additional broadly also a man or woman who was, quite actually, born to be a host. Messages of condolence are reaching us from quite a few corners of the planet. As a spouse and children, we are really touched by this,” explained Andrea Scherz, basic manager of the Gstaad Palace, stated in a assertion. “He was the quintessential Scherz—always in superior spirits, generally present, normally a action ahead. To provide was both of those a issue of honor and a passion for him. As a position model, he expected a lot of himself and of all his employees. He was a person who was blessed with fantastic foresight and an intuitive grasp that seldom permit him down. He was a doer, a fighter and a extremely gifted communicator. That is also what many of his companions explain to me.”  

The son of hoteliers Ernst and Silvia Scherz-Bezzola, Ernst Andrea Scherz was born in Gstaad in 1939 and largely grew up in the hotel. Following finishing his hotelier training at the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, he took on successive roles in eminent establishments and was engaged by the Aga Khan to assist with his tourist business on the Costa Esmeralda in Sardinia. He returned to the Gstaad Palace in 1968 and took around administration of the lodge from his father in 1969.  

Ernst Andrea Scherz succeeded in bringing the Gstaad Palace to the consideration of the globe push with gatherings involving worldwide stars, these as Liz Taylor, Richard Burton and Peter Sellers. Below his initiative, the resort also progressed into its existing sort by way of progress of the hotel infrastructure this integrated the creation of an indoor pool, a sauna and a health heart in 1969-70, adopted by the evening club “GreenGo” in 1971. Nowadays, the club nevertheless functions the unique inside, created by Teo Jakob. In 1972, Scherz pioneered themed gastronomy when he released the Fromagerie, a extremely well-liked fondue eatery housed in a former World War II gold bunker. One more essential ingredient of the hotel, the Résidence du Palace for extensive-time period people, was also instigated by Scherz. Following a intricate 10-calendar year planning phase, the 21 residences of the Résidence welcomed their very first company at the start off of the 1979-80 wintertime time.  

In 2001, following 32 yrs at the helm, Scherz handed above general management of the resort to his son Andrea. The Palace AG was then restructured into a spouse and children keeping business in 2003. Scherz’s commitment went considerably over and above the Palace doors, and he did considerably to even more the lead to of Gstaad-Saanenland as a vacationer destination and of the complete hotel sector. As portion of this function, he served as president of The Foremost Accommodations of the World from 1973 to 1989. Less than his steering, the consortium of luxurious accommodations expanded from 70 to 220 establishments globally.

“Until eventually soon right before his death, my father would arrive to the Palace most times to chat to our standard visitors and the staff members. He was an critical mentor for the complete Palace relatives and was often on hand when I necessary guidance,” added Andrea Scherz.

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