Hotels in Geneva

Bénédict Estier's neo-classical landmark on Quai des Bergues opened May 1, 1834 as Switzerland's largest hotel — Pierre-Yves Rochon led the 2005 restoration; Onur Ozgul and Serge Marzetta refined the public floors. 115 keys, with the Salle des Nations downstairs that hosted the League of Nations' first assembly in 1920. Martial Facchinetti runs the kitchens, including Il Lago (one Michelin star, Northern Italian); Spa Mont Blanc takes 30,000 sq ft with a 41-ft lap pool.

Originally the Hôtel du Rhône, the first hotel built in postwar Europe, designed by Swiss architect Marc J. Saugey in 1950 in his accordion-style modular form on the bank of the Rhône. Mandarin Oriental took ownership in 2000 and the current interiors of the 178 rooms and suites are the work of Hong Kong's Buz Design with Paris-based Sybille De Margerie, completed in 2013. The dining floor pairs SACHI, a modern Japanese omakase counter, with Ottolenghi's first Geneva opening, alongside MO Bar overlooking the river.