Exceptionally overseen luxury hotel in the famous Swiss mountain resort – with an eventful past:

Hotel The Omnia Zermatt has a noteworthy backstory, but first of all it is a stunning luxury hotel offering a hospitality that is second to none. And although it has more than 15 years under its belt it looks dewy and fresh. Maybe you are prompted to assume that it is one of these typical chalets in the mountains reminding you of the story around Heidi in the Alps. But The Omnia is different. It is a contemporary interpretation of a classic mountain lodge with an interior design inspired by American modernism. Although it looks quite big from the outside, it is actually rather boutique. And its setting on a rock face above Zermatt is ravishing. You can reach the hotel via an elevator that is deep inside the mountain and starts right from the town center.

I hinted about its backstory already, which will make the start of my reporting. But although I personally find it fascinating, this should not hide the fact that Hotel The Omnia Zermatt is first and foremost an absolutely fabulous choice for spending a few days in Zermatt. This also in case you should be a fine dining lover. That is because its restaurant is great in this aspect too. You will find everything what makes this hotel worth going to for demanding travelers right after diving into its eventful past.

Hotel The Omina’s backstory

The Omnia’s pre-story

The Omnia was opened in 2006. And this after it had already been opened six years ago as a different hotel. It had the name “Into the Hotel” and was only in business for seven short weeks! The Into – as it was usually called – was a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art, originated in a joint effort between an artist and a son of a millionaire. The protagonists were Heinz Julen, son of a mountain guide, ski instructor, artist, designer and hotel builder, and Alexander Schaerer, a member of the family owning USM, producing office furniture.

What went wrong with the predecessor hotel Into?

As mentioned, Into was not an ordinary hotel but quite an extraordinary undertaking. Heinz Julen brought in the idea – a habitable sculpture – and the land, Alexander Schaerer the money (from the family business). The hotel got its name from into the rock (its entrance was blasted into the mountain). And the artist realized here some really special things, for instance rooms featured a turntable on which there were the bed and the sofa. In such a manner, guests could view  Zermatt’s iconic mountain, the Matterhorn, anywhere they were. Or there was a retractable whirlpool or a submersible fountain.

After the opening of Into in 2000, it soon became clear that the hotel had construction defects. Opinions differed how bad they were. Heinz Julen thought that the issues could be solved with some adjustments. Family Schaerer considered the situation as much worse. Father and son Schaerer came to the conclusion that Into could not survive the way it was. They voted for a deconstruction of the hotel, which finally took place – after a long back and forth. In between, Alexander Schaerer sued Heinz Julen for 7.7 million SFR of renovation costs. Then it came to an out-of-court settlement in 2004: Heinz Julen gave up his share, Alexander waved his compensations claim.

The rebirth of the hotel in the form of The Omnia

Six years after the hotel opened first in the form of the Into The Omnia opened its doors again for guests. While it still was not the usual hotel, it was for sure not Switzerland’s craziest one any more. This was how journalists called the Into at the time. Most gadgets of the original hotel were removed, for example the high-gloss granite bathtubs.

You cannot know whether the deconstruction of the original hotel was the right thing to do. Maybe the Into could have been saved with a few amendments. Or maybe it really was totally defunct. Be it as it may, the Schaerer family created with The Omnia Zermatt a special hotel that stays in memory. What to expect, find in the following.

Location of Hotel The Omnia Zermatt

I already mentioned it, The Omnia’s location is remarkable, on top of a granite rock face overlooking Zermatt.

You enter the hotel

by passing through a tunnel

and traveling up via a glass elevator. Once inside, you are rising through masses of rocks until you reach the reception level, 45 m (148 ft) above town. While you feel here being far away from the hustle and bustle of Zermatt’s Bahnhofstrasse, you are actually only a lift ride away from it.

You reach the hotel in about seven minutes by foot from the train station – where you also find the bottom station of the Gornergrat railway in its immediate vicinity. Alternatively, you may ask the staff at Hotel  The Omnia Zermatt to get you at the station with an electric vehicle (Zermatt has always been car-free).

Ambiance/Staff at Hotel The Omnia Zermatt

The Omnia could not be further away from being one of these sometimes rather kitschy wooden chalet hotels found in the Alps. Instead, it is a contemporarily styled mountain lodge with smart and sophisticated furnishings. The interior design is the result of Ali Tayar’s work, a New York architect with Turkish roots. It is inspired by American modernism and has a warm feel as well as a hand crafted aesthetics. You find here lots of grey granite and white oak. Everything is about regional materials and furniture made by local craftsmen.

And the staff suits the hotel’s appearance. When my husband and I rode up the elevator on our arrival, we happened to be together with another arriving couple. Once the lift doors opened, two reception employees stood ready to welcome us separately. We were ushered to a seating area and were asked what kind of drink would suit us. Then they laid the glasses accompanied by a variety of snacks out on the table before us. We were even asked whether our drinks should be topped up. What a treat! Not long, and the general manager, Christian Eckert, appeared and warmly greeted us.

And so it proceeded in this positive fashion throughout our stay. Every staff member we were in touch with, had this gracious and obliging mindset. I also want to highlight the service at the restaurant, which was flawless. We especially appreciated dealing with Timo Muchenberger, the F&B manager, who unfortunately will leave at the end of this summer season.

Rooms/Pricing

On site you find 30 guest rooms, 12 of them are suites, and the do not have numbers but letters. As to the former ones, you can opt for either a Double (37 sqm) with view of Zermatt or the rock side, a Double Mountain Bath (37 sqm) facing the cliff, a Double Deluxe (50 sqm) with view of Zermatt or Matterhorn or a Queen (24 sqm) going to the rock side. When it comes to suites, there is the Corner Suite (68 sqm) facing Zermatt, the Village Suite (72 sqm) with the same view, the Matterhorn Suite (70 sqm), the Tower Suite (90 sqm) with Matterhorn view and the Roof Suite (110 sqm) with Matterhorn view too plus a sauna.

Room rates start at about 440 SFR/US$ per night including breakfast in the shoulder/low season. When lodging here, A nice feature awaits you in the rooms. And this is a special welcome in the form of a crystal carafe with a gold-colored Bourbon to help yourself at your preference. It is refilled daily, and – as my husband assured me – it is a fine one!

My husband and I chose to stay at a Corner Suite. Find some details in the lines to come.

Corner Suite: our choice of room at Hotel The Omnia Zermatt

I was overwhelmed with all the space at our disposal in the Corner Suite. There is a spacious living room coming with a large seating area, a large table, some USM furniture (the owner family “sends regards”) and a balcony facing a pathway leading up the mountain along a quiet neighborhood.

The bedroom is quite roomy too with two balconies, one with view of the before mentioned pathway, the other towards Zermatt. There is also a comfortable chaise lounge to enjoy the latter view.

And for one of these rare occasions, my husband and I had separate bathrooms. I opted for the one with the tub and a single basin,

my husband had to be content with the other, featuring a small shower and a single sink.

The one thing of the accommodation we were not that in favor was the fact that it was about on the same level as the pathway I already wrote about. Throughout the day, there were the one or other hikers passing, being able to catch a glimpse of the inside of our room. In the worst case, they would even have been able to intrude without difficulties. But I am quite sure that this is not very likely to happen. Anyway, ask about staying a story higher (I am not sure whether there are more than two of these rooms).

As to the room rate, it costed 700 SFR/US$ per night including breakfast in the summer peak. But be aware of the fact that rates in winter are higher. Expect to pay about 1,000 SFR/US$ for this room category in the high season.

Restaurant The Omnia

UPDATE: Leandro Sutter as new restaurant manager as from winter season 2023/24 & André Kneubühler as new chef as from summer season 2024

The restaurant is the place for breakfast and for dinner. For the latter, it is open every day. Monday and Tuesday are days when you can only book a table as hotel guest. I was very fond of the delectable breakfasts we got here. Weather permitting, you can have them also on the terrace.

Setting

As for dinner, we only happened to have one here here, yet it was fabulous! I very much liked the setting at The Omnia Restaurant. It is a large room but there are not that many tables in it. The space is divided into four different sections.

First, you find here the “regular” tables, long wooden ones with either six seats or twice two seats. Personally, I was not that in favor of the latter arrangement as you are quite close to another guest couple in such a case. Given the ample space in this room, I found that a bit suboptimal, but I am sure for most people it would be no issue. Anyway, second, there is a corner where there is an overlong, high table where dining feels a bit more casual. Third, they have added a seating area where you could either wait for you dinner companions or  have a pre dinner drink. And last there is a somewhat hidden round table in an alcove.

Food concept

When it comes to food, dining is a lavishing affair at Hotel The Omnia Zermatt. Chef Tony Rudolf has been on the helm here since October 2021 (before he was sous chef, and this since June 2017). The restaurant is Michelin listed and has 16 points at Gault Millau. The restaurant manager is the already mentioned Timo Muchenberger who does a great job in this position. With regard to food concept, they offer seasonal premium produce of alpine provenance, based on a vegetarian concept. Yet it is far from being strict in this regard as you can complement the dishes with fish or meat.

You can make your selection from à la carte menu or opt for the tasting menu (four courses, vegetarian 110 SFR/US$, with meat 135 SFR/US$). When going for à la carte, you have the following offer: five starters (19 to 26 SFR/US$), five mains (36 to 28 SFR/US$) and quite a number of complements (18 to 28 SFR/US$) to add to your choices. If you are not sure how to combine, the service team is happy to assist you. In terms of desserts, there are three options (25 SFR/US$) plus ice cream or sorbet (8 SFR/US$ per scoop) and cheese (17/28 SFR/US$). Quite original, this concept with vegetarian food plus fish or meat complements!

Alternatively, you can order The Omnia Classics. These are either The Omnia Wiener Schnitzel (58 SFR/US$) or The Omnia Raclette (one piece 13 SFR/US$ or “bottomless style” 53 SFR/US$).

How was it?

My husband and I decided to go for the Chef’s Choice four-course menu, and that was a great thing to do! We had the wine pairing (89 SFR/US$ per person) as well, which complimented the food just perfect.

We started with an amuse bouche made of joghurt and beetroot and continued with a mix between Vitello Tonnato and tomato mozzarella salad. Next was a saffron risotto enhanced with zander fish. The main course was lamb with a braised carrot plus buckwheat.

The meal finished with Felchlin Edelweiss 36% chocolate mousse accompanied by strawberry espuma, yoghurt and granola. The very end was a macaron with thyme.

I was delighted by the idea to combine vegetarian food with fish and meat. In such a way, the sides become to main players, which I found a real benefit. This because it feels like having the best of two worlds (veggie and fish/meat). And I have to admit that the chef knew very well what food items go well together. And the wine pairing, selected and presented by Tim Muchenberger, was exquisite!

Other facilities at Hotel The Omnia Zermatt

Lounge Bar & Sun Terrace

If you care for small bites and/or drinks, the Lounge Bar

and the Sun Terrace

are at your disposal. The former does this from 10 am to 11 pm, the latter from 11 am to 6 pm (whether permitting). Integrated in the Lounge Bar is also a library where you find among other things hundreds of art publications. And amidst books and magazines, you also encounter a large selection of whiskeys.

As to the terrace, you have a view of the Matterhorn

plus of the town from high above.

Spa

Hotel guests in search of wellness find here a combined indoor/outdoor pool

with a separate outdoor whirlpool. When sitting in the latter, you have not only a view of the Matterhorn but also of the town of Zermatt.

In addition, there is a rather small space with saunas as well as floral and herbal steam rooms. The wellness center also features a gym with Technogym equipment and two separate units for massage, yoga and pilates.

Overall Hotel The Omnia Zermatt & general Zermatt information

It has been quite a long time since I was so happy with a hotel in Switzerland on a first stay. This is due not only to its great premises – especially guest rooms and dining room in a contemporary version of a classic mountain lodge -, but also to the most perfect hospitality. The general manager, Christian Eckert, does a terrific job when it comes to dealing with guests. His credo is: welcoming guests is not a profession, it is a passion. And he really lives by it. In addition, he was able to bring its 50-odd staff members to do so in the same excellent manner. He even was awarded Hotelier of the Year 2023 by Hotellerie Suisse, the leading hotel industry organization.

In case you look for further information on Zermatt, I also made some other posts about it in the past, especially when it comes to skiing.

I have a recommendation for you if you care for a luxury ski-in/ski-out hotel in this alpine town.

Furthermore, I also put together a guide on where to eat in style on the slopes in Zermatt.

Date of stay: August 2023

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