Montana Art Deco Hotel, a premium hotel & foodie place in Lucerne, Switzerland
Staycation in the country’s most touristy place with great views of city, lake & mountains
Lucerne is one of Switzerland’s most popular destinations for package travelers, especially from the U.S. and Asia. While it is normally not the place where to spend a night as a Swiss living in the Swiss Mittelland, this is different in these Corona times. With restaurants closed outside of hotels (not the case anymore), it was a preferred spot for a staycation. With lots of luxury and four-star hotels at hand, you are spoilt for choice. I always wanted to try out the Montana Art Deco Hotel, a premium property on a hill with beautiful views of city, lake and mountains in Lucerne. Therefore, my husband and did not hesitate long when we came upon a special offer that included eat, drink and sleep.
Before coming to the hotel, a few remarks about the city of Lucerne.
About Lucerne
This city does not need a big introduction as many people know about its position as a tourist hotspot. Since the start of tourism in Switzerland, this gateway to the country’s core has been popular. And this not without reason. It sits on Lake Lucerne, one of the most beautiful ones in Switzerland. Further, the city enjoys a magnificent mountain panorama.
And there is quite a selection of mid-high mountains nearby worth a visit (Rigi, Pilatus and Stanserhorn). Last but not least, Lucerne is a beautiful city with lots of sights.
In this context, think of the Chapel Bridge, the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe,
or the Museggmauer, medieval fortifications.
Other attractions include the Lion Monument, a rock relief,
or the innovative Culture and Convention Center (KKL), an architectural highlight by Jean Nouvel.
In case you also want to get a feel of an (upscale) residential area outside the city limits, why not hop on a bus and head to nearby Meggen. Get off at the Chapel (Kapelle) station and walk back to central Lucerne (1 1/2 h), almost always with fabulous views of Lake Lucerne.
Make a stop at the splendid Meggenhorn Castle to make a stroll in its gorgeous gardens.
After this digression about things to do in Lucerne, now to Hotel Montana. And what it has to offer for travelers looking for staying and dining in style.
As mentioned, my husband and I were looking for a staycation in need for a break from the “Corona predicament”. And we were on a last minute mission, for an upcoming national holiday. While there had been no vacancies for our desired date the last time we checked at the Montana Art Deco Hotel Lucerne, we were lucky enough to find a free room just a few days before departure. And of course there was not much choice in terms of room categories. There were only two double rooms available, but at least with lake view!
Here is what you can expect when staying at this hotel.
Location/History
As mentioned, it is set a bit above the city of Lucerne, in a preferred location with great views of the surroundings. The vista includes not only the city,
lake and mountains,
but you can also locate sights just as the Chapel Bridge or the Culture and Convention Center (KKL).
Despite its hill location, it is centrally situated. And you do not have to climb up to reach it. Because there is a hotel owned funicular railway just by the Casino/Palace Hotel
at the lakeside promenade! It is the shortest in the world and brings you to the hotel lobby within one minute.
As to Hotel Montana’s history, it opened in 1910. It was built as a palace hotel in the Art Deco style. Through the years, a number of renovations took place. All were aimed to maintain the character of the house yet targeted at an updated Art Deco style. As to the most recent overhauls, in 2018, the last rooms were equipped with air-conditioning. A year before, the new Penthouse Floor opened. Here, the rooms offer five-star service coming with that little extra. In 2015, a new addition was a bar in the form of beach club.
As to the management, the longtime director, Fritz Erni (1996 – 2020) helped the Montana to achieve. He was full of ideas of which many were successful. The accommodation has been named best four-star city hotel several times (by Sonntagszeitung hotel rating, last time in 2021). The current director (as from 2020) is Miriam Boeger, who also can look back on a longer career in this house.
Facilities
On site you find 61 rooms. While on the lower floors there are the “regular” rooms, on the two upper floors there is – as mentioned – a penthouse tract with five-star standard. You can choose here amongst 19 room of different categories. All the rooms come with more space and amenities (for instance partly with private whirlpool on the balcony).
As my husband and I had booked on short notice, we did not have a selection. There were “only” two double rooms with lake view
available. Room of this category differ in size (19 – 32 sqm) and layout. And they have either a shower or a tub. Ours was adequately sized. The bathroom featured a shower and one sink only with not much storage space around it.
It was okay for a one-night stay. For a longer one, I would have preferred more room. The decor was tasteful with parquet floor, warm colors and geometric patterns.
As to other facilities, there are the main restaurant Scala (see below), the Beach Club (roof top bar), the Louis Bar (with live music)
and the Kitchen Club. At the latter, you can have an aperitif and snacks or a complete dinner at a high table amidst the kitchen (26 seats). You can also book it for private occasions as from 12 persons.
To complete the offer, you can use the mentioned funicular railway to get to Lucerne’ s lakeside promenade and vice versa.
After these details to staying at the Montana, now to the dinner experience at Restaurant Scala.
Gourmet dining at Restaurant Scala at Montana Art Deco Hotel Lucerne
Dining facilities/Package/Cuisine
Restaurant Scala, where they also serve breakfast, has an indoor and outdoor area. The latter has been transformed into some sort of living room that is suitable for whatever the weather (from spring to fall).
Our table was in the latter area. When we dined here, it rained. But that was no problem at all. We felt well at ease here. And I am sure the views of the surrounding are formidable, with good weather. As mentioned, this was unfortunately not the case on our evening.
We had booked the so-called “Delight Package with Wine & Dine”. This included a room of your choice – in our case a Double Room Lake View – , a 5-course Scala menu with wine pairing, breakfast with a glass of champagne and a goody. This cost us (on a national holiday) 844 SFR/US$, what I found good value for the price.
At Restaurant Scala, a refined cuisine from the south is on offer, influenced by Swiss, Italian, French and Greek culinary traditions. Johan Breedijk, a Dutchman, has been in charge here since 2007. And he has a handle on it. Everything we got was of good quality, well prepared, and the service was paced exactly right. The cuisine is awarded 15 points by Gault Millau, and I find this well deserved. And come hungry if you opt for the menu because the servings are quite big.
We started with tuna accompanied by a wasabi panna cotta, avocado cream and mango-chili chutney, a promising beginning!
Next was a bear’s garlic risotto paired with an eggplant-burrata wrap and white tomato foam. It was carefully done and tasty.
The same is true for the main course, a Black Angus beef fillet with herb crust and thyme jus complete with a sweet potato cream puff and spring vegetables.
Before it was time for dessert, we received an assortment of cheese, coming from Switzerland and Italy.
And a chocolate cake in unison with rhubarb and strawberry sour cream ice cream put the sweet end to this delicious meal.
The amiable staff served us a glass of wine to every course. Each of those were ideal pairings, we liked what we got.
Overall
Lucerne is one of Switzerland’s most popular tourist spots, and therefore there is a great selection of fine luxury and premium hotels. If you look for a four-star house here in the country’s core, one of the best is Montana Art Deco Hotel. It is located a bit above town yet still centrally located and with beautiful views of city, lake and mountains. The hotels has also something for gourmets, Restaurant Scala awarded 15 Gault Millau points. And if you want to combine eat, drink and sleep, go for the Delight Package. This is what my husband and I had done on our (Corona) staycation.
Date of stay: May 2021
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