SHEVARMA’S TRAVEL EXPERIENCE

I woke up this morning a little on edge. For once I was not allowed to roll over when my alarm sounded and await the call of the Tour Guide of that particular day. Today I was the Tour Guide, and everyone else would be doing what I otherwise would have done.

Being an early day, I had to be up in time to wake everyone for 6:00a.m. Waking up at 5:50a.m, I made my rounds (knocking doors) to get everyone ready for the day. We all met in the lobby for the usual 7:00a.m breakfast and headed out to catch the 7:29 am bus to Chur, and the two connecting train rides to Davos Platz.

Destination: Davos. To note a couple interesting points about Davos:

1. It is the highest town in Europe, an astounding 1560 meters high in the heart of the Alps

2. The meaning of the name Davos is “World of Sanatoriums.” It was known for its healing capabilities due to the dryness of the air in the high altitude. Consequently, people came to the town for therapeutic healing.

3. It was not until Bill Clinton and the World Economic Forum however, that Davos was put on the map.

4. It is now the largest tourism destination in Switzerland.

Keeping these details in mind, it is understandable why I was delighted to be visiting. My excitement however, was secondary to my anxiety of having the day run smoothly. After all, if anything went wrong, I would be the dart board; a target for everyone’s frustration. So I kept my fingers crossed and hoped for the best (planning and follow-up phone calls were a definite help).

The day involved quite a bit of walking. We were all properly attired in our comfortable yet heavy-duty Gore-Tex shoes and so walking was not that big an issue. As we got off the train we headed towards our first stop of the day: Davos Tourismus, the tourism office in Davos.

The route to Davos Tourismus began with an incline that really put our Gore-Tex to work. It was literally a breathtaking walk (I think it was totally vertical). Once we made it up the hill, it was smooth sailing from there on - the streets and side-walks were flat.

What I witnessed at the Tourist office was very unpleasant. Although I called and confirmed our visit to the office the day before, Ms. Cornelia Linder, the Director of the operation, still had the audacity to tell me that she did not know that we were coming. Furthermore, the fact that she would not even come out and speak to us when we got there I found extremely disturbing. We did speak with  Mr. Cedric Kiemscherff, a junior member of the staff (it appeared) and gained a little information on Davos, took some maps and we were off.

Everything in Davos seems to be closed in the morning. While roaming through the town in search of something to do to pass the time before our scheduled hotel inspection at 1:00 (2 hours away), we happened upon the Steigenberger Hotel Bellevedere. Being a fan of the hotel chain, Dr. Garely was overjoyed and jumped at the opportunity for us to do an inspection of this hotel as well.

The General Manager of the hotel, Mrs. Sylvia Wyrsch, came outside, introduced herself and basically offered us a tour. From what I have been seeing thus far on this trip I don’t think that things like that happen very often here in Switzerland. In any event, Mrs. Wyrsch is an American (half American and half Swiss) from South Beach, Miami, Florida, so I guess the American side was the winner. Although I would like to think that it was luck, the fact that once again we were all uniformly attired (in black and white) definitely played a part. Dr. Garely always insisted on this and if I did not understand why before, I most certainly get it now.  

The Steigenberger Hotel is an absolutely beautiful hotel, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It is by far the best hotel that I have seen thus far (in Switzerland). It definitely earned its 5 stars. From the moment you step into the hotel you feel like you are stepping into luxury. Considering the fact that it was a walk-in, Mrs. Wyrsch went above and beyond and gave us a tour of about an hour and a half.

The word ‘Belvédére’ in the hotel name means pretty view and rightly so. It is ideally situated with shops and restaurants a shortwalk away. Built in 1875, it comes with a lot of history, and the fact that it is a host of 220 events for the World Economic Forum speaks much of its high standard.

The rooms in the hotel are divine. Professor Blake-Neis had a hard time leaving and made mention of staying in the hotel being her new fantasy. The entrance lobby is so spacious and attractive in blue.  The ambiance in that room made it an ideal place for me. Walking into the dining room was really special. It was nicely set up in red and white (dining fit for royalty). Above all this was the bathroom. I just can’t get over the fact that there was a tv in the bathroom mirror. That tops everything for me. 

 What I have noted in doing this inspection as well as the ones prior, is that Swiss hotels are not built to accommodate people like hotels back in America. The average hotel contains about 120 rooms. The hotels are small. The Steigenberger operates with a staff of 85 people and accommodations of 127 rooms. A couple other things that I noted: security is not a priority in Switzerland (The only time that the Steigenberger has hotel security is during the week-long) World Economic Forum.  

After the delightful tour, we thanked Mrs. Wyrsch for her time and her generosity. She then took pictures with us, gave us each her business card and then directed us to a nearby park where we relaxed and had some lunch. The lunch was a packed lunch from the school of ham and cheese sandwiches, fruits, a boxed drink and granola bar.

After the slight break we were walking once again to our next destination: The Arabella Sheraton Hotel Seehof. My designated map reader for the day and my right hand was Katherine. She did an excellent job of finding the route for us to get from place to place.

At the Arabella, we met with Mr. Robert Attenberger, the Executive Assistant Manager, who was conducting the tour for the day. Based on conversations I had with him over the phone, Mr. Attenberger seems to be an extremely easygoing individual. He gave us a pleasant greeting and began our tour.

The Arabella Hotel is a 4 star hotel with 118 rooms. It is also a key hotel during the World Economic Forum and with 700 years of history to its name. I have never been to a hotel that is 700 years old and still standing and in use (definitely a plus).

The style of the hotel traditional. The Arabella is not a hotel for tall people because as the guide pointed out, people from earlier years were smaller than people today. Still standing more or less on its 700 year old structure, the roof is really low and older portions of the hotel made entirely of wood ((a possible fire hazard?)

There are four categories of rooms in the hotel: classic, superior, executive and suites. The rooms were really neat but I found myself comparing the Arabella to the Steigenberger which was just not fair as each hotel caters to a different market.

My favorite part of the Arabella Hotel was by far the spa in the Wellness Center. It is to die for. The structure is cave-like with beautiful rock archways and crystal clear water. I felt so relaxed for the few minutes that I was there. I can only imagine what it is like for the guests who get to stay there as long as they want and actually use the facilities. I am so jealous just thinking about it right now. An ideal hotel would be the Steigenberger rooms with the Arabella spa. The only issue I have with the spa however, is that it is a mixed nude area. The nudity factor seems to be a big thing in the Swiss culture (that along with smoking and drinking). 

One chilling moment on the tour of the Arabella was when we visited the Paulaner’s restaurant in the hotel. Mr. Attenberger announced to us that the restaurant was in fact a morgue in its earlier years, and pointed out the place where the bodies were stored. I think that put quite a few people like myself on edge and may not be good pr for people as they sit-down to dinner.

At the end we went through our usual procedure: we took pictures, collected business cards and thanked Mr. Attenberger for his time (1:00- 2:15). We gathered up our things and then headed off to the train station in Davos Dorf to await the 3:05 train towards Chur.

After a train transfer and a bus ride up to the school we were just in time for dinner at 6:00. I was thrilled that my tour day was nearly over and without incident. It was even better than I had hoped with the special opportunity to receive a tour at the Steigenberger.

From my little experience I realized that it is not all glitz and glamour when you are a Tour Guide. It is really a lot of work (and I love it). Lesson well learned in practice.

The day came to a close and my tour day was over without any major problems. I did my usual blogging and then went off to bed and into day 13.