By Peter Sonnekus-Williams
At present, contrasts are all around in Gstaad. There is the opening of the new 5 star hotel The Alpina Gstaad whilst at the same time the new 2 star hotel, Le Petit Relais opens it’s doors in Saanenmöser.The Sports Centre Gstaad is planning a cut price accommodation complex whilst Les Arts Gstaad considers a whopping private budget of SFr 185 Mio to realize it’s culture and meeting centre project. The Grand Hotel Bellevue is up for sale (apparently now sold) and the 65 year old Saanen hospital closes its doors whilst the village of Saanen continues with it’s transformation to be a larger and more prosperous village.
Surely these examples are just a continuum of contrast which has always been so much a part of what makes Gstaad unique? Are we not just doing what we have always done?
Gstaad’s portrayal has consistantly been enbroiled in its ability to display contrast. It’s a place where traditional farmers and billionaires share ski slopes, where tractors and Bentley’s mingle and where cows and Polo horses trample the same meadows. Without a shadow of a doubt Gstaad has its own rhythm, no matter what the economy serves up and it is this rhythm that resonates throughout the fabric of its society. It’s a rhythm based on the results of prudent calculation, a concern for culture, a regard for aesthetic and an apetite for discretion all neatly packaged together with a quiet elegance in mind.
Sticking to such a rhythm seems natural in Gstaad. One can’t help it! It’s just the way things are.