The Belvedere Hotel, erected in 1882, was once an outstanding structure in the Swiss Alps. According to some, the route to the hotel is one of the most terrifying. In the high Swiss Mountains, the Furka Pass is a road tripper’s dream. Tourists still come here to see the once-thriving hotel and make their way to the glacier where the ice grotto used to be. When the road reopened in the summer, you could tour the 100-meter-long tunnel and ice chamber.
The magnificent setting of Hotel Belvédère drew a privileged clientele who stayed for many weeks at a time during the summers. While the hotel sector in Switzerland was booming at the start of the twentieth century, Josef Seiler dared to construct a new expansion to the hotel — a gable roof with two more storeys, giving the property its modern appearance. In 1907, the number of beds increased to 90.
The advent of two new trains in the twentieth century attracted tourists to the Rhone Glacier and the hotel. Yet, the number of visitors to the Alpine area has been steadily falling since the 1960s. Vehicles have gotten too strong and speedy, so what used to be a two- or three-day walk down the aisle has become a one-day excursion.
The Furkapass was used in a chase sequence in the James Bond film Goldfinger in 1964. Some believe Sean Connery stayed the night and remained a regular visitor in the years that followed. Pope John the 23rd was also a frequent at the hotel.
The Seiler family sold the hotel to the Carlen family in 1988, who still control it today. The Hotel Belvedere itself was progressively deteriorating and had not been updated for some time, contributing to its demise. The stairwell appeared to have holes. It was out of date in the event of an emergency since there were no ‘good’ departure routes in the event of an accident. Because the mattresses were so ancient, some said they were loaded with horse hair.
The Belvedere Hotel in Switzerland closed its doors in 2016. Regrettably, the hotel is one of the first victims of climate change in Switzerland. The 11,000-year-old glacier that was formerly directly at the building’s door has been retreating by 10 millimeters every day, receding farther and further into the distance.