La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich pairs heritage and restraint with lake-facing rooms, Philippe Starck design, and a standout culinary program
Words by LESLEY McKENZIE
The hotel occupies a prime perch on Lake Zurich, with Seebad Utoquai — the city’s historic lakeside bathhouse that dates to 1890 — just beyond its doors.
Few hotels reflect the character of their setting as seamlessly as LA RÉSERVE EDEN AU LAC ZURICH. The 1909 Belle Époque framework — reimagined during a comprehensive renovation by Philippe Starck, whose hospitality credits include the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills and the Clift in San Francisco — features subtle nautical cues and is cast, in his words, as an “imaginary modern lakeside yacht club” overlooking the lake. The French designer left no detail to chance: think racing-sail numerals on guest room doors, unmissable blue-and-white striped balcony awnings, and chiseled redwoods that recall the hull of a boat, all thoughtfully integrated without overshadowing the original architecture.
The hotel occupies a prime perch on Lake Zurich, with Seebad Utoquai — the city’s historic lakeside bathhouse that dates to 1890 — just beyond its doors. Many of the hotel’s 40 rooms and suites are positioned on the upper floors, with lake-facing views and, in select cases, private balconies or terraces. Inside, Starck approaches the spaces as pared-back onshore sailors’ cabins with nods such as leather-wrapped surfaces, brass lighting, and nautical charts that evoke travel and exploration.
Following the Starck-led renovation, the property reopened in 2020 under the La Réserve flag, and its culinary program has been steadily recognized ever since. Executive chef Marco Ortolani oversees the Mediterranean-Italian-driven Eden Kitchen & Bar, now Michelin-starred and celebrated for refined, ingredient-led dishes such as squid carbonara and paccheri trafilati in oro with Breton lobster, all prepared in an emerald-tiled open show kitchen against the backdrop of a live DJ set. Housed in the former attic (and accessed via a glass elevator), the Japanese-Peruvian-themed La Muña beckons with ceviches, black cod marinated in miso, and tori teriyaki, not to mention panoramic views that extend toward the snow-tipped Alps.
With the lake, Pavillon Le Corbusier, and Bahnhofstrasse nearby (home to the new Celine boutique, which opened its doors earlier this month), the hotel offers an unrivalled central base year-round. Come November, a winter wonderland appears in the form of the city’s beloved Christmas Village, its 100 stalls set against the Opera House. lareserve-zurich.com.
January 18, 2026
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