{"id":19698,"date":"2025-01-16T06:40:59","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T05:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/non-categorise\/ermes-elsener-a-hotelier-in-rougemont\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T06:40:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T05:40:59","slug":"ermes-elsener-a-hotelier-in-rougemont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/interview\/ermes-elsener-a-hotelier-in-rougemont\/","title":{"rendered":"Ermes Elsener: a hotelier in Rougemont"},"content":{"rendered":"

Still wearing a suit with pocketkerchief but no tie, Ermes Elsener welcomes guests to Rougemont as he did previously in Gstaad. Already at ease in his new role as manager of theHotel Valrose<\/strong><\/a>he reveals to us in no uncertain terms the projects that the owner has entrusted to him. An emblematic figure in the region, this colorful character embodies the spirit of the hotel business and the notion of service in a way that few people are yet able to do. After two decades in Bern’s posh resort, he’s moving to another canton but staying in the region. Ermes Elsener’s future hotel development projects are considerable, and he has been chosen to bring them to fruition. Meet the son of a Zurich restaurateur who is writing a new chapter in his career in the Pays-d’Enhaut. <\/p>\n

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Sabine and Beno\u00eet Carcenat with Ermes Elsener \u00a9 H\u00f4tel Valrose<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What are your earliest childhood memories of hotels?<\/h4>\n

“My family owned restaurants in Zurich. So I can say that I was practically born in a restaurant. My mother’s partner was director of Leading Hotels of the World before taking over management of the American Colony hotel in Jerusalem. Despite the geopolitical situation at the time (the start of the second Gulf War), my time in Israel was an extraordinary experience. Three years later, returning to Switzerland was an easy decision. From an early age, I always knew I wanted to be a hotel manager”.<\/p>\n

After more than 19 years at the helm of the Hotel Olden in Gstaad, you’re moving to another canton but staying in the region. Weren’t you keen to travel? <\/h4>\n

“It’s a page that’s been turned, but the Olden adventure continues… with or without me. Together with the existing team, we’ve achieved some wonderful things here. After my departure, I first considered taking over our family restaurant in Kilchberg, on the shores of Lake Zurich, but the proposal of the Valrose project could not be refused”.<\/p>\n

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The Valrose Hotel in Rougemont \u00a9Eric Bouvet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Precisely what attracted you to the Valrose adventure?<\/h4>\n

“Everything! On 2.6 hectares of land, the owner of the Hotel Valrose wants to build a five-star hotel with around 40 suites and a 350-square-meter rooftop<\/em>, a 1,500-seat concert hall and a 10,000-square-meter museum dedicated to contemporary art. Closer to the existing Valrose hotel, we will also build a fitness center and a pub accessible to all. A project of this size is an opportunity of a lifetime. I’m starting a new chapter with a clean sheet of paper. It’s going to be exceptional; if all goes well, we expect to open in 2029 or 2030. <\/p>\n

Le Valrose has rapidly built up an exceptional reputation for gastronomy? What do you want to achieve? <\/h4>\n

“We want to make the hotel’s bistro and bar, which are too quiet for my taste, a little more lively, and bring this space to life at aperitif time. On the team side, we’ve also been joined by Mario Guzetti, former catering manager at the Palace in Gstaad. We have to constantly challenge ourselves to avoid monotony. As for the gourmet restaurant, it’s the culinary realm of chef Beno\u00eet Carcenat, and he’s the one who calls the shots.<\/p>\n

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Le Caf\u00e9 du Valrose \u00a9Adrian Ehrbar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What does the 2025 vintage look like?<\/h4>\n

“I think 2025 is going to be a very good year. Customers want to have fun and get together around shared cuisine. For me, 2025 is going to be a springboard for a succession of events that will mark the history of Valrose, the commune and the region”.<\/p>\n

There’s a real recruitment problem in the hotel and restaurant sector. How are you going to retain staff? <\/h4>\n

“La Table du Valrose is the equivalent of a Formula 1 racing car, where the staff are hand-picked top drivers who are prepared to give their all for their job. On the whole, and whatever the establishment or position, we have to take care of our staff by giving them benefits that contribute to their well-being. These days, contributing to the happiness of life outside working hours has become essential”.<\/p>\n

The future looks bright under the thick white blanket that covers the village of Rougemont. Ermes Elsener seems like a fish in water in his new role. But you should know that he didn’t move to the other side of the canton for the fun of it. The development prospects are unique, but the work has only just begun. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After more than 19 years at the helm of the Hotel Olden in Gstaad, Ermes Elsener was recently appointed Director of the Hotel Valrose in Rougemont. Big plans are afoot… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":19699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"Ermes Elsener: a hotelier in Rougemont | Restaurant | Edouard Amoiel","description":"After more than 19 years at the helm of the Hotel Olden in Gstaad, Ermes Elsener was recently appointed Director of the Hotel Valrose in Rougemont. Big plans ar"},"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_restaurants-par-lieux":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_style-de-restaurant":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[393],"tags":[],"restaurants-par-lieux":[],"style-de-restaurant":[],"class_list":["post-19698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19698"},{"taxonomy":"restaurants-par-lieux","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/restaurants-par-lieux?post=19698"},{"taxonomy":"style-de-restaurant","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/style-de-restaurant?post=19698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}