Founder and managing director of Eighty Four Rooms
Tell us about you and your company.
84 Rooms is a boutique travel collective launched 10 years ago. We started our journey as a collection of beautifully designed and family-run hotels across the Alps and Mediterranean. Since then, our collective has expanded to include chalets and private homes, experiences, and a creative consultancy. Everything we do is rooted in a love for connecting our tastemaker clients with unique and authentic experiences of the highest quality. We are based between London and Switzerland.
Is there a trip cost minimum or planning fee to talk to you?
There is no cost minimum, but most of the hotels on our site start around EUR 400/room per night, depending on the season, and private chalets or villas can easily cost up to 30k a week to offer our clients a range. Due to increased demand, we recently added a consultation fee for trips and itineraries, especially for new clients that are just getting to know us.
What is the first “room” you fell in love with and that inspired you to start your business?
Growing up, I was lucky to have parents who enjoyed traveling. They would take us on many road trips, mainly to the Alps in the summer and Mediterranean during colder months. I always loved our summers in the Alps. I think a lot of people underrate the beauty of the mountains in the summer, as many only see the mountains during winter sport season. But mountain travel has increased, with almost as many requests for these destinations as beach or Mediterranean summer requests. The Brits have been doing mountain summer trips for nearly 100 years, and our team really sees this as the new summer designation. Lakes and mountains are really heaven, especially in our home of Switzerland.
Underrated location, overrated location?
Underrated location: As mentioned above, the Alps during summer and early fall. Also, the island of Pantelleria. Hard to get to, but worth the experience, like no other.
Overrated location: The Emirates for winter sun. Fake beaches don’t quite do it for me.
Do you have a favorite wellness hotel?
Almost all of the good to excellent hotels in Switzerland have incredible wellness offerings, some of the best in the world. One of the most raved about is the Stanglwirt in Kitzbuhel, Austria, the Mecca of wellness in the Alps. There’s just one thing: it’s almost impossible to book. They are open year-round, but if you call now and want a room on a Monday in November, they are booked.
How about a family-friendly hotel?
I don’t have kids yet, so ask me again in a few years 🙂
The hotel you most want to steal something from—and what?
That’s easy: Maison La Minervetta in Sorrento, on the Amalfi Coast. Marco, the owner, is a friend and the architect/interior designer. Everything is so beautiful, from the plates to the azure-colored tiles; the kitchen is a dream. Also, La Colombe d’ Or in St Paul de Vence—who wouldn’t want to steal the art?
Hotel with the most epic view?
There are many hotels with amazing views. An epic on is Punta Tragara in Capri, overlooking the Faraglioni. But skip high-season, as it is overcrowded with Insta-models. More under the radar is the Bellevues des Alpes in the Bernese Mountains, very Wes Anderson, right at the foot at the mighty three mountains: Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The Matterhorn in Zermatt gets all the fame, Mont Blanc might be the highest peak, but these three are the real deal in the Alps.
Food worth traveling for?
Mexico City. I went in November for the first time and I was blown away by the cuisine. So many superb restaurants; everything is so fresh and incredible tasty. Contramar for lunch is epic. For Italian, the Dolomites can’t be beat.
How about a hotel that most defines a destination?
The Hotel Sacher in Vienna. Feels like stepping back in time to the Austrian Empire. Their Blaue Bar (blue bar) is one of the most beautiful hotel bars in the world.
What is your biggest pet peeve in a hotel?
I don’t have any. But I tell you this, there is a small hotel in Venice, I won’t mention the name here, but they know everything about you before you check in. They know if you like to sleep in, if you drink sparkling or still, they know which newspaper you read in the morning—it’s almost illegal, but I love it. Will reveal the name in our April Newsletter (you can sign up here).
What is something you wished we all knew or were better at as travelers?
Addressing people in their first language. I am lucky I went to a Swiss hotel management school, where three languages where mandatory. But before going to a foreign country, I think it’s not too much to ask to know a few words of its language. Every local would appreciate it, and respect you trying. There is nothing I hate more than going to the Amalfi Coast or Mallorca and the waiter hands you an English or German menu. Why do you travel, then? That’s the same experience as any Italian restaurant in America, just with a better view.
How would you like people to find you?
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