St. Moritz 2007 – Grand Hotel des Bains / Kempinski
August 3, 2009
St. Moritz 2007 – Grand Hotel des Bains / Kempinski
Originally uploaded by let².
St. Moritz 2007, Switzerland – Grand Hotel des Bains / Kempinski
The Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains is located next to the old “Mauritius” spring, the origin of St. Moritz.
Since two to three thousand years ago mankind has been drinking from the sour water springs of St Moritz. The iron spring was discovered during the Bronze Age and encapsulated in a well that was used until 1907. In 1553, Paracelsus von Hohenheim, visited the mineral spring of St Moritz and immediately recognized the medical benefits of such a spring which he then described in his medical writings. His writings are said to be the first known and well preserved medical writings describing the “Sanct Mauritz” sour water spring. In Parcacelsus’s subsequent writings, he detailed his preference of the St Moritz iron spring in comparison to other similar springs throughout Europe.
It was through the discovery of the mineral source more than 3.460 years ago that St. Moritz and the Engadin became popular for summer tourism. Even at the time of the Belle Époque this monumental and imposing luxury hotel, equipped with gas in 1874 and with electricity in 1888 (!), attracted people of high and highest rank, royalties, politicians and artists from all over the world, seeking and finding health and rest here.
Singapore – Raffles Hotel
May 4, 2008
Originally uploaded by letlet.
Singapore 2006, Singapore – Raffles Hotel
Raffles Hotel Singapore
Declared a National Monument in 1987, the hotel has grown from strength to strength. With its restoration and reopening in 1991, Raffles Hotel today stands as a jewel in the crown of Singapore’s hospitality industry, renowned and loved for its inimitable style and unsurpassed excellence in service and facilities.
In multicultural Singapore it is not surprising that the visionary founders of Raffles Hotel were a quartet of enterprising Armenian brothers: Martin, Tigran, Aviet and Arshak Sarkies.
Raffles Hotel opened in 1887 in a rather sombre-looking old bungalow known as the Beach House. It was named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore. Topical suites and sola topis were as much a part of Raffles Hotel’s early style as bentwood tables and rattan chairs. Over the years the hotel has evolved into one of the world’s most beloved grand hotels and welcomed innumerable celebrities, writers and royalty.
