GRAND OLD HOTEL
A traditional after-hour venue
by Christine K. Zarb
 One upon a time, Europe’s decadent high-society would regularly migrate to the luxury Resorts of the Swiss Alps to benefit from the fresh mountain air and the clean water. And, as they indulged in spa and beauty treatments, they would have gazed over the seductive landscape in a contemplative trance.
This early form of luxury tourism fostered the growth of Grand Hotels. Elegant and grand infrastructures that specialized in creating a most exclusive environment and impeccable service. The setting of these buildings alone would inspire one to complete abandon.
One upon a time, the Grand Hotel in Locarno was such a hotel, today however, it’s in urgent need of restoration. In fact it is open only during the summer months reaching its peak of activity in August, during the Locarno Film Festival. Then, the old ballroom and terraces reverberate to the sound of the grand piano and the joyous cries of the guests dancing until dawn.
One upon a time, the Locarno International Film Festival was hosted on the front lawn of the Grand Hotel, just below the ballroom, beside the tennis court and the swimming pool. Today, it is the place to mingle with the festival crowd; filmmakers and media people come here after the last screening in the Piazza Grande.
Today, the Grand Hotel is no longer a place of pomp and magnificence, rather, an informally hip venue where everyone dresses down and just enjoys a glass of champagne and the peeling frescoed ceilings, make a stark contrast to the shorts and tee shirts.
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