Nathalie Seiler-Hayez: the career
Nathalie Seiler-Hayez managed the historic Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne for seven years. A graduate of the EHL Hospitality Business School, she began her career at the Hôtel Lutetia in Paris in Sales & Marketing. She then relocated to New York and worked for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. On her return to Europe, she was appointed general manager of the Radisson Blu Champs Elysées Hotel and supervised the opening of the InterContinental Bordeaux – Le Grand Hotel in 2007. In 2010, Nathalie Seiler-Hayez assumed the running of the renowned Connaught in London. Back in Switzerland, she was named “Hotelière of the Year” in the Sonntagszeitung’s hotel rating of 2018, and, under her management, the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne was named “Hotel of the Year” by Gault&Millau in 2022.
“I feel very connected to this wonderful association, which does so much to promote the luxury hotel sector in Switzerland and provide hoteliers with solutions in a rapidly changing world”, says Nathalie Seiler-Hayez.
Nathalie Seiler-Hayez succeeds Jan E. Brucker. He has played an influential role in shaping the development of Swiss Deluxe Hotels in recent years. As managing director, he has been responsible for the business of Swiss Deluxe Hotels for three years, having served as the association’s president for ten years and vice president for three years. He was the face of the Widder Hotel in Zurich for 19 years as general manager, but now wants to devote himself to his own projects with his company Brucker Hospitality Consulting.
Michael Smithuis, President of Swiss Deluxe Hotels
The selection process by the board of Swiss Deluxe Hotels saw her application for the post of general manager prevail over the other candidates with a variety of professional backgrounds.
“It is, for us, a great pleasure and an honour to have found in Nathalie Seiler-Hayez a managing director with a proven track record, who brings the experience from the international luxury hotel industry and at the same time knows the needs and demands of the members of Swiss Deluxe Hotels,” says Michael Smithuis, President of Swiss Deluxe Hotels and general manager of the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace in Montreux. “Maintaining the amicable and collegial atmosphere among the members – what we call the Amicale – is a key element of our association, and hence one of the priorities of Nathalie Seiler-Hayez as the incoming managing director.”
Swiss Deluxe Hotels
The Swiss Deluxe Hotels association (SDH) was founded in 1934 and comprises 39 of the most renowned 5-star hotels in Switzerland such as The Dolder Grand and the Baur au Lac in Zurich, the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken, the Gstaad Palace, the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, Badrutt’s Palace Hotel and the Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz, the Castello del Sole in Ascona and the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois in Basel. They all embody the prestige of the Swiss luxury hospitality sector, to which they have contributed so successfully for almost two centuries. With a total of 4,100 rooms and suites and some 8,200 beds, the SDH’s membership accounts for more than 40 per cent of Switzerland’s 5-star capacity. The SDH is thus the most important association in this segment and has for decades assumed a leading role in Switzerland’s luxury hospitality. The name Swiss Deluxe Hotels stands for exclusive quality and the highest standards. The personal service is unique: over 8,000 employees ensure the well-being of a clientele accustomed to service luxury. In 2021, the group recorded around 1,038,335 overnight stays, while annual sales in 2020 totalled around CHF 1.38 billion.