Hôtel Royal Savoy, Lausanne, Switzerland

Lausanne’s grande dame, the Royal Savoy, has re-opened. Located in a graceful garden with views towards Lake Geneva, the original Art Nouveau building has been restored and sensitively modernised with architectural interventions revealing themselves as guests move through the building  towards the glazed extension at the rear. This entirely new building, offering a stylishly modern spa and additional guestrooms topped by a penthouse, has virtually doubled the footprint of the hotel. The original building retains some of its early features, it is decoratively dressed and a little quirky in places; by contrast, the new building in sleek, streamlined and cleanly planned.