Heritage Meets Innovation: Baur Au Lac’s Updated Leadership And Vision For The Future

31.07.2023 - 21:17 / forbes.com / Art

Baur au Lacis one of Zurich’s most prestigious and recognizable hotels, attracting guests from around the world to its waterside location since 1844. In its 179-year history, Baur au Lac has very much been a family business, owned and managed by the Baur-Kracht family, and this year marks a new chapter in the hotel’s leadership. Marguita Kracht joins her father at the helm of the property, as a seventh generation owner of the heralded hotel ushering in new ideas about sustainability and technology.

On top of the new leadership, Baur au Lac has also seen a slew of renovations to the property including 20 room updates and a new entrance of the hotel. Even if you’ve previously stayed at Baur au Lac there are many new things to experience; read on as we speak with Marguita Kracht about what’s new at Baur Lac.

You recently joined your father as a seventh-generation family member at Baur au Lac. What’s been your approach to the property and what accomplishments are you happiest about thus far?

Marguita Kracht: I joined the family business and am overseeing the marketing of the brand on a strategic level. This encompasses everything from strategic marketing and communications to hotel product and programming, including room renovations, food and beverage concepts and more. All of which are a unique expression of our independent, family-owned hotel and what our long-standing guests appreciate most about us.

Over the course of the past year and a half, we’ve gone through a rebranding and developed a new and refreshed brand identity, which pays homage to our history and heritage while representing the Baur au Lac today and where we see ourselves in the future.

We immersed ourselves in over 179-years of hotel history; drawing inspiration from our archives, from old logos and historical postcards through to menu cards and brochures. Gradually, our new brand vision and identity began to emerge. Our lion, Zürich’s heraldic animal that has adorned the hotel logo for over 100 years has been given a polished new look. We also redesigned the letters in our logo in a nod to the original Baur au Lac signage and we have refreshed our color palette to represent the colors of our unique location along the lake of Zürich with the backdrop of the Swiss Alps.

How do you and your father complement each other when it comes to leading Baur au Lac?

We both have a passion for hospitality, although approach it from a very different perspective due to coming from different generations and experiencing travel in a different way. We find that our different experiences and outlook complement the other, sharing a common vision on the future of Baur au Lac.

My father's work experience prior to joining the family business was more