Discover how the grand old dame of Zurich has shaped up for the 21st century

There is a panoply of five-star hotels in which to stay in Zurich, a city known for its lakeside beauty and banking wealth. However, for the past four years the city’s grand dame, The Dolder Grand, has been missing from the scene, closed for conversion, restoration (ridding it of any ugly additions made since its original opening back in 1899), refurbishment and extension.

Now, the Dolder is back and she is bigger, grander and more luxurious than ever. The chateaux-style building has revealed its original exterior and the 19th-century interiors have been transformed - historic detail has been harmoniously juxtaposed with contemporary features. The two new-build wings are a cunning contemporary intervention, complementing the original historic fabric.

The new-look Dolder Grand is also a city resort; the offspring of the successful marriage of architects Foster and Partners, and interiors company United Designers, which has shaped the new high-tech living spaces in the spa and golf wings, along with the guest rooms in the main building.

The old guests have returned and are enthralled if slightly bemused by the end product. More impressively, the property is now attracting younger clients, who are enjoying the new array of facilities, both business and leisure, including the vast 4,000-sq metre spa and fitness area, which is also open to day guests.

Track it down

The Dolder Grand occupies an elevated position, between the city and the wooded hillside, with extraordinary views of the city centre and the lake, especially after dark when the city lights twinkle and the landmark fountain in the lake is floodlit. The international airport is a 20-minute taxi ride and the city centre a 10-minute ride in a taxi or the hotel’s courtesy shuttle bus.

Check in

The original stone hall entrance is now concierge and sofa territory and check in is adjacent to this at the entrance to the garden salon and terrace, where drinks and snacks are served. Check in is swiftly completed with Swiss precision timing and is remarkably friendly.

Room to manoeuvre

The 173 guest rooms range from single to deluxe to suite, variously dimensioned and appointed. Few look the same. Apart from the signature suites in the original building and golf wing, which offer more, all come with big flat-screen TVs, incorporating DVD/CD players and iPod docks, operated by one simple hand-held piece of kit that even a technophobe could figure out. This gadget also operates the various mood lighting states. All bathrooms are wall-to-wall marble with bath and shower, the latter converting into a steam room. A flat-screen TV is built into the bathroom mirror so business guests can keep in touch with the latest Bloomberg and Dow Jones feeds. The smart American toiletries are by Kersten Florian.

Get connected

Each room and all public areas, including the outdoor terraces offer broadband Wifi access and power points, so you never need run down your laptop battery.

Fitness regime

The spa and wellness facility is shaped by European and Japanese influences and is connected to the main building by two glass walkways etched with forest motifs reflecting the surrounding habitat. Hotel guests are encouraged to use the upper, more private walkway, so that they can enter the spa wearing their white designer-styled room robes and slippers – there are no baggy Terry cotton misfits seen around here. On arrival, taupe-coloured spa robes and slippers are offered. The facility, created by American spa designer Sylvia Sepielli, includes a huge indoor pool, 21 treatment rooms, a gym as sizeable and impressive as any leading London health club, with a team of personal trainers on hand to design bespoke workout programmes, a movement studio with a range of daily classes, a meditation walkway leading to a Zen-like mosaic cupola, a chill-out space (think suspended basket chairs with headphones playing relaxing sounds), and a cold room, filled with freshly-made snow. There are also walking and mountain bike trails to follow on the surrounding hillside. On the spa terrace, there are plenty of sun beds and two large Jacuzzis.

Raid the minibar

Everything you would expect from a five-star, including Veuve Cliquot champagne.

Breakfast news

The FT and IHT as soon as you wake and all UK press as soon as they have been flown in or in print form from online content.

Rack rate

Double rooms cost from Swiss Francs 850 (£417) per night, excluding breakfast.

The address

The Dolder Grand, Kurhausstrasse 65, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland (00 41 44 456 60 00; thedoldergrand.com ).