Montreux Palace Hotel - Montreux

The Montreux Palace Hotel is located on Avenue Claude Nobs in Montreux, Switzerland.  It dates back to 1837 and the construction of the original hotel which occupied this site, the Hotel du Cygne.  In 1881 the hotel was purchased by Alexandre Emery and Ami Chessex who would form the company Le Montreux Palace and Cygne in 1895.  In 1904 plans were made to enlarge the hotel and architect Eugene Jost was hired for the job.  Eighteen months later, in March of 1906, the newly named Montreux Palace opened.  With its state of the art amenities it quickly became a stopping point for the European elite.  Many noted guests have spent time at the hotel.  Composer Richard Strauss spent winters here from 1947 until his death in 1949.  He completed three pieces of his Four Last Songs while staying here in 1948.  The work was published posthumously in 1950.  Writer Vladimir Nabokov moved into the hotel in 1961 and lived in a sixth floor apartment until his death in 1977.  During that time he wrote the novels Pale Fire (1962), Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle (1969), Transparent Things (1972) and Look at the Harlequins (1974), along with several books of poetry.  Freddie Mercury spent time here on at least three different occasions, while recording with Queen at nearby Mountain Studios, in 1978 for the album Jazz, in 1982 for Hot Space and in 1985 for A Kind of Magic.  Other noted guests have included Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and David Bowie.  The Montreux Palace has been listed on the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance.              

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