2. Strategy & Business Model C1, §47

Dolder Hotel AG is an inter­na­tionally oriented hospi­tality company based in Zurich. With the Dolder Grand, it operates one of Switzerland’s leading luxury resorts, uniquely combining prox­imity to the city, nature, culture and excellent hospi­tality. We stand for the highest quality of service, archi­tec­tural identity and a holistic guest expe­rience at a five-star superior level.

Dolder Hotel AG sees itself as a desti­nation in its own right. Its location between invig­o­rating nature and a vibrant city has char­ac­terised the Dolder for over 125 years. Our prop­erties and their offerings complement each other perfectly, enabling us to enhance the destination’s appeal and create the greatest possible benefit for our guests. We make the best possible use of synergies between our prop­erties.

The Dolder Grand is the flagship property of Dolder Hotel AG, featuring 175 guest rooms and suites, multi-award-winning restau­rants – including The Restaurant, which holds two Michelin stars – compre­hensive event and conference facil­ities, and a 4,000 m² spa. Seasonal pop-up events, cultural collab­o­ra­tions, and the gourmet festival THE EPICURE enhance the Dolder Grand’s core offering and strengthen its repu­tation as a year-round desti­nation for unfor­get­table expe­ri­ences and refined indul­gence.

Beyond its hotel oper­a­tions, Dolder Hotel AG also oversees a diverse port­folio of resi­dential and commercial prop­erties. The Dolder Waldhaus is currently under­going a compre­hensive reno­vation (see below).

Value creation is rooted in the seamless inte­gration of the accom­mo­dation, catering, events, and spa divi­sions, supported by key resources: the iconic property with its unri­valled setting over­looking Zurich, a team of over 600 employees from 87 nations, a strong brand identity, and enduring part­ner­ships with care­fully selected suppliers and service providers. Core func­tions – including finance, HR, marketing, procurement, tech­nical services, security, quality management, and sustain­ability – are all managed in-house.

The guests at The Dolder Grand are an inter­na­tional and diverse mix, with private trav­ellers – partic­u­larly Frequent Indi­vidual Trav­ellers – accounting for around three-quarters of all overnight stays. Business trav­ellers, as well as group and event guests (MICE), make up the remainder. The most important source markets include the USA, Switzerland, and the Gulf States, followed by Germany, the Asia-Pacific region, and the UK. In addition, local and national guests actively utilise the hotel’s dining, event, and spa offerings, with the Day Spa expe­ri­encing steadily growing demand.

In addition to the Dolder Grand, the company owns further prop­erties in Zurich. The Dolder Waldhaus – a historic landmark in Zurich with over a century of heritage, is currently under­going a compre­hensive reno­vation. Rather than constructing a new building, Dolder Hotel AG has chosen to preserve and transform the existing structure, signif­i­cantly reducing embodied energy compared to a new build. The energy-effi­cient refur­bishment adheres to the Minergie standard and incor­po­rates geot­hermal probes, photo­voltaics, and exten­sively greened roof and terrace areas. The future offering will include approx­i­mately 90 rental apart­ments, a public restaurant, and a communal co-working space.

Our business oper­a­tions extend far beyond the hotel itself, embedded within a value chain that spans from sourcing to oper­a­tions, waste management, and guest and employee mobility. Sustain­ability is integral not only to processes within the hotel but also to upstream and down­stream activ­ities.

Upstream, we collab­orate with a wide range of national and inter­na­tional partners to source food and beverages, textiles, laundry services, cleaning and care products, cosmetics, energy, and tech­nical util­ities. Our internal procurement policy priori­tises quality, sustain­ability, and cost-effec­tiveness, supporting local sourcing, short supply chains, fair trade prin­ciples, human rights stan­dards, and circular economy prac­tices – partic­u­larly reusability, repairability, and recy­cla­bility. This policy is rein­forced by a supplier code of conduct, struc­tured selection criteria, and annual assess­ments for key partners. The procurement of food, beverages, and laundry services contributes signif­i­cantly to upstream emis­sions.

Down­stream, our value chain encom­passes waste disposal and recy­cling, waste­water treatment, green­house gas emis­sions, as well as the journeys of our guests and employees to and from the prop­erties.

The catalyst: sustain­ability as an investment, not a cost centre

The catalyst for our sustain­ability journey was the trans­for­mative refur­bishment of the Dolder Grand between 2004 and 2008 under Foster + Partners. A defining decision was the instal­lation of 70 geot­hermal probes at a depth of 152 metres, which dras­ti­cally reduced our reliance on fossil fuels despite doubling the floor space. This initiative was further supported by a long-standing part­nership with the Energy Agency for Industry (EnAW), estab­lished in 2005, which continues to deliver annual energy and CO₂ savings of over 1,500 MWh. Sustain­ability, we firmly believe, is not a cost but an investment in long-term success.

The trans­for­mation: from indi­vidual measures to a management system

Following the reopening in 2008, our commitment evolved from grass­roots efforts to a struc­tured, measurable approach. In 2018, employees launched the D-Impact team – volunteer ambas­sadors who embed sustainable prac­tices across all depart­ments. The pivotal moment came in 2019, when management decided to certify our sustain­ability perfor­mance inde­pen­dently. This led to the estab­lishment of a sustain­ability management system aligned with the Earth­Check corporate standard and the formation of the D-Force team, comprising managers and specialists respon­sible for imple­men­tation, data management, and internal commu­ni­cation. Sustain­ability tran­si­tioned from a collection of good inten­tions into a controlled, measurable process.

The results have been trans­for­mative: Earth­Check Silver certi­fi­cation in 2020, followed by Earth­Check Gold in 2024 and confir­mation in 2025. Addi­tional mile­stones include part­ner­ships with myclimate and the ‘Cause We Care’ initiative, Swis­stainable Level III – Leading certi­fi­cation, membership in Respon­sible Hotels of Switzerland, the myclimate Tourism Award in 2022, and the instal­lation of a photo­voltaic system with 488 panels in 2024.

Where we stand today: Maturity and trans­parency

Today, Dolder Hotel AG operates a mature sustain­ability management system that is reviewed annually through inde­pendent audits. Our progress culmi­nated in 2024 with Earth­Check Gold certi­fi­cation, which was success­fully confirmed in 2025. In 2026, the company was further recog­nised as a Top Employer Switzerland and received the ‘Sustain­ability Leader’ (The Leading Hotels of the World) and ‘Verified Respon­sible Hospi­tality’ (Forbes Travel Guide) acco­lades.

This report is the next step on our journey: the first compre­hensive docu­men­tation of how we manage, measure and advance sustain­ability – trans­par­ently and veri­fiably.