The entrepreneurial couple Astrid von Stockar and Clemens Gregor have taken over the venerable Hotel Chesa Grischuna in Klosters GR as of 1 November 2022. The aim is to revive the glamour of the old days, when the hotel was known as «Hollywood on the rocks» thanks to stars such as Gene Kelly, Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn.
The Hotel Chesa Grischuna in Klosters GR was opened in 1938 by Hans Guler, who came from a family of mountain guides. It has been family-owned ever since and was most recently managed for many years by Barbara Rios-Guler. Since 1 November 2022, the Zurich entrepreneur Astrid von Stockar and her life partner Clemens Gregor are the new owners of the hotel. «The purchase is a matter of the heart for us, to preserve this wonderful total work of art for Klosters and us holiday guests. A Klosters without the legendary Chesa Grischuna is simply unthinkable,» Ms. von Stockar explains the joint commitment. She used to be a journalist and producer for Swiss television, and since 2016 she has been CEO and majority owner of the Swiss high-tech dental hygiene company Swissdent AG. She and Clemens Gregor, partner of the Multifamily Office Finad, have been connected to Klosters for many years thanks to their holiday home.
The Chesa Grischuna became known throughout Switzerland when it received the «Historic Hotel of the Year 2020» award. In the jury report, the house was described as a «work of art». Recently, the new owners were also able to accept the award as «Switzerland's Best Ski Boutique Hotel 2022». This is an award that the hotel has already received in previous years.
The Chesa became internationally famous in the 1940s and 1950s when Hollywood stars such as Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Bing Crosby and Gene Kelly stayed here. This earned the hotel the nickname «Hollywood on the rocks». The guest book, which is kept in the safe and may only be perused with velvet gloves, is a testimony to this time.
The new owners agree that the Chesa should be preserved as it is, if possible. «Modern hotel management systems must also be introduced here,» says Clemens Gregor. «But of course we will not change the core of this historic house.» However, the old mountain elegance is to be revived.