Rath checks in: Tomorrow in Vitznau

But today I want to explore the newest attraction in Vitznau, the world’s first neuro campus hotel: “Das Morgen”. I checked in using the hotel’s own app. My iPhone will serve as my room key and light control for the next few days. In the lobby – without any reception – I meet resident manager Tim Moitzi. I ask him what his brand new hotel has to do with neurology: “Everything we do while sleeping or eating has something to do with our neurological system,” he says. “And that’s exactly what we’re trying to show here in the Neuro-Campus.”

The entrepreneur, investor and visionary Peter Pühringer, who already owns the Parkhotel Vitznau and the Campus Hotel Hertenstein here, had the idea for this new hotel product. He also runs the internationally recognized rehabilitation clinic for neurological diseases in Weggis. The aim of his Neuro Culinary Center AG is to invest in the hotel and catering industry by “further developing products, processes and precision in the field of culinary art”.

“Das Morgen”: Guest robots for more service

Each of the 54 rooms here is different. There are: classic double rooms, rooms with two or three sleeping areas and also multi-bed rooms for groups. The unusual hotel is divided into four guest zones, which are spread over the ground floor and the roof as the fifth floor. The areas are called “yesterday” (with classic local cuisine in a cozy Swiss “Stübli”), “today” (with a vegetarian and vegan orientation) and above all: “tomorrow” – on an experimental level.

The Neuro-Campus-Hotel also relies on technical means when it comes to eating. While still in the room, I created my individual gastro profile in the “Taste4me” app – to note allergies, preferred foods, preferences. Tim Moitzi explains to me that I now receive personalized menu suggestions and can then evaluate the dishes individually and precisely. The algorithm prevents dishes from being suggested to me again that I did not like. The ingredients I prefer are finalized by the campus chefs to create a personal menu.

Then it gets exciting for me: “Vitzi” (from Vitznau) and “Telli” (from Tellerträger) roll up – my robotic waiters for the evening. Small children from the region came up with the cute names.

I learn: The guest robots can be used and optimized for various processes, from welcoming people in the restaurant to room service, including using the elevator. The amazingly agile electronic helpers were developed by the Swiss company Sebotics. The latest generation of service robots can transport dishes and crockery between the kitchen and guest rooms, relieve the service staff of unnecessary journeys and help bridge peak times. The restaurateur then ultimately has more time for his guests by shortening and replacing processes.

The concept seems extremely logical to me: don’t replace staff, but relieve them. A very sensible approach, especially given the current shortage of skilled workers – before the staff shortages lead to an even greater disaster than they already are at the moment.

I walk to the valley station of the Rigi Bahn in town, one of the oldest cog railways in the world. This pre-Alpine massif is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Switzerland: you can conquer the Rigi, the queen of the mountains, with no fewer than seven (!) mountain railways. With pure nostalgia, I drive up to the Rigi-Kulm in half an hour in a historic wagon and with a smoking steam locomotive.

Personalized nutrition in “Das Morgen”

The main summit of the Rigi (1797 metres) offers a fantastic all-round view over the lake and large parts of the Alps. I think of Mark Twain and his dazzling description of a sunrise that he enthusiastically enjoyed on Mount Rigi; in fact, it is most impressive here early in the morning.

On the way back I stop halfway and treat myself to a break in the Rigi-Kaltbad-Spa, which the Swiss architect Mario Botta created very successfully from natural stone. I especially enjoy the view from the rooftop outdoor pool.

Conclusion: “Das Morgen” in Vitznau is more a test laboratory for the future of hospitality than a hotel, and a comparison with other business hotels is actually out of the question. I am fascinated by the new neuro hotel concept. We hoteliers used to try to anticipate our guests’ every wish. Today, the latest technology helps with this. Rooms and menu plans, for example, are precisely tailored to each individual guest.

I had a lot of fun immersing myself in this new, exciting world of experience and meeting hotel people who are finally setting out to try something really new. Pioneers like Peter Pühringer spend a lot of money on this and practically drive the hotel industry in front of them. The innovative concept in “Das Morgen” with its pioneering findings in neuroscientific research is already working impressively. The neurology-themed hotel is buzzing noticeably and is usually fully booked, the rates are remarkably high even so soon after the start. The courage to offer the guest something revolutionary and groundbreaking has actually proven itself here in tranquil Vitznau.

This courage gives rise to the intensive networking of innovation and research with the clear goal of increasing personal well-being. “Das Morgen” is currently the most exciting gastronomy and hotel test kitchen in the world. It gives me an idea of ​​what future hotel stays and gastronomy 3.0 will look like.

Insider tips:

Sightseeing: A fascinating labyrinth in the mountain: The Vitznau artillery fortress was built in World War II as a defensive bulwark and was a state secret for a long time.

Restaurant: In the “Sens” the young Dutch wild Jeroen Achtien cooks refined menus with many regional components at the highest two-star level. The fantastic setting right on the lake shore offers the most magnificent sunset view ever.

Ship tour: Idyllic steamboat ride from Vitznau in just over an hour to Lucerne or across the lake to Beckenried and then by cable car up to the hiking paradise of Kievenalp (1600 metres).

Rath’s travel rating (current rating in bold)

1. Explicit Travel Warning
2. Better than under the bridge
3. So-so, not oh, là, là
4. Complaining at a high level
5. If only it were always like this
6. Great cinema (of the future)

About the author: As a former grand hotelier and operator of the Travelgrand.ch travel platform, Carsten K. Rath is a professional globetrotter. He travels to all the hotels he writes about for the Handelsblatt on his own account. Rath is the brain behind the ranking “The 101 best hotels in Germany”, whose partners include the Handelsblatt.