Herzog & de Meuron redefines Swiss hospitality with Les Trois Rois hotel transformation

In its 45-year history, the Pritzker Prize-winning architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron has undertaken only a handful of hospitality projects. Its portfolio has instead focused on era-defining cultural institutions such as London’s Tate Modern and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. But for Les Trois Rois, arguably Basel’s most storied hotel, the architects made an exception. ‘It’s a very personal project – perhaps even egoistic,’ practice founder Jacques Herzog tells Wallpaper*. ‘I don’t live far from here, so I love to come with my wife and have a drink at the bar.’

Yet long before it became the renowned architect’s local haunt, Les Trois Rois was a city landmark. Originally established in 1681, the hotel has borne witness to centuries of European history. Napoleon rested his head here in the late 18th century. Pablo Picasso, Voltaire, James Joyce – and even Queen Elizabeth II – have all been guests. In a city defined by its confluence of borders and languages, Les Trois Rois stands as a symbol of continuity.

Wallpaper* checks in at Hotel Les Trois Rois, Basel

What’s on your doorstep?

Situated on the banks of the River Rhine – where, in summer, locals can be seen floating downstream with their belongings tucked into inflatable dry bags – Les Trois Rois occupies a privileged position in Basel’s historic centre. Many of the city’s key attractions are just a short walk away: the Messe Basel convention centre (home to Art Basel and Design Miami Basel each June), the Natural History Museum, the Museum of Cultures, and the Kunstmuseum Basel, where visitors can view masterpieces by Holbein, Picasso and Rothko – the last housed in a striking Herzog & de Meuron extension.

Who’s behind the design?

Herzog & de Meuron took a break from masterplanning tech campuses and Olympic stadiums to breathe life into the hotel, located a short stroll from its headquarters. ‘Generally, as an architect, you don’t have the opportunity to develop the whole space, down to the smallest detail,’ explains Herzog, who even handmade the ceramic tiles that clad the fireplace in the ground-floor cigar lounge. ‘But everything here was developed by us in our own workshops. It’s not something you can do all the time – it’s very time-consuming.’

Herzog & de Meuron were tasked with designing the hotel’s expansion into an adjoining former bank (that was later a tourist office) on the Rhine’s left bank. The firm reimagined each of the building’s five floors: a ground-floor restaurant and bar; a first-floor function room with retractable walls capable of producing multiple configurations; two levels of new suites, including the sprawling Les Trois Rois presidential suite; and a decadent rooftop spa.

The room to book

Spanning 240 sq m on the extension’s second floor, the new two-bedroom Les Trois Rois suite is a masterpiece of contemporary luxury. The architects created a fluid space using curtains and sliding doors in place of traditional walls. The bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms – rendered in icy whites and deep reds – radiate from a central, circular living and dining room which, when fully opened, is bathed in light from three sides. ‘We wanted the façade to be free,’ says Herzog, explaining the decision to abandon conventional interior walls. ‘It’s a hybrid between something closed and very open.’

Staying for drinks and dinner?

Herzog and his team configured the ground-floor bar and restaurant to maximise the views of the river. ‘We wanted guests to be immediately connected to the river and the city,’ explains Herzog. ‘This was the driving force.’ To achieve this, the architects raised the tables to window height via a U-shaped stage encircling the restaurant’s perimeter. At the centre, they designed a reflective chrome bar surrounded by stools upholstered in bubblegum-pink velvet.

The river’s presence continues above, where mirrored ceiling panels reflect the Rhine’s blue-green currents between carved geometric mouldings. Hanging over the bar is a vibrant installation by Swiss artists Gerda Steiner and Jörg Lenzlinger, an eclectic amalgam of found objects – fake flowers, crystals grown in their studio, animal figurines – in a veritable rainbow of colours. ‘It’s a surreal garden,’ says Herzog. ‘I like the combination of a space that’s very French and classic with these Pop Art elements.’

Though the restaurant is set to officially open later this autumn, the hotel already promises a menu of Asian fusion cuisine and an extensive cocktail list. In the meantime, guests can dine on-site at The Brasserie, which serves classic European fare, or at the three-Michelin-starred Cheval Blanc, named the best restaurant in the world in 2024.

Where to switch off

Nestled within the historic building’s mansard roof, Herzog & de Meuron have created an intimate spa inspired by Japanese onsens. ‘The space had these wooden beams, which by themselves were quite ugly,’ Herzog explains of the design. ‘So we thought to add other wooden elements so their presence was blurred. Japanese architecture is very much based on rational construction, so we let the construction become the decoration.’ Between the chocolate-toned rafters, the architects lined the walls with fragrant cedar and adobe-like finishing and designed traditional sliding paper doors for the private treatment rooms. Spanning two levels, the spa includes a sauna, steam room, and icy plunge pool on a rooftop terrace overlooking the river and the historic neighbourhood’s rooftops.

The verdict

As the most storied stay in this small Swiss city, Les Trois Rois was a landmark long before Herzog & de Meuron left their mark. But for admirers of the Swiss duo, the hotel’s new extension offers a rare opportunity to spend the night in a space they helped shape.

Hotel Les Trois Rois is located at Blumenrain 8, 4001 Basel, Switzerland.