A Short History of Hotel Basel

• Till the 1960’s Commercial buildings stood where today’s Hotel Basel is located.
• 1963 Ciba-Geigy (today’s Novartis) acquires the buildings in addition to the “Haus zum Dolder”, in which the Restaurant Sperber is domiciled.
• 1975 After years of planning, construction of Hotel Basel with its 72 rooms is finished in October. For almost 19 years, a Zurich management company on behalf of Ciba-Geigy’s pension fund directs the hotel.
• February 1, 1994 Mr. Raeto Steiger takes over the hotel as a tenant. At the same time, the hotel is completely renovated.
• May 1, 1996 G.A.T.E.S. Hôtellerie & Restaurateur S.A., with Raeto Steiger as its operational head, acquires the Hotel Basel.
• 2002 The “Basler Keller” (Basel Cellar) is changed from an à la carte restaurant into the present breakfast room and banquet cellar.
• 2005 As the very first Basel Hotel, Hotel Basel receives the "3Q Seal of approval" and the ISO certification. All guest rooms are refurbished. 
• Summer 2007 & 2008  All guest rooms are again refurbished.
• Since October 1, 2009  The operative management is taken over by Hotel Basel AG and the longstanding Vice-Director Esther Bruehwiler, while Raeto Steiger remains the owner of the house.
• In Summer 2018 the hotel was closed down for 3 month and undergoing a complete renovation of all guestrooms and the lobby. In september 2018 was the reopening.