Hotel & History
Hotel Sedartis: A world of class, excitement and cordiality.
The 4-star Hotel Sedartis in Thalwil on Lake Zurich with 40 rooms and ten seminar and banquet rooms is the perfect lifestyle and seminar hotel not far from Zurich. Thanks to its location close to the train station, jetty and highway connections, the hotel offers a clear location advantage. The Edo Bar & Lounge, the restaurant with terrace overlooking Lake Zurich and the various culinary pop-ups offer the opportunity to relax and unwind
FactsheetKatharinenhof – Thalwilerhof – Hotel Sedartis
The era of the traditional Hotel Thalwilerhof, formerly Katharinenhof, came to an end with its demolition in summer 2002. A modern business hotel and local meeting place was built on the same site in just under two years. The new four-star hotel, built with high design standards and great attention to detail, combines excitingly staged room concepts and a comprehensive infrastructure with first-class all-round service. Excellent conditions for holding seminars, conferences, celebrations and events in this unique atmosphere.
Katharinenhof – origins
The restaurant and later the Katharinenhof inn were built on the former Wyberg in 1889. The founder, Katharina Biedermann-Sutter, was the landlady of the Kafi Holzschuh, which stood on a side street near today’s Sedartis. Kafi Holzschuh was a popular meeting place for the workers at the Weidmann dye works, who used to visit the café during their breaks. Katharina’s husband, who died young, suggested to her before his death that she should open an inn on her own vineyard. And so it came to be – which also makes sense of the name “Katharinenhof” of the original inn.
Thalwilerhof
In 1948, the Katharinenhof was bought by the Amstutz-Villiger family and extensively renovated. This was the right time to change the name of the hotel to “Thalwilerhof”. In 1952, the hotel underwent a major change with the addition of the top floor, which meant that more rooms could be created. Many more conversions and extensions followed in the years to come.
In 2000, the hotel came into the possession of the Meier family. As the demolition and conversion of the hotel was not planned until summer 2002, the hotel was made available for cultural events and exhibitions in the meantime. During this transitional phase, picture exhibitions, vernissages and theater performances took place in the Thalwilerhof.
Hotel Sedartis: Why a new building?
Since the Gründerzeit building, the former Katharinenhof, the hotel has been repeatedly adapted to new structural requirements. In the 1960s, the old hipped roof was removed, the building was raised by one storey and a flat hipped roof was added in the style of the 1960s.
A further intervention, years later, was made to the hall building, which was replaced by a two-storey intermediate building. At the same time, the façades were stripped of their decorative elements, which were expensive to maintain. This led to the complete obliteration of the former Gründerzeit building and the adjacent property.
After the change of ownership in 2000, all possibilities for a new use were investigated. The culinary and former cultural focus of the community was to be revived. As the existing building structure was unable to meet the requirements of a modern hotel in any way, new building options were soon examined. The cantonal heritage protection authority also found no parts of the old building worth preserving and encouraged demolition.
Hotel Sedartis naming: silk and art
A strong new start also required a strong name. A name was therefore sought that would communicate the modern, innovative hotel concept together with the location, its Thalwil roots, in a fresh, unspent and surprising way.
The newly chosen name Sedartis comes from the words Seda (Spanish for silk) and Art (art). Sedartis therefore stands for fine quality and silk fabrics. Thalwil made history with its silk industry in the 19th century. Sedartis should also stand for art and culture, design and modern architecture as well as quality and innovation.
The concept theme of silk was ideally suited to be implemented in an exciting and creative way. In addition to silk, Hotel Sedartis also wanted to attach great importance to functional design as well as the interplay of light, colors and shapes and an exquisite choice of materials.
2004 – Opening of the new “Hotel Sedartis”
After almost two years of construction, Hotel Sedartis was opened in its current form on January 12, 2004. Over the past 20 years, further adaptations and renovations have been carried out so that the hotel has always been able to meet the needs of its guests.
2006 – the Remise becomes the Forum
It soon became clear that there was a need for more and larger seminar rooms. Fortunately, it was possible to rent the coach house directly opposite the hotel and the barely used coach house became the Sedartis Forum with a large seminar room, the Edo Bar, the Relax Center and the indoor golf course.
2013 – the first major renovation after ten years
In summer 2013, the entire first floor was renovated. Since then, the restaurant has welcomed guests with warm, harmonious colors combined with elegant design elements. At lunchtime and in the evening, guests are spoiled with selected dishes, from light business lunches to popular Swiss classics. The kitchen team particularly enjoys conjuring up dishes with products from the region.
2019 – Conversion of the indoor golf course into a creative space
In 2019, our “Ideationspace” was created as a beacon for innovative workshops and meetings. The new creative space can be used as a classic seminar room with block seating, for example, but with the option of seating with our high tables and the many tools that promote brainstorming, it offers an ideal place where creativity knows no bounds.
2019 – Renovation of Edo Bar & Lounge
In autumn 2019, the Edo Bar & Lounge was given a facelift, underlining the change from the “Edo Smokers Lounge” to the new, trendy, smoke-free “Edo Bar & Lounge”. The smoke was followed by music, which means that guests in the Edo Bar & Lounge can now often enjoy live music. Drinks, snacks and music – welcome to the Edo Bar & Lounge.
2022 – Conversion of Rooftop as a “seminar and event room with a view”
In 2022, Rooftop was converted into a fully-fledged and modern event room with an integrated bar and a beautiful outdoor area. The new furnishings and stylish ambience not only invite guests to seminars with a wonderful view, but also enable us to host celebrations such as birthdays and weddings in a pleasant atmosphere.
2023 – Renovation and refurbishment of 30 of a total of 39 hotel rooms
Our rooms are and always have been colorful and cheerful. And we stayed true to this motto when renovating the rooms. 30 out of 39 rooms were completely renovated in spring 2023 and shine in new splendor.
A look into the future
Nothing is as constant as change. With this motto in mind, we are constantly evolving and aim to continue offering our guests not only top service, but also the best quality and a pleasant stay. We are not standing still and are also planning exciting projects for the future – read for yourself.
2024 – Completion of renovation and refurbishment of 9 hotel rooms
The renovation of the remaining 9 hotel rooms is planned for early 2024 in order to complete the renovation project for all rooms. The modernization of 7 garden rooms and 2 Rooftop rooms is pending.
2025/26 – Major change on the first floor
In 2025/26, the hotel reception, hotel lobby and hotel bar will be renovated. It is the final piece of the puzzle for the overall renovation of Hotel Sedartis after 20 years.
Architecture of the new building
The new hotel building in Thalwil is a modern, individual and functional structure. The street façade, the actual face of the new building, is characterized by the projecting canopy and the row of columns in front of it, which end in the flagpoles. The building flanks made of natural stone frame the horizontally oriented glass surfaces, which are more clearly visible through the balcony layer in front. The intermediate structure acts as a link to the neighboring building.
The main building serves the hotel. The hotel lobby with reception and lounge is located on the first floor. The open elevator system leads from the hotel lobby to the upper floors of the rooms and the seminar floor. On the seminar floor there are rooms for 5 to 150 people, intended for seminars, banquets, parties and many other events. Two club rooms and a multifunctional seminar and event room have been created on the top floor. From here you can enjoy the view over the lake, the foothills of the Alps and, on a clear day, as far as the Alps.
Feng Shui analysis
After examining the spatial conditions of the project with the help of a Feng Shui analysis, the design and color scheme of the interior design was chosen accordingly. w The interplay of cubic and round shapes, a characteristic of the architecture of the building, was praised as a special quality in the final report of the analysis.
Conclusion on the new building
“From the confined space of the plot, it has been possible to create a cubically clear individual building in the row of existing solitary buildings, with its own face and charisma. In the interior design, it was possible to create an exciting sequence of rooms with very individual characteristics, without borrowing from the prop chamber of arbitrariness.”
This is the brief description by the architect Chaschper Gachnang, Thalwil.
