Photo: e621.ch
The Three Hôteliers
Bernie Ecclestone, Franco Stella & Ermes Elsener INTERVIEW BY ALEXIS MUNIER
History is rife with great couples whose different personalities only serve to complement each other perfectly: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Laurel and Hardy, and even Batman and Robin. Add a third person to the mix and the plot thickens – famous threesomes are few and far-between. Yet here in Gstaad, a trio of teammates are giving the Three Musketeers some healthy competition. At the Hotel Olden, owner Bernie Ecclestone, General Manager Ermes Elsener, and Maître d’hôtel Franco Stella work in perfect symbiosis. Each member of this winning team has his place and responsibilities, yet allows the others to remain masters of their own domain. Mr Ecclestone and his wife Fabiana are personally involved at many levels of the Olden’s operations. Stella, who has been a familiar
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face here since 1974, manages the restaurant, bar, and cave. Last but not least, the 38-year old younger generation Elsener oversees all aspects of the hotel’s operations.
off here in 1974 and took over as Maître d’hôtel just a year later when the position became available. Between changes of ownership I spent a few years at the Grand Hotel Park, but just couldn't stay away from the Olden.
GSTAADLIFE toured the Hotel Olden’s recently renovated rooms and sat for a perfectly foamed cappuccino with two of these partners, Mr Stella and Mr Elsener, in the warm, wood-panelled breakfast room. This is what they had to say on their unusual relationship, and why the Olden remains a rare gem.
EE: I’ve been here nearly a decade and loved the personal and intimate atmosphere at the Olden from the beginning. I worked in several prestigious establishment before coming here, but this is a very unique environment – glamorous and chic, yet casual and informal at the same time.
GL: Mr Stella, you’ve been here as long as most people can remember. What about you, Mr Elsener?
GL: Mr Ecclestone appears to be the opposite, a man of whom it’s difficult to catch a glimpse?
FS: I arrived in Gstaad after working in Geneva, and it was love at first sight. I started
FS: Mr Ecclestone is a very discreet man, so even if he’s at the hotel you might not
PROFILE // GSTAADLIFE // ISSUE 8 // DECEMBER 30, 2014