Grand Hotel (Locarno)

The Grand Hotel is a hotel in Locarno, Ticino, Switzerland, first opened in 1876.

History
The Grand Hotel was opened in the Swiss resort town of Locarno in 1876, following the opening of the Gotthard Tunnel and the railway station in Locarno. It was built to a design by Francesco Galli. Until the hotel closed in 2005, it had a station on the Locarno-Madonna del Sasso funicular.

From 5 to 16 October 1925, the hotel hosted the negotiations of the Locarno Treaties, that were intended to guarantee peace after the First World War.

A new film festival in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland was planned, to counter the one begun in 1932 in Venice as being too closely related to the Fascist regime. In 1934 this took place in Lugano. In 1946 some trees needed to be cut down to create an open-air theatre in Lugano for the screen, but local opposition meant that the film festival was moved to the garden of the Grand Hotel in Locarno. After the last screening of the evening, parties would continue by the swimming pool late into the night. The screen was eight by seven metres, and there was seating for 1,200, subsequently increased to 1,500 and then 2,000. The hotel remained the location of the film festival until 1971, when it was moved to the Piazza Grande in the centre of town.

In 2005 the hotel closed. The furniture was sold, with exception of the gigantic Murano chandelier in the hall, long considered to be the biggest in Europe. Six restoration projects were proposed, without implementation. In 2022 the Artisa real estate group of Stefano and Alain Artioli commenced a comprehensive renovation, costing 100 million Euros. With the renovations, the hotel will become 5-star, with three restaurants. Reopening is due to occur in 2025.

Cultural references
The hotel was the subject of the short film Grand Hotel by Giulio Pettenò in 2019.