In Zurich’s Seefeld district, city visitors find a pleasant haven of calm in an elegant, more-than-100-year-old Art Nouveau villa with spacious, carefully appointed rooms. Throughout its history, the Alma has always combined hospitality with social commitment, and today its operators feel a particular dedication to sustainability as well.
Something’s in Bloom – a Hotel with Green Accents
The house in Seefeld is one of the Art Nouveau villas that shaped the neighbourhood. The Alma evokes that floral era in many ways, and not only architecturally: climbing plants wind their way up the façade, floral ornaments adorn the stair railing, an idyllic rose garden offers a small, quiet oasis with shady arbours for relaxing amid fragrant blossoms – and the rooms are named after flowers.
The greened façade is regarded as a model example of sustainable urban design. The windows look out over the houses of the neighbourhood. Anyone wishing to let their gaze wander further settles into the comfortable seating groups and loungers on the rooftop terrace, which offers an unobstructed view across the rooftops of Zurich to the city, the lake and the mountains. On the wooden veranda, guests can enjoy the vegetarian breakfast, a coffee or an apéritif.
In 2022 the house reopened after a complete renovation. Since then the hotel has been sustainable in three respects: socially, ecologically and economically.
Spaces to Meet and to Unwind
The Alma creates spaces beyond its 16 rooms and four studios. The hotel offers numerous feel-good zones that allow for both retreat and encounter:
In the large lobby, which serves as a living room for guests, you can have a coffee or enjoy a self-cooked dinner. The fully equipped guest kitchen is open to all guests. At the honesty bar there are soft drinks from local producers, while organic wines and select spirits are also available.
Special Features: Social Responsibility and a Ladies-Only Wellness Area
The Alma is a member of the TOP 3 STAR Hotels, a cooperative of personally run 3- and 4-star hotels. Since 2024 the hotel has also been a cooperation partner of the non-profit organisation Wasser für Wasser (WfW), which promotes drinking tap water in Switzerland and supports water, hygiene and education projects in Zambia and Mozambique.
The hotel is different – a temporary home, not simply a hotel. It is run by the Sinn & Gewinn Hotels, which combine economic success with social commitment. Besides the Alma, two further hotels are operated in Zurich (hotel marta and Josephine’s Guesthouse for Women), along with the Pension Bienvenue in Lausanne, which next year will be redeveloped into the new Maison Emilie. The Alma is particularly committed to training young women who need support, offering them a professional perspective. Vulnerable women in challenging life situations benefit from regular part-time positions.
A particular highlight is the city-renowned ladies-only wellness area, available exclusively to women – including those who are not staying at the hotel. Here they can relax and find peace and quiet. In addition, yoga classes are regularly offered on the rooftop terrace or in the relaxation room.
Committed to Sustainability
Since December 2022 the Alma Hotel has held the Level II – engaged sustainability certificate from Switzerland Tourism. This confirms the hotel’s sustainable management while also encouraging continuous further development in matters of sustainability. For 2025 the hotel is aiming for official “Green Key” certification, with which the hotels will reach Level 3 of “Swisstainable”.
In-house, the focus is on „Reduce, Reuse, Recycle“ and the use of organic, environmentally friendly products. The former chairs from the breakfast room, for instance, found a new home in another business. The 20-year-old bathrooms were deemed perfectly sound and may continue to do their job for a few more years. The new breakfast offering is vegetarian, regional, fair and, wherever possible, organic too. In their rooms, guests find regional care products from farfalla with plenty of organic ingredients. The façade greening helps to soften the warming of the building on hot days, reduce the urban heat-island effect and thus influence the city climate in a positive way.
Further eco measures and aspects in brief:
- Linen changed only on request
- no minibars in the rooms, but a fridge in the guest kitchen
- Honesty bar: primarily local producers and suppliers
- High-quality Züri water straight from the tap
- Strict waste separation and consistent recycling of all materials
- Paperless communication with guests
- Information is shared online, i.e. no printed brochures or flyers
Tip:
As we feel that this special location is a great fit for our readers at natourerfahren.de, we will be giving away a wonderful weekend in Zurich at the Alma Hotel as part of our attractive prize draw, open to everyone who subscribes to our newsletter.
https://almahotel.ch
https://www.top3starhotels.ch
https://www.sinnundgewinn.ch
https://wfw.ch
https://www.myswitzerland.com/de-ch/planung/ueber-die-schweiz/nachhaltigkeit/swisstainable-leistungstraeger
