The Steigenberger Grandhotel Belvédère in Davos, Switzerland, has been a hotspot for attendees of the World Economic Summit since 1971. As the event with 2,500 participants from 100 countries winds down on Friday, the hotel’s staff can finally take a bit of a breath. But preparations at the hotel to host heads of state, leaders from global corporations and international show stars were 11 months in the making.
Thomas Kleber, general manager of the Steigenberger hotel in Davos and area general manager for Switzerland, said 48,000 chocolates were cooled alongside 8,100 bottles of fruit juice, 16,800 bottles of water, 1,042 bottles of champagne and 4,500 bottles of wine.
An existing team of 100 staff is joined by 200 colleagues from other hotels in the Deutsche Hospitality Group to make sure everything runs smoothly during a period when over 340 different events are coordinated at the hotel.
Tents and pavilions were erected to expand the capacities of the hotel on a temporary basis and create additional space, and the water was even removed from the swimming pool so that the spa could be turned into a conference room.