Since last December, the Grand Hotel Park Gstaad, located in the Swiss Alps, has operated a cigar lounge in a class of its own. Even at full occupancy, there are no billows of smoke in this private lounge, elegantly outfitted in the style of a British gentlemen’s club.
This technology was developed by a Geneva based company, Airkel, and patented by renowned cigar retailer Vahé Gérard in 2010. Unlike conventional ventilation systems, it features a vertical air exchange, generated through small perforations in the floor and on the ceiling. The uniform airflow transports smoke up to the ceiling and supplies the room with fresh air through holes in the floor. Without creating a draft or breeze, the room’s entire air supply is completely refreshed every two minutes.
After the Hotel Starling and the Bongénie-Lounge, both in Geneva, the Grand Park Hotel is now third to offer this innovative, though not exactly inexpensive, technology. With this design, it’s clear that the hotel’s main priority is a commitment to comfort and conviviality for its smoking guests. Cigar smokers and non-smokers alike are invited to savor the club-like atmosphere from the plush Chesterfield sofas – without needing to compromise.
Information:
Grand Hotel Park Gstaad
www.grandhotelpark.chAirkel Switzerland
G-P-F Concept-Management SA
www.airkel.comStarling Hotel Geneva
www.shgeneva.comBG Lounge – Geneva
www.stores.bongenie-grieder.ch
This article was published in the Cigar Journal Spring Edition 2014. Read more