Hôtel de la Paix

Hôtel de la Paix is a 4-star hotel at 5 Avenue Benjamin-Constant in the center of Lausanne, facing Lake Léman. Its receptions page presents the hotel for weddings, christenings, birthdays and galas, with lunches and dinners served in salons that the hotel says can take up to 500 people and open onto a terrace above the lake. For a couple from abroad, it combines a large reception space, a chef-led kitchen and rooms for guests in a city-center building.

The reception spaces

The key sentence on the page is this: "Nos vastes salons peuvent accueillir jusqu'à 500 personnes et ouvrent sur une terrasse dominant le lac. Nous les adaptons en fonction de vos besoins et répondons à chacune de vos envies." In English: our large salons can hold up to 500 people and open onto a terrace overlooking the lake; we adapt them to your needs and respond to each of your wishes.

That makes Hôtel de la Paix one of the few central Lausanne venues with room for a very large wedding, while the same salons can be set up for a smaller party. The receptions page does not break the 500 down by room. The hotel's navigation, however, includes a floor plan of the salons ("Plan des salons") in its seminar section, and the receptions section has separate pages for cocktails and for what it calls an exceptional evening ("Soirée Exception"). Couples should ask for the floor plan and for the capacity of each salon for a seated dinner with dancing.

The page does not mention a ceremony at the hotel. It is written around receptions, lunches and dinners, so couples should plan the civil ceremony elsewhere and ask whether a secular ceremony could be held on the terrace or in a salon.

Food from the hotel's kitchen

The page names the chef: "Notre Chef Valentin Roche et sa brigade s'entretiennent avec vous pour choisir le menu qui satisfera vos convives." Chef Valentin Roche and his team meet the couple to choose the menu, and the page describes him as the chef of the hotel's regional restaurant, with a passion for fresh, seasonal produce. The hotel's restaurants are Le Coup de Soleil Restaurant, Le Coup de Soleil Bistro & Lounge, La Paix Blue Bistro/Bar and La Terrasse de La Paix Restaurant/Lounge.

The hotel also runs a catering service, La Paix Traiteur, which the page describes as offering creative, seasonal cooking prepared by the chef of Le Coup de Soleil and his team, with a professional team that accompanies clients at every step of organizing their event. No menus, prices or packages are published on the receptions page.

Rooms for guests

The hotel's rooms are in its historic building, which the rooms page describes as an establishment from the early 20th century, with period details in a classic, timeless style. There are 3 room categories, Standard, Superior and Deluxe, available as single, double or triple rooms, and the page gives 17 m2 as the room size. The page says: "Certaines de nos chambres disposent d'un balcon ou d'une terrasse et offrent une vue panoramique sur le lac Léman, les Alpes et la France voisine" (some of our rooms have a balcony or terrace with a panoramic view over Lake Léman, the Alps and neighboring France). The FAQ adds single rooms, double rooms facing the city or the inner courtyard, lake-view doubles, triple rooms, family rooms for up to 5 people, and suites.

The suites are 30 m2, with a bedroom and a sitting room, some with a balcony or terrace facing the lake and the Alps, and some with a period stove. For a wedding couple, a lake-view suite is the obvious choice for the night.

Practical details from the FAQ: check-in from 15:00, check-out until 11:00, with early check-in or late check-out possible depending on availability and a possible surcharge after 11:00. The reception is open 24 hours a day. Room service runs from 7:00 to 22:30 according to the rooms FAQ, and the suites page lists it from 06:30. Rooms have air conditioning, soundproofing, international sockets, a kettle with tea and instant coffee, a minibar charged on use and free WiFi. Accessible rooms, baby cots and extra beds are available on request.

Location and getting around

The hotel's own pages describe the location. The Opéra de Lausanne is directly opposite. Rue de Bourg, Lausanne's main shopping street, is a few meters away, and the Flon district, with its restaurants, bars and nightlife, a few minutes away. The page on shopping adds that trams, metros and buses are easy to reach from the hotel. The hotel's page of cultural activities says Geneva is about sixty kilometers from Lausanne, and names Montreux, the Rochers-de-Naye and the Château de Chillon as nearby excursions.

For guests with a free day, the same pages point to the Olympic Museum near the port of Ouchy, the Opéra and the Béjart Ballet, the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne, the cathedral, the Place de la Palud and several museums. The hotel also has a gym center.

The receptions page does not describe parking or airport transfers. The hotel's navigation has an access page (Accès) for directions.

Contact and language

The contact details on every page are +41 21 310 71 71 and info@hoteldelapaix.net, and each page has an "Organisez votre évènement" link for event requests. The site offers French and English versions. It does not say in which languages the events team works, so couples should write in English and confirm.

What the page does not settle

The receptions page publishes no prices, no minimum spend, no package, no deposit or cancellation terms, and no end time for a wedding party. It does not say whether the terrace can be reserved exclusively, how many guests it holds on its own, or what happens to an outdoor aperitif in bad weather. It does not say whether outside suppliers, a band or a DJ are welcome. These all belong in the first request, together with the guest count and the number of rooms needed.

Who it suits

Hôtel de la Paix suits couples who want a wedding reception in the center of Lausanne with a lake view, a large capacity if needed, a chef who plans the menu with them, and rooms for guests in the same building. Guests arriving by public transport and wanting the city's restaurants and nightlife close by will find the location practical. The caveats are the lack of published prices and room capacities, and the need to arrange the ceremony elsewhere.