The Matterhorn, Zermatt, kitsch scenery and chic society. But at the foot of the most photographed Swiss landmark lies the CERVO Mountain Resort, a refuge where those who don’t like gilded chandeliers and caviar-laden menus feel right at home. With his five-star boutique hotel and third restaurant, Bazaar, Daniel Lauber attracts the young crowd to Valais, who enjoy the view of the mountains on the sun terrace with DJ beats and cocktails.
FACES: How did you get into your profession?
Daniel Lauber: When I was five years old, a hotel manager once asked me what I wanted to be, my answer was a hotel manager and I would be your successor.
(laughs) It didn’t come to that, but the fascination with the industry was there early on.
F: How would you describe the newest restaurant at CERVO, the Bazaar, in one sentence?
Daniel Lauber: The Bazaar is the heart of the CERVO Mountain Resort; literally our marketplace with store, concierge desk and the Bazaar restaurant.
F: From the idea to the concept to the finished restaurant: How long did it take you to get there?
Daniel Lauber: CERVO’s new path with the Beyond Exploring concept has manifested itself in recent years, or rather, it has been a further development – the Bazaar in particular is an important essence of this.
F: Why should we definitely dine with you?
Daniel Lauber: Asian and oriental vegetarian cuisine, but still with ingredients mostly from within a radius of 150 kilometers, pampers the palate and the design pampers the eyes.
F: What do hosts need to think about that others don’t?
Daniel Lauber: Guest satisfaction is only possible if the team is satisfied. This goes hand in hand.
F: What are you worrying too much about?
Daniel Lauber: Don’t take everything too seriously without taking the importance of the details seriously.
F: What are you like as a boss?
Daniel Lauber: Cordial, but consistent.
F: What qualities does a good host need?
Daniel Lauber: Reconciling a flair for detail with the needs of the guests.
F: What do you like most about guests?
Daniel Lauber: The exchange with guests from all over the world is something wonderful. Having satisfied guests is always the top priority.
F: What do you dislike in guests?
Daniel Lauber: Actually very little. The guest has the right to be demanding. However, unfounded complaints about discounts are a particular “challenge”.
F: What are your standards for your restaurant, and how have your guests’ expectations changed in recent years?
Daniel Lauber: To offer healthy cuisine with local ingredients, but without being old-fashioned. Guests also want this: sustainable, local and increasingly vegetarian and vegan.
F: As a host, you will experience an exciting everyday life. What story do you have to tell us?
Daniel Lauber: In 2004, I completed an internship in Vail, Colorado. As F&B Supervisor, I was responsible for breakfast, among other things. A few days before the arrival of a regular guest, I was warned that this guest was somewhat complicated and demanding. Well, when she came to breakfast on the first day, I asked her which table she would like for the next few days. She said one with a view of the Matterhorn (my name tag also had my origin on it: Zermatt, Switzerland) – we both smiled. The next morning I placed them at the table, on which I placed a beautiful framed picture of the Matterhorn. She now had her view of the mountain and was “very amused”.
F: What do you think of take-away?
Daniel Lauber: A means to an end in times like these. But nothing beats a nice evening in a restaurant.
F: What are your views on Airbnb?
Daniel Lauber: If the bar is set as high as for hotels in terms of requirements and legislation, then absolutely fine.
F: What do you look out for when you dine out yourself?
Daniel Lauber: Holistic concepts are very important to me. It also has to be tasty and informal.
F: What is the best restaurant in the world that you yourself have eaten at?
Daniel Lauber: That was what felt like a ten-course meal at Daniel Humm’s in Eleven Madison Park. And that one day before the New York Marathon: I still just made it!
F: Which restaurant would you like to own yourself?
DL: The three in the CERVO are perfectly adequate.
F: What do you cook for yourself?
DL: I’m a cheese junkie: raclette, fondue or anything that has to do with cheese.
F: What is your favorite finished product?
DL: The bread from “La cave à levain” from Sion in the canton of Valais.
F: Where is your own bed?
DL: My Hästens bed is in the middle of the village of Zermatt, in the house where I grew up.
This is what Daniel Lauber says about…
Avocado: overrated.
Toast Hawaii: as unnecessary as Hawaiian shirts.
Molecular cuisine: used to be cool.
Spray cream: can be fun at a party.
Pre-sliced bread: Only for people with a dry sense of humor.
Flavoring: If, then Maggi on bread (childhood memory). But let’s keep our hands off both.
Tofu: something delicious in sukiyaki.
Nose to tail: If meat, then this is the only way to do it.
Vegan sausage: If it’s about the sausage, why not?
Nutella: Supernatural is our answer.
Thermomix: I don’t need it.
Microwave: still practical.
Chia: Balanced cuisine makes more sense than superfoods.
CERVO Mountain Resort and Restaurant Bazaar
Everything that adorns the walls of the CERVO Mountain Resort is down to the chef. Well, the deer are a matter of taste, but what Daniel F. Lauber has created here in his home town of Zermatt will delight travelers from all over the world who have no desire for the chic that prevails in the mountains. Rooms and suites spread over six chalets await guests, as well as three restaurants – the Bazaar, the Madre Nostra and the Ferdinand – and various bars, as well as the popular sun terrace where guests can relax and party.
CERVO Mountain Resort, Riedweg 156, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland; double rooms available in summer from approx. 320 and in winter from approx. 460, further information can be found at cervo.swiss
Daniel F. Lauber
Daniel F. Lauber learned his trade from the ground up. With his diploma from hotel management school in his pocket, he is drawn out into the world, where he fills his rucksack with all the knowledge he needs to open his own hotel. In 2009, he and his wife opened the CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt and showed the long-established star hunters left and right that luxury can also be cool.
