120 years of hospitality in the heart of Lugano
L’Hotel International au Lac celebrated its 120th anniversary together with the 100 years of the Association of graduates of the EHL Hospitality Business School (Alumni Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne). Two stories that meet under the sign of the same culture of hospitality.
This anniversary tells much more than the longevity of a building: it tells of 120 years of hospitality and, at the same time, an important part of the tourism development of the city of Lugano.
120 years of Hotel International au Lac · Essential chronology:
1906
Inauguration of Hotel International au Lac, founded by Anton Disler.
1929
Management passes to the second generation: Alice Disler and her husband Otto Schmid.
1957
Giulio Schmid takes over the management, representing the third generation and in 1969 marries Beatrice Mollinet.
1958–1980
Progressive installation of private bathrooms in all rooms.
1990–1994
Construction of the underground garage and the garden swimming pool.
1994
Alessandra Schmid joins the company and introduces IT at reception.
1999–2009
Progressive installation of air conditioning throughout the hotel.
2004
Roberto Schmid joins his parents Giulio and Beatrice in management, in 2010 he marries his wife Nok.
2006
Centenary celebrations and inauguration of the hotel museum.
2007
Special recognition ICOMOS for the conservation and enhancement of the historical heritage.
2012–2024
Complete refurbishment of the rooms on four floors, carried out in three stages.
2017
Modernisation of the heating plant, with a reduction in CO₂ emissions of 47,5%.
2020
Conservative restoration of the façade and restoration of the original colours.
2023
La Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) places the International au Lac among the best historic hotels in Switzerland in its NZZ-Hotel Rating
2024
Alessandra and Roberto Schmid receive the Swiss Welcome Trophy awarded by the magazine Gastronomie & Tourisme for the quality of hospitality and sustainable management.
2026
New heat recovery system for the refrigeration units for the production of domestic hot water.
The speech by Roberto Schmid, 4th generation owner and director
Delivered on 13 October 2026 on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the Hotel and the centenary of the Alumni of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne.
«The story of a hotel is not measured only by the years that have passed, but by the ability of each generation to preserve what it has received, renew it and pass it on to those who will come after. It is in this spirit that we celebrate our 120 years, looking to the future with enthusiasm.»
Roberto Schmid
120 years of hospitality thus meet 100 years of hotel culture
It was 31 March 1906 when the International au Lac opened its doors.
It was founded by the Lucerne hotelier Anton Disler, in a Lugano that was discovering its tourist vocation thanks also to the new transport routes across the Alps.
His project was surprisingly modern: to create a comfortable, elegant hotel, but without excess, capable of placing the guest's well-being at the centre.
Since then the City, travel habits and guests' expectations have changed and the hotel has developed with them, without however losing its identity.
From the founders Anton and Alice Disler-Helfenstein, management passed to their daughter Alice, married to Otto Schmid, then to the third generation Giulio and Beatrice Schmid and today to Alessandra and Roberto Schmid, the family's fourth generation.
Sergio and Aurelia are looking to the future, the fifth generation: two young people with their own paths and aspirations, who one day may choose whether to add new pages to a story that began 120 years ago.
120 years of continuous evolution, without losing identity
Four generations have successively led the International au Lac, safeguarding its identity and guiding it through time.
Because family continuity has never meant standing still, but rather the ability to evolve, anticipate guests’ needs and look to the future with enthusiasm and an innovative spirit.
In 120 years the hotel has gone from jugs and porcelain washbasins to private bathrooms in every room, undergoing profound changes without losing the character that makes it unique.
Generation after generation, the family has continued to invest in the property: from the underground garage to the building’s air conditioning, from the refurbishment of the rooms to the restoration of the historic façade and the distinctive dome, through to the most recent solutions dedicated to energy efficiency and sustainability.
In the last twelve years alone, around 8 million francs have been invested in modernisation work and improvements to the rooms and technical systems.
The refurbishment of the heating plant has made it possible to reduce CO₂ emissions by 47.5% and, in 2026, a new system came into operation that recovers the heat produced by the air conditioning systems, reusing it for the production of domestic hot water.
Each generation has been able to safeguard a precious legacy while at the same time following the course of time with the courage to write new pages, ensuring the difficult but essential balance between tradition and innovation.
A great responsibility that goes beyond business, a privilege and at the same time a daily challenge.
This philosophy has also been recognised externally: in 2007 the hotel received a special ICOMOS recognition for the preservation and enhancement of its historical archive and for the continuity of the family business philosophy; in 2023 the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) included it among the best historic hotels in Switzerland.
A story that also tells of Lugano
The story of the International au Lac is inevitably intertwined with that of the City that hosts it: the Belle Époque and the development of tourism, the lakeside promenade, Via Nassa and Piazza Luini, right up to the birth of the LAC: since 1906 the hotel has watched Lugano transform from the very same privileged position.
To mark the 120th anniversary, Roberto Schmid gathered over a decade of research from the family historical archive into a book of around one hundred pages.
Not a simple commemorative volume, but a story made up of documents, photographs, projects, people and curiosities that reconstruct the evolution of the hotel together with that of the city and tourism.
A copy of the book is now available in every room, while the museum on the first floor, the historical panels along the staircase and an extensive digital trail complete the project, turning the memory of the International au Lac into a heritage accessible to guests as well.
Two anniversaries, one shared culture of hospitality
Founded in 1893, the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) was the first Swiss hotel school and its EHL alumni network, established in 1926, is celebrating a century of activity this year and today brings together around 35,000 alumni across 150 countries and five continents, with 70 regional groups. The decision to share the anniversary with the AEHL also takes on particular significance for the history of the Schmid family, as the link with EHL (Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne) spans several generations of the family.
Giulio Schmid attended the school from 1954 to 1956, before gaining professional experience in London and St. Moritz and returning to Lugano in 1957 to assist his mother Alice in running the hotel. The same educational path was chosen by the next generation: Alessandra Schmid graduated from EHL in 1991, while in 2000 Roberto Schmid obtained a Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management there.
The joint celebration of the 120th anniversary of the International au Lac and the 100th anniversary of the EHL Alumni Association therefore goes beyond the coincidence of two important anniversaries. It tells of a bond with hotel culture and training that has accompanied the Schmid family for over seventy years and that finds in hospitality a heritage of knowledge, experience and values to be passed on through time. “The history of a hotel is measured not only in the years gone by, but in each generation’s ability to safeguard what it has received, renew it and pass it on to those who come after. It is in this spirit that we celebrate our 120 years, looking to the future with enthusiasm”, says Roberto Schmid, co-owner and director of the Hotel International au Lac.
Great-grandfather Anton Disler's hotel concept
"The hotel should be comfortable, without excessive luxury, in light colours.."
Offer and project by arch. Giuseppe Pagani
The architect and entrepreneur in tourism development and the birth of the hotel in record time
Origin of the name "International au Lac"
How accessibility and location influence hotel names
All Roads lead to Ticino
There are many ways to discover amazing scenic routes, from glaciers to palm trees
Five generations at a glance
From great-great-grandfather Anton Disler (1880–1935) to the youngest Aurelia (5th generation)
The Bel-Etage: the social heart of the hotel since 1906
The noble hall: an atmosphere of times gone by
Underground garage in the heart of the historic centre
Courage and foresight: the birth of the hotel's underground garage
Ten years of commitment to air-conditioning 100 venues
Modern comfort, hidden within the walls
The Return of the Belle Époque to Room No. 221
One room, two eras: from the founders to today's guests
A new generation thermal system is born
47.5% reduction in CO₂ emissions thanks to the latest technology
Triptych of room renovations
Investing in the future, preserving the past and building the new, safeguarding history
Words from our guests
Based on hundreds of reviews from travellers around the world, we assure you that choosing to stay with us was the right decision.
The Hotel International au Lac Today and Tomorrow
A combination of unique services in an unbeatable location - the fifth generation and pages yet to be written
120 years of hospitality in the heart of Lugano
L’Hotel International au Lac celebrated its 120th anniversary together with the 100 years of the Association of graduates of the EHL Hospitality Business School (Alumni Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne). Two…