Our pool and Poolside restaurant are currently closed. We look forward to seeing you next season from mid-May.

History & Awards

An award-winning hotel

An award-winning hotel with 60 years of history, InterContinental Genève has built a reputation as the most international hotel in Geneva. The hotel’s legendary discretion has attracted eminent artists and influential leaders from across the globe. Dalida, Sophia Loren, Alain Prost, Omar Sharif, Tina Turner and Ray Charles are among many guests who have stayed here in full confidence that their privacy would be protected.

Located near many international organisations and multinationals, InterContinental Genève has played its own part in history as the host of numerous events of global importance. The hotel’s ample meeting facilities along with its renowned security and service have made it the ideal venue for events such as the OPEC conferences, the Lebanese Reconciliation Conference in 1983, the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit of 1985, the final discussions between Tariq Aziz and James Baker before the first Gulf War in 1991, and meetings between Syrian President Assad and US Presidents Carter and Clinton.

In 2013, the completion of a ten-year renovation by acclaimed designer Tony Chi marked the beginning of a new era in the history of InterContinental Genève. Today, we continue our legacy of making history in modernity and elegance — one guest at a time.

History and Heritage at InterContinental Genève

Famous personalities, global dignitaries and ground-breaking peace conferences are all part of InterContinental Genève’s history and heritage. As from today, more than 260 heads of state and 3,000 ministers and ambassadors stayed at the hotel. Here are just a few highlights from the hotel’s history:

1964

InterContinental Genève is inaugurated on 30 January.

1967

Dr Martin Luther King Jr gives a speech at the Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) conference held at InterContinental Genève. Representatives and world thinkers from around 70 countries participate in discussions on Vietnam.

1968

Seeking discretion and tranquillity, husband and wife Carlo Ponti and Sophia Loren arrive at InterContinental Genève. Newly pregnant, the world-famous Italian actress stays in one of the hotel’s fully equipped suites for seven months and gives birth to her son in Geneva.

1973

Soviet Union Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger meet for negotiations during the Middle East Peace Conference. The two foreign policy leaders would continue to meet at InterContinental Genève over the next five years.

1977

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and US President Jimmy Carter meet at InterContinental Genève to begin a series of peace talks on the Middle East.

1981

Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi stays at InterContinental Genève and gives a keynote address to the annual World Health Organization assembly.

1985

Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev ­­and US President Ronald Reagan hold talks on international diplomacy and the nuclear arms race during the Geneva Summit at InterContinental Genève.

1988

The Dalai Lama stays at InterContinental Genève and meets with statesman and activist Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan.

1990

US President George H. W. Bush meets with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad at InterContinental Genève to hold peace talks. It is the first meeting between presidents of the two countries since the 1977 Assad-Carter meeting

1990

Nelson Mandela, then Vice-President of the African National Congress, and his wife Winnie Mandela stay at InterContintal Genève. At the 77th International Labour Conference, Nelson Mandela delivers his first address to a United Nations audience.

1994

Diana, Princess of Wales, stays at InterContinental Genève and participates in meetings with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

1999

US President Bill Clinton stays at InterContinental Genève and is the first US president to deliver an address to the International Labour Conference. Clinton visits the hotel numerous times during his presidency, including for peace talks with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.

2013

New York designer Tony Chi, member of the Interior Design Hall of Fame, completes a ten-year renovation of InterContinental Genève. The finishing touch includes the exhibition of masterpieces by international artists throughout the hotel.

2014

InterContinental Genève celebrates its 50th anniversary. The hotel marks this milestone with a special edition of its traditional Epiphany feast in January.

2020

Meeting of Mr Tedros Adhanom, 8th Director-General of the World Health Organization, and Mr Jürgen Kreipl, General Manager of InterContinental Genève

2021

Meeting of Hon. Dan Tehan, former Minister for trade, tourism, and investment of Australia & Mr Jürgen Kreipl, General Manager of InterContinental Genève

Meeting of the president of the United States Mr Joe Biden & Mr Jürgen Kreipl, General Manager of InterContinental Genève during the US-Russia Summit.

Meeting of Mr Gianni Infantino, President of Fifa, and Mr Daniel Arbenz, General Manager of InterContinental Genève (interim)

Meeting of Mrs Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General UN, and Mr Daniel Arbenz, General Manager of InterContinental Genève (interim)

M. Antony Blinken United States Secretary of State with M. Hans Heijligers (General Manager of InterContinental Genève), Mrs Anne-Marie Aucouturier (Director of Sales & Marketing) and Mrs Céline Mouny (Sales Manager Conference & Events)

Awards

World Travel Awards: Switzerland’s Leading Hotel Suite

2018-2019-2020-2021

World Travel Awards: Switzerland’s Leading Conference Hotel

2018-2019-2020

World Travel Awards: Switzerland’s Leading Business Hotel

2018-2019-2020

World MICE Awards 2020-2021