About us
GLANDON Rooms Elite Self-Check-in-Hotel, formerly known as Art Déco Hotel Elite, is a house with a great tradition, considered a landmark of Biel’s bourgeoisie.
This is not least due to its «red neighbourhood», because diagonally opposite, on the other side of Guisanplatz, stands another Biel landmark, the Volkshaus, a socialist monument, appropriately all in red.
New Building style & Art Déco
The Elite was built between 1929 and 1931 in the area of the demolished old railway station.
The architect in charge was Karl Frey, who was committed to «new building». In keeping with the times, the hotel was decorated in the best Art Deco style. The Volkshaus was completed a year later. Together, the two buildings have dominated the cityscape around General-Guisan-Platz ever since.
Building alterations
The listed building was subject to extensive building alterations in the years 1942 and 1945.
It enjoyed its heyday in the golden 1970s and 1980s, before the great watchmaking crisis. At the turn of the millennium, the hotel was completely renovated at a cost of around 20 million Swiss francs.
The Elite today
GLANDON Rooms Elite Self-Check-in-Hotel combines history with contemporary comfort.
After being acquired by Poli Immobilien AG in 2014, the property was reimagined and consistently developed. Today, the Elite stands for stylish rooms, smart processes and urban simplicity. As part of the GLANZMANN.Group from Meggen, it ideally complements the GLANDON Apartments offering for longer stays.
Restaurants, fitness, rooftop bar? Everything is there – yet deliberately operated independently: “L’Osteria” on the ground floor, the fitness and wellness center on the first floor, and the rooftop restaurant “Repas” with views over Biel. These facilities are independently operated and not managed by the hotel itself, yet they ideally complement the overall offering.
In 2026, significant investments were made: high-quality beds from the Swiss manufacturer Möbel Tanner, warm wooden floors, new furniture and modern self check-in solutions for maximum flexibility – without waiting at the reception desk.
In short: arrive, check in, feel at home.
