Hotel Olden in Gstaad

I was so excited to go back to Olden. The first time was last year and we had an amazing time with great food and service. We went twice within a week. This year we went with three other families and booked the place three times for the week. What a disappointment! We faced arrogance at all levels, felt like victims taken hostage by professionals who were well trained to be arrogant. We gave the order and the waiter never asked what we wanted as a first and what as a second, never asked about allergies, our wine came after the appetizer was served, we had to get up and get the bottle of water ourselves but the best was yet to come. The waiter assumed what would be served as a first and what would be a second and it just happened that half of the group finished eating and the other half never got anything. We raised the issue, we never got an understanding from the waiter and got the manager at our table, an hour and a half after had made the order. When we tried to explain we were told that the waiting staff is well trained, they know what they are doing and full stop. While I fully appreciate that the staff might be well trained, people make mistakes. It could have been also us that didn’t specify what we wanted as a first and what as a second but at the end of the day, there was a misunderstanding that caused us a very uncomfortable situation. Even recognizing the misunderstanding was difficult for the waiter and the manager.
While I appreciate Olden can see itself as a monopoly in Gstaad, thats not the way to treat clients because such treatment pushes clients away.
We canceled the two other reservations and I am not going back again because the feeling that the treatment left me was very sour.

We booked a table for 8 people last week and unfortunately had a very poor service experience.

Upon arrival, the head waiter strongly pushed a platter of fresh fish. We politely declined, saying we preferred to order something else. From that moment on, our table was largely ignored.

When the first course was served, only 4 out of 8 guests received food, while the rest were left waiting. When we raised the issue, the response was extremely arrogant, with an attitude that felt like we should simply accept whatever was decided for us.

We spoke to the person in charge, but instead of listening, we were told that we had requested things this way and that the staff was “well trained.” There was no effort to acknowledge the mistake or improve the situation.

The overall feeling was that we were not considered important enough guests or not spending the amount of money expected. One waiter later apologized privately and explained that decisions come from management and that he could do nothing about it.

This is particularly disappointing because the food is very good and the restaurant and hotel are beautiful. Unfortunately, the service attitude and management approach completely overshadow the quality of the food.

I usually avoid writing negative reviews, but I believe this feedback is important and hope the ownership takes it seriously.