Leysin

Leysin

Location: Switzerland (Canton of Vaud – Aigle Region)
Type of village: Hotels
Year of opening: 1956
Year of closing: 2002

A little history: Before telling you the story of the installation of Club Méditerranée in Leysin, I did not want to ignore the history of this Vaudois village perched at an altitude of 1200 meters which benefits from both a beautiful view of the Dents du Midi and an exceptional climate. You understand why Club Méditerranée was able to find in Leysin the ideal conditions to install 4 of its villages

It was in the mid-18th century, thanks to medicine and the emerging climatology, that Leysin, a mountain village difficult to access, began to prosper. Thomas Malthus, an English political economist, wrote a report indicating that people living in this village had a significantly longer lifespan than those living further down the valley. According to him, the climate was healthier. Until 1896, Leysin was difficult to access, and it was only from this period that the road and a small rack railway up from Aigle were opened.

In 1903, Dr. Roller came up with the idea of ​​using the sun to cure patients with bone tuberculosis (pulmonary tuberculosis, which was also treated later). He chose Leysin because of its mild climate and the length of annual sunshine to open spas and expose patients as much as possible to the sun and calm. The number of available beds increased from 120 beds at the Grand Hotel to more than 1,150 beds scattered throughout the clinics and 37 sanatoriums built over the years for the purpose. The discovery of antibiotics for the treatment of tuberculosis in the 1950s sounded the death knell for sanatoriums. Some were demolished, others converted into hotels for tourists. It was precisely at this time that the Club Méditerranée entered the scene.

1955 Jean Pierre BECRET discovers Leysin

The story begins at the beginning of 1955. A few GMs asked the Club to open snow villages. Jean Pierre Becret was commissioned by Gérard Blitz to prospect. He had no idea what to look for. The club only knew tents at that time and was only just beginning to set up huts in Corfu. Hotels without water in the rooms and military barracks did not interest him. Through a GM, he met at the last minute Mr. Tissot, whom he met in Lausanne with Robert Metraux, then representing the club at the Geneva office.
Mr. Tissot informed his two interlocutors that he had four hotels (three in the city and the last one isolated) that might be suitable. The buildings in question were former disused sanatoriums that no longer had any commercial value, he added.
Back in Paris, Jean Pierre BECRET, during a debriefing organized with Gérard BLITZ, shows the photos taken during his mission and says to the latter:

 "Look quickly because we won't take any of this. We'll take something from a tuberculosis station whose name I've forgotten."

To Gérard's question asking if the hotel is good, Jean Pierre's answer will be

"I don't know, I haven't visited it!!."

It was on this agreement made in Lausanne that Leysin entered the 1956 Trident.

For 46 years, Leysin and the Club shared a love story. In 2002, the story ended and the Club left Leysin. The elimination of loss-making areas and the move upmarket made this decision.

The 4 villages

Club Méditerranée has occupied up to four separate hotels. It all began with Les Chamois in 1956, the most remote of the club's hotels in Leysin. Over time, the Club moved to the majestic Mont Blanc, located opposite the Feydey train station, to the Chamossaire, renamed Charleston by the Club, and to the Belvédère.

The winter 1966/67 issue of the Trident featured the four villages. This would be the last issue to feature them all. The following year, the Hôtel des Chamois was no longer featured.

List of Club Méditerranée hotels in Leysin classified by year

Les Chamois 1956-1967 (first cdv Gérard Blitz)
Le Belvédère: 1957-2002 (first cdv Tony Hatot)
Le Mont Blanc: Winter 1963/64 to winter 1970/71 then under the name Charleston from winter 1971/72 to winter 1990/91
Le Charleston (ex Chamossaire): winter 1959/60 to winter 1970/71

Each hotel has an annex village which is used for overbooking GMs but also to accommodate GOs.
– La Tour Mayen for the Chamois.
– La Pyrole for the Belvédère (to be shared with the chamois). Its manager is Odette PHILIPPOFF (Dimitri's wife). La Pyrole was quickly abandoned due to its geographical position.
– Les Mélèzes for the Charleston. Les Mélèzes is used as the headquarters of the general administrator for all the villages. The first is Robert LANQUETIN.
– Les Cabris for Mont Blanc

Saturday, December 4, 1971:

During the afternoon, the Montreux casino was engulfed in flames. A violent fire was accidentally started by a spectator during a Frank Zappa concert. The fire completely destroyed the establishment despite the number of engines and firefighters deployed to control the blaze. It was also on this day that the Charleston went up in smoke. The fire broke out around 10 a.m. in one of the workshops near which some finishing work, particularly torch welding, was taking place. The 71/72 winter season had not yet begun, so the Charleston was empty of any occupants. Luckily!
The Mont Blanc would be renamed the Charleston.

Village Chiefs

Many of them succeeded one another in the four villages.
In 1956, Gérard Blitz opened Les Chamois. Tony Hatot opened Le Belvédère in 1957.

The Journey

The first departure was Saturday, December 22, 1956.
Special Club Méditerranée sleeper train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Aigle station (TGV from the 1990s!), then, depending on the year, coaches to the villages or the little cream and brown rack railway to Leysin Feidey station.

And today.

In place of the Charleston there is a hotel residence Le Central

Mont Blanc and Belvédère have become hotel schools of the SHMS group (Swiss Hotel Management School is the largest English-speaking hotel management school in Switzerland). A small funicular connects the two buildings.

The larches still exist. Today, it is a residence with apartments.

As for the Chamois, its fate is unfortunately not the same. Occupied by snow classes during the 70s and 80s, it then fell into abandonment and total oblivion.
Today, the interior of the hotel is completely degraded and devastated. Some museums are tagged showing that squatters occupied the place. A video made by Urbex (visitors of built and abandoned places) is chilling.

However, in 2014 there was a rehabilitation project to turn it into a luxury hotel complex, the Chamois, but today we have no news. Google Map images show that not much is happening, apart from an abandoned building.