On Location: <i>The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo</i> and Other Oscar Nominees

by  Darren Frei | Feb 24, 2012
Dolder Grand Hotel, Zurich
Dolder Grand Hotel, Zurich / Photo courtesy of the property

Envelope, please. And the winner for “Best Zurich Hotel” goes to . . . The Dolder Grand. Perched on a hilltop with scene-stealing views Lake Zurich and the city below, this five-star grand dame, dating from 1899, reopened in 2008 after a major expansion by Sir Norman Foster married the historic main building with two curvaceous contemporary wings.

Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to stay in the hotel's Spa Wing, home of SpaFinder’s “Best Spa in Switzerland” and the Masina Suite (pictured), where Rooney Mara filmed one of the final scenes for her Oscar-nominated role in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (click here for more locations from Oscar-nominated films). Inspired by Giulietta Masina, actress and wife of Federico Fellini, the 1,790-square-foot Masina Suite has two separate bedrooms, a sauna and steam shower, a billiard table, a Fendi sofa, and screens that play Fellini movies in a continuous loop (with the competing soundtracks turned off, thankfully).

The 173-room hotel (which has its own funicular that descends into the city, one of my favorite perks) has been capitalizing on the success of the film with a package that includes two nights in the Masina Suite, breakfast, a three-course dinner, tickets to the film, limo transfer, and a copy of the book by Stieg Larsson on which the film is based – all for a cool CHF 9,910 (about $11,000). If you can’t plunk down that kind of cash for a last-minute jaunt to Zurich, take advantage of their Anniversary Special, which includes a room upgrade, signature drink, and spa voucher for CHF 590 (about $660). The Dolder Grand also welcomes day visitors, who typically come for brunch at the Garden Restaurant or to view the hotel’s impressive art collection.

See more “set-jetting” destinations in our new Top 10 Oscar Film Locations piece, a transporting compilation of the settings from this year’s best picture nominees. And don’t miss the 84th Academy Awards broadcast on Sunday!

For more trip-planning information, visit our Zurich and Switzerland destination guides.

Up next...

$104+: Anniversary Package at 4-Star San Diego Waterfront Hotel

Sheraton San Diego
Find The Best Cruises
Find a cruise

Find the best deals!

Click on multiple sites to get the lowest prices

Click on multiple sites to get the lowest prices