Comment renouveler l’hôtellerie au sortir de la guerre ? Une enquête de la Société suisse de crédit hôtelier (1943-1952)

Abstract

The Swiss hotel industry in the first half of the 20th century was affected by two significant changes. On the one hand, the ageing of its infrastructures in a context of closure after the First World War led to a reflection on the renovation of its facilities. On the other hand, the evolution of practices towards a massification of tourism - particularly indigenous tourism - perceptible from the 1930s onwards made it necessary to rethink a model which had until then been built on a model of excellence intended for a fortunate foreign customer. The establishment of political support organisations, such as the Swiss National Tourist Office (SNTO) and the Swiss Hotel Credit Corporation (SHCC), played an essential role in regulating the Swiss hotel industry from 1921 onwards, firstly through protective measures aimed at stimulating the sector and limiting the arrival of new competitors on the domestic market, and secondly through the reorganisation of hotel companies that were in difficulty but nevertheless viable. The persistence of an unstable economic situation led, in the midst of the Second World War, to a more in-depth reflection on the meaning of the actions undertaken and aimed at maintaining a dynamic hotel sector with regard to new practices and the democratisation of leisure time and spaces.

Keywords

• Swiss hotel industry
• organised actors
• economic support
• democratisation of tourism practices