Courtesy Victoria-Jungfrau

When you're 142 years old, it's hard to think outside the box. But that's just what this consummate example of the Swiss grand hotel accomplished when it redid its spa four years ago. It thought young. Metal-and-glass towers, illuminated from within, dominate the reception area, an eye-catching way of hiding the administrative offices. Inside the spa, the finishes — polished black granite, glass tile, rope-textured wall coverings — are understated but opulent. (Left, a treatment suite.) The guest rooms, one floor above the spa, are an even more radical departure from the hotel's swagged elegance. They're loftlike, with hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, streamlined furniture, spacious dressing areas, and beds with perfectly placed reading lights. A couple of days in these rooms and in the spa and the clean lines, easy functionality, and palpable sense of space start to mirror your state of mind. — G.W.

+41-33-828-2828, Victoria-Jungfrau