It was a truly difficult and the time very challenging task to convert the Winemakers house to a public hotel and therefore we have a lot of respect to Elise Masson. She continuously created and ameliorated her little pension, also for example after the visit of the famous French historian Jules Michelet. She was all the time adapting to the needs of the changing clientele, the Russian aristocrats, the long term staying English and the German and made their stay remarkable.
Looking at the wrought-iron balcony from the year 1875 and seeing how the beauty of the wisteria has made its traces over the decades in the iron, you feel the time of the nostalgia from the times of Elise Masson, the first hotel owner. After she has hired a waiter from Bern for the well-equipped wine cellar, at the age of 54 she decided to marry him after two seasons in July 1873.
Out of the heritage from Monsieur Rolli Jean Baptiste Genelin finally bought all 24 parts from all the part owners. Unfortunately it was at that time, when the catastrophe of the First World War was taking its course. Nevertheless he was bravely continuing to run the hotel for twelve more years - as Monsieur Rolli, 25 years the husband of Madame Elise Masson, on one November day in 1906 just disappeared.
In the tradition of the hotel Masson there is also a little mysterious episode with an owner named Martha Spalinger, who only led the hotel for five years. She acquired the hotel 1925 from Monsieur Jean Baptiste Genelin, of who is only known that he is the last ancestor from Monsieur Charles Albert Rolli, the husband of Elise Masson, or maybe another nephew from Elise…
When René and Jeanne Jaquier bought the hotel in 1947, the former owner Charles Baer made a souvenir picture of little Anne-Marie in front of the great, old wisteria. Also he was not able to modernize the hotel due to the lack of money. After the purchase in 1930, he made it over the crisis and the second world war and it is thanks to him that the hotel kept her ancient character.
In the year of 1985, Anne-Marie and Philippe Sèvegrand took over the hotel from the parents of Anne-Marie, René and Jeanne Jaquier. The young couple met in the hotel school of Lausanne. Out of the marriage came two girls….and three Lhassa-Apso Competition dogs!
1999 the hotel Masson was rewarded with the special distinction for «the remarkable conservation of the original building substance».
2016 the hotel was taken over by the family Laves. Simona and Frank were hotel enthusiast already from their childhood. After many years of international hotel experiences they have found this little paradise and want to share it with their guests. Since 2005 the hotel Masson is member of the Swiss historic Hotels.