Lehmann buys a spinning mill

Opening a hotel that first needs costly refurbishment and is located in Glattfelden, half an hour outside Zurich? What does common sense tell you? No. Actually. Welcome to the world of Hans-Ulrich Lehmann.

It seems as though Hans-Ulrich Lehmann’s career is the embodiment of the saying: ‘Everyone said it couldn’t be done. Then along came someone who didn’t know that, and did it.’

Like many others, Lehmann completed his commercial apprenticeship and then entered the world of work in a rather unremarkable way. A few years later, a sum in the tens of millions stood between his desire to become an entrepreneur and the opportunity to take over a mobile phone importer. Lehmann took the plunge and, heavily in debt, took the helm of the company that would later become Mobilezone. A brand that now employs around 900 people.

So what does this have to do with this hotel? More than you might think. The Riverside symbolises all the other stages in Hans-Ulrich Lehmann’s life: you have to take a risk; only then does the impossible become possible.

When Lehmann bought the old spinning mill in Glattfelden in 2006, those around him strongly advised against it. “You’ll fall flat on your face,” were the words. No one believed that a successful seminar and event hotel could be created here.

Just as Lehmann, as a young entrepreneur, took great risks and reaped great rewards back then, the Riverside has enjoyed one success after another since it opened. Its distance from the city is a non-issue – because anyone who has been here once would be willing to travel far longer than 25 minutes to come back.

There are many reasons for this. On the one hand, the Riverside is popular for seminars precisely because it is not the typical business venue where the atmosphere is so formal that you hardly dare to whisper. Of course, the seminar rooms are state-of-the-art and offer the ideal setting for business events of all kinds. However, once the work is done, the Riverside spoils its guests with its very own art of enjoying life. Do you like exclusive cars? Round off the day in the in-house car showroom. Ferrari Enzo? Present. Would you like to apply the tried-and-tested combination of sport and business? Simply make use of one of the ten modern bowling lanes. But please let your clients win the game. It helps immensely.

If your business is so successful that, in a fit of euphoria, you propose to your partner, Riverside is the place for that too: the Kämmereisaal defies description – you simply have to see it for yourself. Perfect for any wedding. Once the aperitif has had the desired effect and the first few party games have been played, you can count on three things: The in-house restaurant ‘Kesselhaus’ with its outstanding Swiss cuisine, the ‘Thaigarden’ for lovers of Asian culture, and the first-class, personalised service of the Riverside team. Three sure-fire assets that naturally apply just as much to christenings, anniversaries and birthday celebrations. Afterwards, 96 uniquely furnished rooms and suites await you and your guests.

So, so much for ‘falling flat on your face’: plenty of things have fallen here. The champagne cork, for example. Or the best man under the table around midnight. And the curtain after successful events. But not the owner, whom you sometimes see standing in a corner with a smile, contentedly watching the colourful hustle and bustle of happy hotel guests.