Montreux Jazz Cafe

Bringing jazz sounds to Geneva and Sydney

The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most esteemed in Europe. All the excitement and glamour of this famous music event has been recreated in the Montreux Jazz Café by SSP in partnership with Claude Nobs, founder of the renowned festival. Travellers who visit the Montreux Jazz Café can expect to find a relaxed dining experience which appeals to a wide cross section of people. The café serves a menu described as high quality casual dining, incorporating signature dishes inspired by Nobs’ favourite artists and their best known work.

The first Café opened at Geneva airport in 2008, and quickly established a reputation as not only a great restaurant, but also a must-visit venue for music fans. During the festival, travellers visiting the café are able to watch concerts just a few hours after they have taken place at the Stravinski Auditorium or the Miles Davis Hall. The café also hosts a number of live music events, and it now has a reputation as a venue where artists can be discovered, prompting many would-be stars to call SSP’s Geneva team to ask if they can perform there. There are often Salsa events on Friday and Saturday nights, online and e-mail marketing keeps regulars up to date with what’s going on.

In May 2010, the concept crossed from Europe to the Antipodes with the opening of the first Australian Jazz Café. The restaurant at Sydney Airport follows the same winning formula as the original outlet in Geneva, but offers a more casual menu specially developed to appeal to the Australian traveller.

The café will also be making another appearance in Switzerland in 2011, when it will be one of the brands that will feature at the newly refurbished Pier B of Zurich Airport. With 40 seats, it will be smaller than its Geneva counterpart, but entertainment will once again be a key feature of the outlet - Zurich airport were looking for something that would entertain passengers at the new facility, and this was a major factor that led to the choice of the Jazz Café.

The brand’s chic looks were also a deciding issue when it came to including it within the new scheme. The architects leading the development project were enthusiastic advocates of the concept and thought its stream-lined, modern style would be the perfect complement to the design of the new facility.