HUUS QUELL

From the roof of HUUS QUELL the view runs over the hills around Gonten.

A week here, month by month

I come to HUUS QUELL for the spa: 2,200 m², with 9 pools and 8 saunas and steam grottos. Underground, though, it is swimwear-free and open only to guests aged 16 and over: the swimwear areas are on the roof and outdoors.

The hotel website

Is it for you?

For 2, I’d sit at the Botanicum Bar counter, where classic cocktails are remade with local herbs and fruits.

I’d ask for
An After Church from the alcohol-free list, with Biberli, the Appenzell gingerbread, vermouth and bubbles.
Worth knowing
There are no reservations: the bar is open from noon to midnight, and signature drinks are served from 2pm to 10.30pm.
The stone counter of the Botanicum Bar under the sculpted ceiling

Like a regular

The timber façade of HUUS QUELL, with carved panels and 2 gabled roofs

9 min readHow we write the guide

  1. Fondue at the Winter Chalet

    From 4 November 2026 the Winter Chalet opens a short walk from Appenzeller Huus: fondue and raclette from Wednesday to Saturday, 6pm to 9.30pm, with kitchen orders until 8.30pm.

  2. Where to leave the car

    By car, the outdoor parking near the station is free for guests while spaces last; the underground garage costs CHF 30 per car per night, and a space is guaranteed only if agreed with the hotel.

  3. Midweek nights

    For nights from Sunday to Thursday, the Midweek rate takes 20% off room and breakfast and, from 3 nights, adds the Appenzell holiday card; it is non-refundable and paid in full when booking.

What HUUS QUELL is

HUUS QUELL opened on 15 October 2025 in Gonten and is the 5-star superior house of Appenzeller Huus. In the same village the group also has HUUS BÄREN 1602, 3-star superior with 12 rooms, and HUUS LÖWEN 1878, 4-star superior with 24 rooms. The Quell Spa belongs to the Quell and is free for its guests. The building is made of moon wood, larch felled under a waning moon, with interlocking beams and no nails or screws. There are 30 rooms and suites, in 3 categories.12345

In the Lumina Guide

Lumina Guide 2027

In the guide because its spa uses water from its own spring: Quell is German for spring.

How we choose the hotels

The 5 things that matter, as guests tell them

What do HUUS QUELL’s guests say? They write it in their reviews, even those who only came for a drink or dinner: we read every one and tell the 5 things that matter, from the location to the bill.

  1. Location

    One guest finds it 10 minutes from Appenzell, a good base for time outdoors. Another finds the location itself unremarkable, but made up for by the hotel’s atmosphere.

  2. Room

    One guest finds the room spotless and cosy, with a very comfortable bed. Another finds it very small for a five-star hotel.

  3. Staff and service

    9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. One guest is called by name after a short while. Another finds the tiles in the underground spa treacherously slippery, and the water and sauna not at the temperature expected.

  4. Breakfast

    One guest counts the breakfast among the finest they have had in a Swiss hotel. Another is served cold the dishes that should have arrived hot.

  5. Price

    One guest finds Restaurant Quell’s sharing menu a friendly price. Another finds the value of the restaurants and bar out of balance.

Where HUUS QUELL leads

  • Staff and service

    On staff and service it comes ahead of the 5 other hotels it is compared with among Swiss five-star hotels.

How we count
HUUS QUELL in numbers
WhatGuests’ scoreGuests who mention itHappy
Location8.41883%
Room7.11377%
Staff and service8.54687%
Breakfast7.6989%
Price–714%

54 guests said so on Google, from 16 October 2025 to 10 October 2026. The reviews include visits to restaurants and bars without an overnight stay. The other hotels are assessed on the same 5 themes. The score is the average of what they say, from 0 if they speak of it very badly to 10 if they speak of it very well. Where only a few mention something, the score stays close to the guide’s average: a handful of voices does not make a reputation.

The hotels we weigh it against among Swiss five-star hotels:

Price: for 2, the night of 3 November 2026, from 527 CHF on Google Hotels on 23 October 2026.

What a night costs, period by period

Nights up to 2 December 2026 cost less; prices rise after that.

PeriodCHF a night
25 October to 14 November 2026527–935
15 November–2 December 2026527–973
3 December 2026–14 April 2027576–1,110
15 April–12 September 2027637–961

One night searched alone for 2 adults, at the lowest seller on Google Hotels; room category, meals and taxes unspecified, read on 23 October 2026. The calendar ends on 12 September 2027. Separately, 27 November 2026 costs CHF 976. Booked together as 7 nights from 16 to 23 November 2026 for 2 adults, the lowest seller asked CHF 603 a night; the hotel’s own Google Hotels listing showed no rate.

Inside HUUS QUELL

Entrance, room and bathroom, filmed during a 2026 stay.

YouTube
1:41
The entrance loungefrom 1:41 · Jinnie na cestách · 17 July 2026Watch on YouTube
YouTube
2:09
The room with its botanical wallfrom 2:09 · Jinnie na cestách · 17 July 2026Watch on YouTube
YouTube
2:29
The bathroom and basinfrom 2:29 · Jinnie na cestách · 17 July 2026Watch on YouTube
YouTube
5:39
From the window, the roofs and church tower of Gontenfrom 5:39 · Jinnie na cestách · 17 July 2026Watch on YouTube
YouTube
5:45
The coffee corner and minibarfrom 5:45 · Jinnie na cestách · 17 July 2026Watch on YouTube

Where to linger

The timber vaults of Restaurant Quell and the red textile at the end of the room

Restaurant Quell

At Restaurant Quell, among artist textiles by Jakob Schlaepfer, sharing plates sit alongside classic dishes; the Mitenand menu brings 4 courses of the chef’s choice, for at least 2 people, at CHF 110 a head.12

The round counter of the wine cellar among walls of bottles

The wine cellar

The cellar belongs to the group and joins the historic vaults to the 350 m² extension inside HUUS QUELL, with old wines, Champagnes and rarities; a guided tour is available on request.1

Good to know before you book

  • Under the October 2026 terms, a room can be cancelled free of charge up to 3 calendar days before arrival; after that, the hotel may charge up to the full stay, and holidays, New Year’s Eve, packages and non-refundable rates have their own rules. Source: appenzellerhuus.ch

  • The tourist tax is not included in the room price and is charged separately unless the offer includes it.

Choose your room

The Superior Single King desk and armchair, with timber wallsSuperior Single King19–24 m²Up to 2 guests, 210 × 200 cm bed.View the room The Deluxe Double King bed against the dark wallDeluxe Double King34 m²Up to 2 guests, 210 × 200 cm bed.View the room The Appenzell Suite bed under the painted textile, with the window seatAppenzell Suite43 m²Up to 2 guests, with a living area, a separate bedroom and a large bathroom.View the room

Getting here

AddressDorfstrasse 40, 9108 Gonten

Your day

In the morning

The rooftop spa at 7am

The rooftop spa opens at 7am and closes at 8pm; the saunas run from 7am to 7.30pm.

Late morning

A herbal-oil massage

A Deep Relax massage with Appenzell herbal oil: 50 minutes cost CHF 180, and it can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead.

In the afternoon

The barefoot trail

The Barfussweg in Gonten is a trail to walk barefoot through moorland, woods and meadows: 1–1.5 hours, easy, with an optional start or finish at Gontenbad.

At dinner

Dinner at the Bärenstobe

From Thursday, in the neighbouring HUUS BÄREN 1602, the Bärenstobe serves a 5- or 7-course tasting menu in the rooms of the inn first mentioned in 1751, with orders taken until 8.30pm.

Every week

The included classes

For Quell guests, the yoga, Pilates, meditation, qi flow, sound bath and breathwork classes are included; the spa gives out the week’s timetable.

Reviews of HUUS QUELL

Google

Guest voices

Google

The pools in the snow

For one guest, the high point is sitting in the warm water of the outdoor pools while it snows.

Google · 2026-02-19Read the review
Google

The hum of the ventilation

One guest hears the constant hum of the ventilation in the room, which reception says cannot be switched off; the window does not open, and the neighbours can be heard from the bathroom.

Google · 2026-03-31Read the review
Google

No table left

One guest finds no table left in the restaurants and falls back on the Taverne, where the food is middling and the choice narrow.

Google · 2026-01-11Read the review

Before you travel

How much is a night?

One night for 2 adults: 15 November 2026, CHF 558; 18 January 2027, CHF 672; 16 March 2027, CHF 637. Room category, meals and taxes unspecified. Prices from Google Hotels, checked on 23 October 2026.

Do you need a car to get here?

No: Gonten station is a one-minute walk away, and from Zurich Airport the train, via Gossau, takes about 1 hour 45 minutes. The car transfer from the airport costs CHF 460 each way, for up to 2 guests, and can be booked until the day before.12

When can I check in, and when do I leave?

Check-in is from 3pm and check-out by noon. The spa can be used from 3pm on arrival day until 3pm on departure day, after check-out too.12

Is breakfast included?

Yes: the room rate includes an extensive breakfast at Restaurant Quell. The Hot Pot on the roof terrace, though, is charged separately and must be booked in advance.12

Can non-residents use the spa?

Yes, with the Day Spa packages. Morning Bliss, from 8.30am to 11.30am, costs CHF 95; Your Spa Day, from 12pm to 6pm with a 25-minute massage and a 3-course dinner at HUUS LÖWEN, costs CHF 275 Monday to Thursday and CHF 295 Friday to Sunday.12

Can I bring my dog?

Yes, dogs only, announced in advance and confirmed by the hotel. Under the October 2026 terms, the Quell charges CHF 50 per dog per night.1

Is there a New Year’s Eve dinner?

Yes: at the Quell, 31 December 2026 comes as part of a 3-night stay, arriving by 29 December. Restaurant Quell serves a festive buffet at CHF 309 per person, a drone show lights up Gonten at midnight, and the spa on the 4th floor stays open from 10pm to 1am.1

Can I hold a wedding or a private party?

Yes: the group holds weddings in the Löwensaal of the neighbouring HUUS LÖWEN 1878, with large windows and glass chandeliers, for up to 60 people, while for HUUS QUELL it lists the Kronbergsaal at Huus Kronberg, 90 m² with 22 to 60 seats depending on the layout. On the January 2026 banquet menu, an aperitif bite costs CHF 8 to 10 and a main course CHF 29 to 65.12

Still choosing

A Palafitte pavilion on its stilts above Lake Neuchâtel

Hôtel Palafitte

Palafitte’s pavilions stand on stilts on Lake Neuchâtel.

The Beau-Rivage lit at dusk, with Lake Neuchâtel behind it

Beau-Rivage Neuchâtel

The Beau-Rivage stands on the shore of Lake Neuchâtel, in the centre of town.

Chenot Palace and its turreted villa seen from the lake

Chenot Palace Weggis

Chenot Palace stands on the shore of Lake Lucerne at Weggis, facing the Rigi and Pilatus: from its private beach you can swim in every season.

The Dolder Grand from the air at sunset: the turreted 1899 building between its two curved modern wings, on the wooded hillside above Zurich

The Dolder Grand

Curhaus towers above Zurich, art in the corridors and warm water facing the city.

The Belle Époque façade on Rue du Grand-Chêne: red awnings, wrought-iron balconies and the carved gable above the columned entrance porch lettered “Lausanne-Palace”, with flags; the brasserie’s green awning on the left

Lausanne Palace

Lausanne climbs behind the palace; from the right rooms, the lake appears beyond the rooftops.

Steam rising in the morning from the outdoor sports pool, with frost on the shrubs and the garden, the chalet wings with their wooden balconies on the right and rocky peaks against a clear sky on the left

ERMITAGE Wellness- & Spa-Hotel

At Ermitage, the afternoon means cake at Bärgblick.

The palace lit up at blue hour in winter, its towers above the snow-covered chalet roofs of Gstaad, with ski slopes on the mountain behind

Gstaad Palace

The palace Gstaad looks up to, from fondue in an old vault to music at GreenGo.

The Alpine Spa’s outdoor infinity pool at dusk: two bathers at the edge, a lit fountain bowl, and the lake and its shores under a pink and violet sky

Bürgenstock Hotel & Alpine Spa

From boat to ridge, Lake Lucerne returns in the view from the warm pool.

The view over the hotel’s roofs in summer: flags over the park, the Schanzengraben canal lined with boats, and Lake Zurich with the Alps on the horizon

Baur au Lac

Johannes Baur opened the hotel in 1844.

The tower and green roofs of Badrutt’s Palace under a pale pink sky, with a Swiss flag and the snow-covered Engadin mountains behind.

Badrutt’s Palace Hotel

163 rooms and suites in the Badrutt family’s towered grand hotel of 1896, with 11 restaurants, 2 pools and Via Serlas at the door; open in winter and summer

Park Hyatt Zurich exterior seen from above with the city and lake beyond

Park Hyatt Zurich

Classic rooms from 36 m² and new Deluxe categories; a redesigned Lobby Lounge between the financial quarter and lake, with refurbishment continuing.

Junior suite with a painted ceiling, frescoes and black armchairs beside the bed

Widder Hotel

49 individual rooms

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11 photographs

The rooftop infinity pool at HUUS QUELL, above the houses and meadows of Gonten
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The timber façade of HUUS QUELL, with carved panels and 2 gabled roofs
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The timber vaults of Restaurant Quell and the red textile at the end of the room
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The round counter of the wine cellar among walls of bottles
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The Superior Single King desk and armchair, with timber walls
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The Deluxe Double King bed against the dark wall
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The Appenzell Suite bed under the painted textile, with the window seat
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The stone counter of the Botanicum Bar under the sculpted ceiling
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The outdoor pool beside the HUUS QUELL façade, with the Gonten church tower
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The laid table between the timber walls of the Weinfass
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The biohacking circuit cabins, lit in violet
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