The first hotel to carry the new branding is the new Radisson Blu situated directly on the airport premises, Zurich’s first on-site airport hotel opened on 1 August 2008. Designed by Italian star-architect Matteo Thun and Zurich-based atelier ww architects, the first-class hotel offers direct access to arrival and departure terminals, 330 rooms and suites in four different designs, an impressive President Suite as well as a 2,400 square-metre event area. Two restaurants, a bar as well as fitness and wellness areas, round off the hotel’s superior offering.

Having had success with the impact of the idea of the wine tower (see Radisson SAS - Stansted Airport, Essex ) and the 10,000 litre fish tank (see Radisson SAS Berlin) Rezidor have again run with the striking central lobby feature these ideas provide by creating a spectacular Wine Tower, third of its kind worldwide and officially the largest at 16 metres high.

Designed by US-based Jeremy Thom Productions and developed by ES Group Ltd. in London, the stunning, 27.5-ton Wine Tower has inspired much awe and excitement since its opening. Guests can watch as the graceful flying Wine Angels soar up and down the Wine Tower retrieving one of the 4,000 bottles of wine and champagne stored for the two restaurants, "angels' wine tower grill" and "Filini".

Every day from 11:45am to 1:30pm and from 5:15pm to 11:30pm, the Wine Angels are led by a custom designed, colourful spectacle of LED light to the correct bottles. The Angels are equipped with individual holding gear and are pulled up to the tower's top by a computer-controlled winch and then lowered to the appropriate bottle, after which the artist secures the selected wine in a "wine pouch" before gliding back down to her starting point. In addition, these employees specifically cast for their job, will delight guests with their acrobatic "Wine Angel Shows" at regular intervals.

With a construction cost of approximately 4 million Swiss Francs, the tower is made up of 38 impressive acryl panels and features 213 transparent compartments to hold wine and champagne from 14 old- and new-world countries, many featuring chillable sections to ensure that all wines and champagnes are stored at ideal temperatures. The total value of wine is approx, CHF 220,000 and prices range from CHF 38.50 to CHF 1,250 a bottle.

Radisson Blu Chronology:
1960: The Royal Copenhagen, world’s first designer hotel, opens in Denmark. Designed by the legendary Arne Jacobsen for SAS International Hotels (SIH) - the hotel division of The Scandinavian airline group, SAS - it wins instant international acclaim for its groundbreaking architecture and interiors.

1994: SAS International Hotels, (SIH), joins forces with the Radisson brand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), to create Radisson SAS in one of the worlds first joint branding initiatives.

2000: Radisson SAS passes the 100 hotels milestone – a real player in the market.

2002: The birth of Rezidor SAS Hospitality: a new name to reflect a new direction and the development of a multi-brand portfolio with Rezidor SAS as the parent company and Radisson SAS as a key brand.

Early 2006: The Radisson SAS success story is confirmed. The new brand has established its very own market position in the upper upscale, lifestyle segment with a focus on contemporary design and operational excellence. Radisson SAS has more than 150 properties in more than 40 countries throughout EMEA.

Late 2006: It’s time for the SAS group to let its fledgling go and fly free. Rezidor SAS, renamed The Rezidor Hotel Group, is floated on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.

2008: The Rezidor Hotel Group has been trading as a listed company for over two years and it closes the year with a total portfolio of over 360 hotels across five, very different, carefully segmented brands, operating in 55 countries. Radisson SAS is acknowledged as the hotel industry’s most improved and rising group.

Feb 2009: Radisson SAS rebrands as Radisson Blu: the news is announced at the opening of the latest, stunning ‘new breed’ property: The Radisson Blu Zurich Airport