Page 96 - Livre Beau Rivage Palace
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The corollary of this policy of rapid amortisation was a cautious    operations: making the right choice from the different technologies            From 1884, the appointment of Fédor de Crousaz and Charles   on the board had a deciding influence on the techniques chosen.
          distribution of profit to shareholders:  ‘Mr de Cérenville, on the   available, approaching the most efficient companies, overseeing           Dapples, both engineers, changed the board’s relationship with   When there was a debate on the type of engine to install in the
          contrary, feels that no more than 6 per cent should be distributed as a   the work, then testing the operation of the new installations. How   technical modernisation. By the start of 1886, a committee tasked   electric plant, the hydraulic solution advocated by Dapples and
          dividend; we still have some sizeable expenses ahead, in particular for   did the Beau-Rivage managers go about harnessing the necessary       with defining a medium-term investment strategy was already   de Crousaz won out over gas and steam: ‘Mr Correvon has heard
          the roof, and we need to maintain the system followed in recent years of   technical know-how to ensure the smooth running of their            making its report. To ensure the reliability of new installations,  technicians and practitioners criticise hydraulic engines and recommend
          immediately amortising a large proportion of improvements, a system that   establishment?                                                      visits to other hotels that were already equipped became a regular   steam engines instead. However, he bows to the explanations given by the
          has served us well.’ 56                                     Between 1857 and 1884, the appointed directors had only a                          thing: ‘In order to gain an exact account of the American lift system   board’s engineers, explanations that seem to him to settle the question.’
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              The board of directors’ financial strategy did not prevent an   little technical expertise between them. Most of them had studied          and the safety guarantees it offers, the chairman requests authorisation   The two engineers’ social networks also played a role in the
          impressive growth in the distributed dividends; these rose from 8   law or had a business background. However, two channels allowed            to go with Mr Dapples to examine the one in operation at the hotel   selection of contractors to carry out the work. Thus, in 1886, the
          per cent in 1895 to 30 per cent in 1913. Although the share value   them to gather the information they needed for what little                 Schweizerhof in Lucerne.  Approved.’   The two engineers had   construction of the laundry was assigned to the firm run by Jules
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          of 250 fr. had dropped to 190 fr. in 1882, by 1908 it was worth 500   technical activity there was at the time. Following the example          no qualms about getting their own hands dirty, thus reducing   Duvillard, a member of the Société Vaudoise des Ingénieurs et
          fr. On that date the share capital increased from 1 to 1.5 million   of Gustave Perdonnet, whose information services were praised             installation costs. De Crousaz, an expert in lift technology, carried   Architectes and a shareholder in the sio.
          fr. The 2000 shares, with a face value of 250 fr., were sold at the   at the time of his death, the directors visited the grand hotels of      out all the studies necessary for the equipment of Beau-Rivage.   As a general rule, collaboration with companies in the
          price of 500 fr., which made it possible to finance a part of the   the period and garnered information: ‘Having travelled a lot, he had       Other contracts, executed simultaneously in two other hotels in   region remained limited, however, either because they did not
          construction of the Palace. Demand outstripped supply, as 2600   had plenty of occasion to see what was done in the major hotels of Europe     the region, allowed him to obtain a substantial discount on the   offer the necessary skills, or because they were considered to have
          shares were subscribed. Despite the use of part of the profits to   and the other continents. He therefore possessed a large quantity of useful   bulk order of three lifts. The installation costs of the terrace were   insufficient expertise. On several occasions companies in Lausanne
          cover investments, the rapid amortisation of loans and the increase   information, which he shared at every opportunity.’  The managers of     similarly reduced: ‘We also owe it to the fact that one of our directors,  and Geneva were rejected in favour of more prestigious Swiss or
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          in share capital, the directors could not prevent a dramatic rise in   the  sio also turned to outside experts. Chairman of the École          Mr Dapples, was kind enough to take care of the matter of heating, and   foreign ones. Systematically, a company’s experience and renown
          mortgage debt. Between 1881 and 1908, this rose from 600,000   Spéciale de Lausanne (thereafter  epul then  epfl)  from  1865,                 was able to install it economically since he had established that the laundry   were the decisive factor in the choice. The main consideration
          to 2,250,000 fr. Financing the Palace was the main cause. Faithful   Edouard Dapples was able to give Beau-Rivage the benefit of his           boiler was enough to produce the necessary steam and that, consequently,  was to be able to guard against breakdowns and accidents. As
          to their duty, the private bankers of Lausanne provided all the   social networks in the field of engineering. In fact it was one of           it was not necessary to install a new steam generator. Mr Dapples carried   far as heating was concerned, Beau-Rivage had a long-term
          financing. These were the firms Morel-Marcel, Günther et Cie;   his friends, William Fraisse, who installed the water conveyance               out the studies and oversaw the work; we can congratulate him on having   collaboration with the company Sulzer de Winterthour: ‘Messrs
          Charles Bugnion; Bory, Marion et Cie; Tissot et Monneron;   system. Experts were also consulted in Geneva and Zurich and                       succeeded perfectly, and we thank him for having kindly made his time   de Crousaz and Dapples advised in favour of the firm of Sulzer, given
          Charrière et Roguin; Georges Landis; and Chavannes et Cie.  even in France. As the episode of the pressure regulators for the                  and his skills available.’                              the great confidence that can be placed in them due to their previous work;
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              The exponential growth in technical equipment costs,  gas lighting demonstrates, however, this period was characterised                        Thanks to the skills and commitment of the two engineers,  Ruef, a much more recent company, does not have as many completely
          corresponding as it did to an economic phase that was a boon to   by a lack of technical vision, with damaging consequences for                recourse to outside expertise became less frequent, except in the   successful jobs to its name. With Sulzer, we are more certain that the
          tourist establishments, did not pose any financing problems. As the   sound company management. For the first time, in May 1877, the           very specialised field of electricity. The quality of the technicians   work will be done perfectly and within the promised time of two and
          administrators were able to rely on an extremely loyal hard core   directors discussed an installer’s proposal promising savings of up to      called into service was guaranteed by Dapples and de Crousaz’s   a half months. The difference in price will make no difference to this
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          of shareholders and Lausanne banking institutions, they managed   30 per cent on gas consumption.  This conversion project came                networks of contacts, both being members of the Société Vaudoise   recommendation.’ 63
          to meet the costs without too many difficulties.        before the board five times, and each time it postponed its decision                   des Ingénieurs et Architectes.  Furthermore the former taught   It was the same for the Ateliers d’Œrlikon, which supplied
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                                                                  in order to collect more information. It was not until September                       industrial physics at the École Spéciale de Lausanne from 1882,  all the electrical equipment. As for the passenger and goods lifts, it
          MOBILISING TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND MANAGING            1880 that the innovation was finally adopted. In February 1881, it                      before taking on, between 1894 and 1898, the management of   is interesting to note a change in the choice of model, originally
         THE TECHNOLOGICAL RISK                                   was noted that gas consumption had been reduced by half on the                         the establishment.                                      French (Edoux in Paris) and Italian (Stiegler in Milan), to Swiss
              Beau-Rivage’s modernisation and the construction of   occasion of the last ball. The procrastinations resulting from a lack                    Despite the reticence of the more conservative directors, the   manufacture (Schindler in Lucerne). Until the First World War,
          the Palace required a great many skills. The development of an   of technical knowledge had therefore had a negative effect on the             two engineers’ modernisation strategy, backed by the manager   however, the criterion of excellence remained more important
          effectiveand reliable technical system involves a number of delicate   gas bill for three years.                                               Tschumi, quickly became adopted. Moreover, the two engineers   than any regional or national preference. For example, in 1910, the







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