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New Generation. World War II cut the supply of rich vacationers, forced the Badrutts to tighten up; the Kulm was sold to Swiss Businessman Albert Ernst. But the Palace is still run by Hans's widow Helen, and two sons, Andrea and Hansjurg, and a new generation scrawls its names across the guest book: Henry Ford II, Rita Hayworth, Barbara Hutton. For its 400 guests the Palace maintains a staff of 300, including 40 cooks, who daily turn out half a ton of fancy meats and 1,000 pastries. The wine cellar is stocked with 60,000 fine bottles, the tanks with 800 live trout.
Palace rates are reasonable—$25 a day in midseason for a good room with meals —but many guests spend a great deal more, often throw little parties for 30 or 40 friends, pick up a $4,000 check. Once, tiring of the Palace's three orchestras, Niarchos and Chilean Magnate Arturo Lopez ordered a band from Milan, heard one number, sent it packing and hired another. On the insistence of wealthy guests who wanted an ultra-exclusive ski club, the Palace agreed to manage the Corviglia Ski Club and operate a skiers' restaurant atop 10,000-ft.-high Piz Nair. Devoted Guests Loel Guinness and Niarchos put up the $500,000 to build a cableway to the restaurant.
Cognac Farewell. Such luxurious attentions pay the Palace well. The hotel (which stays open for the summer and winter seasons, closing April-June and mid-September to mid-December) grosses about $2,100,000 annually, plus $275,000 from three swank restaurants around town (Chesa Viglia, Golf, Piz Nair).
Last week, as the New Year's guests began departing for trains to London, Paris, Rome and Vienna, Host Andrea Badrutt said goodbye in six languages, gave each a small bottle of cognac to ease the parting journey. As snow fell onto the white peaks, his mother looked fondly at the flake-filled sky, cried: "Ah, golden rain, golden rain."