The history of the Hotel Kreuz reaches back to Rev. Arnold Bovet. He was employed by the free Protestant church of Bern in 1870, and founded the local blue cross chapter as well as the workers’ club Bärenhöfli. In 1894, today’s property at Zeughausgasse was purchased, where an inn was already located. Following this delevopment, the restaurant Bärenhöfli was moved to its location. The hotel was run as a Christian house, but alcohol has always been on the menu. Pastor Bovet took the view that anyone who had to spend the night abroad should have a glass of wine in the evening. In contrast to the hotel, the Bärenhöfli was run alcohol-free from the beginning. The inn was rebuilt and reopened in 1895 under the name «Gasthaus zum eidg. Kreuz». Then, for a short period of time the hotel was named «Hospiz zum eidg. Kreuz», then the «Weisse Kreuz», until around 1938, when its name was changed one last time to Hotel Kreuz.

In 1979, the property at Waaghausgasse 7 was rented, allowing the hotel to expand by 25 rooms. In 1991 the merger of the sponsoring bodies of Bärenhöfli and Hotel Kreuz took place. With the opening of the conference center the future of the hotel was strengthened. In 1998, the Hotel Metropole could also be rented on the other side of the street.

The Hotel Kreuz is continually being refurbished and updated to meet today’s modern standards. In 2008, the facade was restored and the rooms on the 5th floor were completely rebuilt. In 2011, the restaurant Bärenhöfli was totally renovated and is now positioned as a trendy city restaurant. It is also worth mentioning that the rooms and reception area have been completely refurbished between 2016 and 2017.

Nowadays, the Kreuz Bern offers a total of 97 hotel rooms, 11 banqueting and congress rooms and the restaurant Bärenhöfli.