Hotel Belvédère opened its doors to visitors in 1882. It is on a curve along the famous Swiss mountain pass - the Furkapass in Valais. When it was opened, it was sitting literally next to the Rhône Glacier, offering wonderful icy scenery to its guests. Among its famous guests were Sean Connery and Pope John XXIII. Actually, it is said that Sean Connery insisted that the 'car drive' scene in the 1964 Bond movie Goldfinger (in which Hotel Belvédère is seen twice) be shot on the Furkapass. In time, it became a popular attraction for elite customers. Unfortunately, the 11.000-year-old glacier has melted over the last 100 years. This created hard times for the hotel’s business; it slowly lost its popularity as the icy scenery beneath the hotel was no longer there. Finally, it closed its doors in 2015.