The Hotel Kreuz was originally opened by Pastor Arnold Bovet. He was appointed by the free Protestant parish of Bern in 1870, and founded both the "Blaues Kreuz" and the "Arbeitersäle Bärenhöfli".

The current property on the Zeughausgasse was acquired in 1894, and was already an inn at the time. The Restaurant Bärenhöfli was also relocated to this site. Although the hotel was run as a Christian establishment, it did serve alcohol. Pastor Bovet was of the belief that anyone who was obliged to spend the night away from home should be able to enjoy a glass of wine in the evening. Unlike the hotel, the Bärenhöfli served no alcohol from the start. The guesthouse was converted and reopened in 1895 as the "Gasthaus zum eidg. Kreuz". The hotel was then briefly known as the "Hospiz zum eidg. Kreuz", then the "Weisses Kreuz", before becoming the Hotel Kreuz - which it remains to this day - in 1938.

In 1978 the property at Waaghausgasse 7 was acquired and 25 rooms added to the hotel. In 1990 the Bärenhöfli and Hotel Kreuz were combined. The hotel's future was secured with the opening of the conference centre. In 1998, the hotel rented the Hotel Metropole on the opposite side of the road.

The Kreuz Bern has repeatedly been refurbished and updated. The facade was renovated and the rooms on the fifth floor refurbished in 2008. Today, the Kreuz Bern has 103 hotel rooms, 11 banqueting and conference rooms, 2 restaurants and a hotel bar.

Ownership

The property belongs to the Evangelische Vereinshaus AG. The Hotel Kreuz and the Hotel Metropole are run by Hotel Kreuz Bern AG. The holding company of the Hotel Kreuz Bern AG is the Gesellschaft für Gastronomie und Kongresse. This company holds 100% of shares in Hotel Kreuz Bern AG and slightly over 50% of shares in the Evangelische Vereinshaus AG.