Banque Privee Edmond de Rothschild SA

All three attempts to visit Banque Privee Edmond de Rothschild end in frustration. The five-story headquarters is situated in the Geneva theatre district along with most of the other private banks. Each time upon entering the turn-of-the-century building the male receptionist immediately places me in a room and then closes the door. The walls of these waiting rooms are lined with red satin or silk wallpaper (I don't know the difference) which is suppose to give the room an elegant feel but to me it seems pretty dated. At least they have interesting reading material while you wait, Wall Street Journal Europe, Financial Times, Sotheby's and Christie's magazines and a Guggenheim Foundation publication.

On the first visit a woman says to come back because the man who I sent the introduction material (Managing Director E.T. Salathe) is out of town. On the second visit I'm told they never received my advance material and so I leave more material. Returning a week later for a third attempt I'm told I must make an appointment with Valerie Boscat, who is in corporate communications. I try contacting Boscat's secretary to make an appointment but can't because Boscat is busy and the secretary doesn't know Boscat's schedule.

My attempt to visit another "branch" of the Rothschild empire six years earlier in London had a similar unsuccessful outcome. It was the Rothschild investment banking firm (NM Rothschild & Sons). Though I had sent advance material to the managing director, a man came out to the lobby and said I had to re-send the advance material to him (meaning the man who came out). When I attempted to hand him the advance material, he refused to accept it saying it had to be mailed. Needless to say, it was downhill from there