The verdict in three sentences
On the Vaud Riviera, the choice of specialised agencies is limited: a Montreux broker usually compares a small local outfit, a Lausanne agency and a remote studio. If your site mainly needs to reassure international private clients in English and French, a fixed-price remote studio covers the need well. If you want regular workshops in your Clarens or Territet office and video shoots at client hotels, a nearby agency remains more comfortable.
This guide is written for English-speaking entrepreneurs who run or are launching a brokerage on the Riviera.
Who are your real options in Montreux?
To be honest, Montreux has few web agencies able to handle a brokerage site and its compliance constraints. Most Riviera firms, from Vevey to Villeneuve, end up working with Lausanne agencies or a freelancer. Here are the four profiles you will meet, as a 2026 ballpark based on typical agency quotes and public rate pages in the region:
| Provider profile | Price range | Usual timeline | On-site meetings | Watch point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Riviera agency | CHF 10,000 to 22,000 | 8 to 12 weeks | Easy | Limited capacity in high season |
| Lausanne agency | CHF 15,000 to 30,000 | 10 to 16 weeks | Possible, 30 min by train | Workshops billed separately |
| Local freelancer | CHF 4,000 to 10,000 | 6 to 10 weeks | Easy | Continuity if the person is away |
| Remote studio (Kolonell) | CHF 2,700 to 8,200 | 3 to 4 weeks | By video call | Photos handled by a local third party |
The Kolonell row uses its fixed grid: Starter CHF 2,700, Growth CHF 4,500, Premium CHF 8,200. It includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. Details are on the international offer page.
When a nearby agency is clearly the better choice
A remote studio is not always the answer. Go with a Riviera or Lausanne agency if:
- your partners want to sign off the site in physical meetings, page by page;
- you plan a presentation video filmed in client hotels or at events;
- your site must connect to portfolio management software with a client portal;
- you want one partner who also handles your print and visual identity locally.
A remote studio is enough when you need a well-written, understated 8 to 15 page site on a tight calendar before the summer season. Discretion matters a lot with private clients: no client list, no hotel logos without written consent, no named testimonials.
What a Montreux brokerage site needs
The frame is federal. Since 1 January 2024, the revised Insurance Supervision Act governs insurance intermediaries, and FINMA keeps a register of intermediaries; whether you must register depends on your firm's status, to be checked with your counsel. The revised Federal Act on Data Protection (nLPD/revFADP) has applied since 1 September 2023, overseen by the FDPIC, and the GDPR may also come into play if you target EU residents, who are common on the Riviera. WCAG 2.1 level AA is a good accessibility target. This is not legal advice.
| Need | What it means on the site | Suitable Kolonell tier |
|---|---|---|
| Hospitality and events | Commercial, liability and event cancellation pages | Growth |
| International private clients | English and French pages, discreet tone | Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) |
| Quote request | Short form, strictly necessary fields | Starter and up |
| Supporting documents | Secure document upload | On quote |
| Complaints | Dedicated page with procedure | Starter and up |
| Regulatory status | Transparency page on the intermediary role | Starter and up |
| Claims | Step-by-step guide, no promised outcome | Growth |
Every marketing page should be reviewed by whoever owns compliance before go-live. No copy should promise a premium, a saving or a claim outcome.
Questions to ask before signing
Ask both kinds of provider the same questions:
- Are the domain and hosting registered in the firm's name?
- Do you own the code and content at delivery?
- How many compliance review rounds are included, and with what turnaround?
- Who writes the French version, and is that person a native speaker?
- Where is form data hosted, in Switzerland or in the EU?
- What does maintenance cost after the included period? At Kolonell it is on quote.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example: Hannah Clarke, managing partner of a three-person brokerage in Clarens, serves Riviera hotels, event organisers and a few foreign families settled above Montreux. She counts partner time as carefully as francs.
Scenario A, Lausanne agency: CHF 18,000 quote, 4 two-hour on-site workshops for three partners, so 24 partner hours, plus 3 hours of travel. At an assumed internal value of CHF 250 an hour, that is CHF 6,750 of time, for a full cost of CHF 24,750.
Scenario B, remote studio: Premium at CHF 8,200 for an English and French site (languages set in the quote), 3 one-hour video calls for three partners, so 9 hours (CHF 2,250 of assumed internal time), plus an independent Riviera photographer at CHF 1,200. Full cost: CHF 11,650.
The gap reaches CHF 13,100. Hannah picks scenario B, with one reservation: if she launches a client portal, she will go back to a nearby agency. The hourly value is an internal assumption, not a rate.
FAQ
Why are there so few specialised agencies in Montreux?
The local market is small and the more structured agencies tend to be in Lausanne, about 30 minutes away by train. As a 2026 ballpark, allow CHF 15,000 to 30,000 for a brokerage site from a Lausanne agency.
Is an English-only site enough?
On the Riviera, a French version is usually expected by local businesses and hotels. Premium at CHF 8,200 covers multilingual sites, with languages set in the quote.
Can I show the hotels I insure?
Only with each client's written consent. A page listing 3 or 4 sectors served, without names, protects the discretion expected on the Riviera.
How much time should I allow before the summer season?
With a remote studio, 3 to 4 weeks once regulatory wording is ready. With a local agency, plan for 8 to 12 weeks.
How do I get started?
Gather your lines of business, languages and regulatory status page, then request a free quote. You receive a scope and a fixed price within 48 hours.
Let's scope your project. Describe your lines of business, languages and calendar, and we will propose a discreet brokerage site delivered in 3 to 4 weeks from CHF 2,700. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.