Young couple having breakfast in the balcony of a bedroom at Gstaad Palace in Gstaad A deluxe room at Gstaad Palace, Switzerland. Photo / Supplied
From heli-pads and chakra mats to underground fondue bunkers, here’s how the rich ski, writes Tamara Hinson
This swanky Snowmass ski hotel was designed by Jean-Michel Gathy – the superstar architect behind countless Aman and One&Only properties – and its slopeside location puts the resort’s 3000 acres of terrain in easy reach. But it gets better, because an army of ski concierges is on hand to carry your kit to the nearest ski lift. Alternatively, you could just stay put, watching your loved ones swoosh down the slopes from the heated outdoor pool. Feeling flush? Opt for one of the Designer Residences, which feature fireplaces, kitchens, hot tubs, and balconies measuring up to 167 sq m. For dinner, it’s got to be the hotel’s Toro Kitchen & Lounge restaurant, where celebrity chef Richard Sandoval serves up Pan-Latin fare (we recommend the Ora King salmon with bok choy and achiote ponzu).
Viceroyhotelsandresorts.com
Looking for a hotel located well away from the masses? You’re in luck – guests arrive at this ridiculously luxurious hotel via its own private railway, the Tschuggen Express. The 128 rooms and suites wouldn’t look out of place in the swankiest home interiors magazines (expect vast expanses of Hermès leather), and the 464sq m spa is just as impressive, with 12 treatment rooms and an entire floor filled with saunas and steam rooms. Fancy boosting your Botox? There’s an on-site cosmetic doctor’s surgery, which you’ll find, somewhat bizarrely, near the boot room. But there’s no chance of nasty niffs wafting through, thanks to odour-removing osmosis technology. Restaurant options include Michelin-starred La Brezza, for posh takes on traditional alpine cuisine, although for something a little more relaxed, head to the Bavarian-style pub in the basement – it’s even got its own bowling alley.
tschuggencollection.ch
This hotel isn’t just metres from the slopes – it’s also metres from Courchevel’s swankiest stores, including Dior, Chanel and Louis Vuitton boutiques. Inside the hotel, expect plenty of nods to the luxury hotel brand’s Asian heritage, whether it’s the bonsai trees and bento boxes you’ll find in your suite (there are 31 suites in total), or the onsen-like bathtubs. Proof of the spa’s popularity is the fact that many guests opt to add a spa pass rather than a ski pass to their booking. The highlight of this subterranean sanctuary is the Japanese Iyashi Dôme, which relies on infrared technology to soothe aching muscles (although we’re told it’s great for après-ski-related hangovers, too).
Aman.com
Founded in 1913, the Gstaad Palace is one of this Swiss ski resort’s oldest hotels, and a reminder of its rich history is the La Fromagerie restaurant, which you’ll find in a WWII-era bunker. It’s also Gstaad’s most opulent hotel, with an Olympic-sized swimming pool (complete with a resident DJ, and yes, we’re still talking about the pool), the region’s largest ballroom and an in-house nightclub. Former guests include various royals and celebrities (feel free to ask staff about the aristocratic guest who insisted her cat should dine on 50g of caviar a day), and even the kids’ club is spectacular – activities on offer include mocktail-making masterclasses and guided walks with St Bernard dogs.
palace.ch
Say hello to St Moritz’s oldest, largest and grandest hotel, built in 1837 on the site of a natural spring, which prompted Europe’s blue-blooded elite to flock here to bathe in its therapeutic waters. The spring might be long gone but the hotel’s spa, carved from Swiss Engadin stone, is still a magnet for celebs. There are 61 suites (the five-bedroom Alpine Suites are the largest) in this hotel, which also has three restaurants and two bars. The most sought-after sundowner spot is the three-domed Beluga Igloo in the hotel grounds – head here to quaff Beluga Vodka. General manager Konstantin Zeuke suggests booking the Tower Suite. “It’s my favourite spot from which to enjoy the view,” he says. “The Engadin valley unfolds in all its grandeur: snow-capped peaks, frozen lakes and the cosmopolitan charm of St Moritz far below.”
kempinski.com
There are just 46 rooms at this Utah ski hotel – although we should point out that its “rooms” include gorgeous private cabins scattered across the hotel grounds. There’s a private heli-pad for guests arriving by air, and activities on offer include horseback explorations of the surrounding snowscape (the ponies are residents at the hotel’s on-site animal sanctuary). Don’t know your saddle from your stirrup? Sign up for the hotel’s Natural Horsemanship riding programme. We’re also smitten with the abundance of tech; toilets flush with the mere wave of a hand, and guests who book spa treatments will lie on chakra mats incorporating something known as negative ion technology. Finally, car-lovers can rejoice – the hotel’s collaboration with Mercedes-Benz means guests can borrow the hotel’s seriously chunky Mercedes SUV.
aubergeresorts.com
If, like us, your pet hate is tiny rooms in ski hotels with no space to dry out damp ski gear, you’ll love the Four Seasons Resort in Vail – even the smallest rooms cover an impressive 55sq m. No detail has been overlooked, whether it’s the beds’ beautiful leather headboards with their fragrant hickory trims, the top-notch Bose Bluetooth speakers or the hotel’s ski centre, where you can enjoy complimentary hot chocolate and sunscreen before hitting the slopes. The ski concierges are fantastic, albeit a little intense. Our advice? After a day on the slopes, don’t be afraid to turn down their offer to help you slip off your ski boots, but always accept their offer of a hot scented towel.
fourseasons.com
Hot tubs on balconies? Tick. Ski concierges? Tick. Fireplaces in the bedrooms? Tick. But there are countless other aspects that set this Aspen hotel apart. To start with, there’s its 20,000-bottle wine cellar (there’s a reason it’s held the Wine Spectator Grand Award since 1997), presided over by a team of 13 master sommeliers (no other North American hotel has more). In summary, everything here is a cut above, from the luxurious toiletries in the bathrooms, where heated floors come as standard, to the cuisine in the hotel’s Ajax Tavern, where one of the most popular items is the burger. But not just any burger, to be clear – a Wagyu cheeseburger with truffle fries. Oh, and if the altitude brings on a headache? Take advantage of the oxygen rental service. Just bear in mind that it won’t help if your headache is related to après-ski, not altitude…
thelittlenell.com