This snowy season sees a cluster of super-luxe new ski hotels and chalets welcoming guests in some of Europe’s finest ski resorts. Sumptuous interiors, butlers and five-star spas come as standard at these mountainside hideaways. From an Austrian arrival that takes decadence to dizzying new heights to a get-away-from-it-all newcomer nestled in the French Alps, these are the stand-out new chalets and ski hotels in Europe to book this winter.
Rosapetra Spa Resort
Cortina, Italy
Antonio Onorato, owner of luxury Italian hotel group Relegance Collection, has added to his portfolio with a 33-room ski hotel in the mountain resort of Cortin. Set in the Ampezzo Valley, overlooking the Tofane massif, Rosapetra Spa Resort has that classic fairytale ski chalet vibe, all twinkling lights and dark wood balconies. Inside, a warm blend of local timber and stonework give a sense of cosy-luxe, very welcome after a day on the slopes. Striking leather furnishings, plush fabrics and ambient lighting complete the effect.
The five new Dolomites Suites are decked out in Swiss pine, chosen for its natural calming properties and each has a spacious living area with a lounge and dining room, and a terrace looking out over snow-capped peaks. The restaurant serves up a menu that pays homage to the hotel’s high-altitude – black truffle, chestnuts, wild berries all feature – while the indoor-outdoor bar Terrazza26 (named after the forthcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games) is for apres-ski cocktails and aperitivos. But it’s the spa that steals the show with a 12-metre swimming pool, indoor Finnish and outdoor sauna, Turkish bath and plunge pool, with spa assistants on hand to see to your every pampering need.Â
Zuel di Sopra N° 1 – 32043, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
rosapetracortina.it
Suite Idéal
Megève, France
Four Seasons Hotel Megève and Les Chalets du Mont D’Arbois, A Four Seasons Hotel bring a new private ski-in, ski-out suite to the slopes this season – Suite Idéal. Guests staying at either of the properties will have exclusive access to this three-bedroom apartment for one night. The Suite sits at the very top of the mountain, in the sumptuous setting of Idéal 1850 restaurant, and is only accessible by cable car. You’ll have your own dedicated butler who will ensure your evening starts as it means to go on, with a deliciously traditional Savoyard menu with an emphasis on local cheeses and French wine.
The master bedroom has an ensuite with views across to Mont Blanc, plus there’s a sprawling rustic-chic living room, dining area and a huge stone fireplace that’s perfect as night falls. The outdoor terrace is a magical place for stargazing and soaking up that rare-to-find silence. A concierge is on hand to organise sunrise hot air balloon rides, dog sledding or snowmobiling, should you wish, but the USP here has to be waking up and realising that it’s just you amongst all that freshly fallen snow. After breakfast you can be the first on the slopes before the ski area has even opened. It doesn’t get swishier than that.Â
3001, Route Edmond de Rothschild, Megève, 74120, France
fourseasons.com
überHaus, Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Homes
Oberlech, Austria
Imagine a ski chalet so perfectly Alpine with wooden balconies, gently sloping roof and crackling fires at every turn, and you have überHaus. Nestled in the heart of Oberlech in the Ski Arlberg resort, überHaus is a Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Home (a not-long-ago-launched collection of ultra-luxurious private homes with the bonus of MO service and standards) so expect a gold-standard stay. We’re talking state-of-the-art facilities and seductive interiors: open-plan living area, bar, home cinema, billiards room, five ensuite bedrooms (two with adjacent bunk rooms), a terrace complete with a glass bottomed hot tub that offers front-row views of the skiers whooshing past – best enjoyed with a chilled glass of Champagne in hand.
But that’s not all. This chalet comes with a full-time chalet manager, daily housekeeping, private chef and a ski butler service to guide guests on the pistes during their stay (it goes without saying that this place is ski-in, ski-out). If you can drag yourself away, there’s a winter wonderland on your doorstep, from off-piste and backcountry tours, heli-excustions, snowshoeing, winter paragliding and, of course, all that fabulous Austrian après ski.
Oberlech 722, A-6764 Oberlech, Austria
mandarinoriental.com
Les Chalets des Airelles
Courchevel, France
Luxury hotel collection Airelles marks the arrival of another ski season in the French Alps with two new private ski chalets. Just moments from Airelles Courchevel, Les Airelles hotel and connected by discreet underground passageways, they’ve been built in the traditional Savoyard style. Exquisitely designed by Christope Tollemer, interiors get the luxuriant touch with cherry wood furnishings and rich Loro Piana fabrics in cashmere and wool. Each chalet can accommodate between 12 and 15 guests and there’s ample space for post-slope downtime: a huge sitting room and dining room, cinema room, games room with bar and pool table, a dedicated wellness area with pool, gym, sauna, hammam, Iyashi Dome and treatment room; not to mention, of course, a fully equipped Bernard Orcel ski room.
A fleet of staff includes a ski valet, private chef and sommelier, and guests will also have full access to all the facilities at Airelles Courchevel. For the ultimate in peak chic, book the hotel’s new-look Penthouse Apartment. Located on the fourth floor, and with views across Courchevel 1850’s Jardin Alpin district, this takes opulence to new heights. There are four bedrooms each with their own balcony, dressing room, ensuite and hammam; a private spa and fitness instructor; a huge terrace with a Norwegian-style hot tub; a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce; a butler… you get the (snow) drift.Â
Les Airelles, Le Jardin Alpin, 73120 Courchevel 1850, France
airelles.com
Ultima Courchevel Belvédère
Courchevel, France
The brainchild of luxury hospitality brand Ultima, this resort comprises a cluster of 13 ski-in, ski-out private residences on the sun-dappled Belvédère slopes in the heart of Les Trois Vallées, just a short ski from Courchevel 1850 and La Rosière forest. Each ski chalet offers four or five ensuite bedrooms, expansive living spaces and as-far-as-the-eye-can-see mountains vistas. Decor is luxuriant, from the Baccarat chandeliers and contemporary artwork to the marble bathrooms and huge rain showers.
But the USP here is that, while you may have this chalet all to yourself, should you require even the smallest thing, a fleet of concierges, butlers, chauffeurs and personal chefs is on hand to help; here you’re guaranteed nothing-is-too-much-trouble five-star service. There’s a shared guest-only bar and fine-dining restaurant, though you can equally feast in-chalet. Two spas offer sauna, hammam, fitness room, heated pools and an outdoor jacuzzi, with masseuses on hand to soothe aching post-ski muscles and therapists providing more unusual treatments such as yoga-focused cold therapy. Next day, after a hearty breakfast, the private lift will whizz you from your chalet straight into the boot room, from where you can ski straight out onto the slopes.Â
228 Route du Belvédère Courchevel Moriond, 73120 Courchevel, France
ultimacollection.com
Six Senses
Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Six Senses arrives in Switzerland this February in Crans-Montana. It may only be two hours from Geneva but the resort’s setting – on a sunny plateau, high above the Rhone Valley – is hard to beat. There are more than 87 miles of ski runs, and plenty of opportunities for post-slope cocktail drinking and shopping (Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Hermes…). Little wonder the hotel group chose to make its Swiss debut here with a ski-in, ski-out hotel that’s been sympathetically built to blend into the surroundings. Rooms and suites have views from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn, and the only sounds you’ll hear from your balcony are gurgling streams and the swish of skis. Inside is all solid woods and natural fabrics, immaculately furnished with squishy sofas, thick rugs and statement lighting.Â
At the end of the day, sip gluhwein on the sweeping terrace or cosy up by the crackling log fire in the Ora Bar & Lounge before dining at one of the two restaurants – all-day brasserie Wild Cabin or Byakko, where sushi and sake make a welcome change from fondue. In true Six Senses style, the spa is standout with nine treatment rooms, a Stretch Pod and a menu that combines biohacking with high-touch therapies; while the indoor swimming pool with its floor to ceiling glass windows (there’s a rooftop outdoor pool too) is the perfect place for easing end-of-the-day sore muscles.Â
Rte des Téléphériques 60, 3963 Crans-Montana, Switzerland
sixsenses.com
