Where to stay this ski season, from boutique chalets to lux spas

As the first snows of the season start to fall, mountain towns across the Alps welcome winter visitors with a slew of smart new hotels and reimagined grand dames. And this year is no different, with upscale brands including the Mandarin Oriental stepping in to transform landmark lodgings into sprawling ski-and-spa spots, and culinary trailblazers including The Experimental Group bring their cocktail-fuelled city chic to the snowy peaks. Spa hotels continue to be big news in the Alps, with a focus on relaxation and mind-body rejuvenation to counterbalance those high-octane moments on the slopes – and recover from the apres-ski fun that follows. From gourmet getaways to ski-in-ski-out boutique hotels, here are the best places to bed down in the Alps this season.

1. Experimental Chalet, Val d’Isère

France’s swishest ski resort welcomes the newest hotel offering from the Experimental cocktail group. Within this revamp of the long-running L’Aigle des Neiges lodge, you’ll find two new restaurants, a spa and — naturally — a cocktail bar serving Alpine iterations of the Paris firm’s award-winning libations. In a resort replete with après-ski, this looks set to stand in a class of its own. From €423 (£356) per night, room only.

2. The Brecon, Adelboden

Welsh chef Bryn Williams opened a restaurant at The Cambrian hotel here in the Swiss Alps a few years ago, and as chef at Adelboden’s latest design hotel, he also doffs its cap to Cymru. Launched in summer 2024 the Brecon rewards visitors with a 1960s aesthetic, a panoramic living room, outdoor pool and kitchen led by Williams’s well-oiled team. Access to the valley’s three ski areas (Engstligenalp, Tschentenalp and Silleren) is the icing on the Swiss-Welsh cake. From CHF650 (£580) per night, all-inclusive.

3. Eriro, Ehrwalder Alm

On the fringe of the busy Austrian Tyrol resorts is hardly-heard-of Ehrwalder Alm, and this new nine-room getaway. Accessible only by cable-car, Eriro is the resort’s only ski in, ski out hotel, meaning first access to deserted pistes, even before staff appear, while the basement spa hosts two pools and treatment rooms harnessing the curative powers of locally foraged herbs. Add in guided nature hikes and you’ll find it all wonderfully distinct from the traditional Austrian resort. From €1,550 (£1,300) per night, all-inclusive.

4. Berghoferin, Dolomites

New SkyAlps flights from London to Bolzano have opened up the South Tyrol for skiers, and this remodelled hotel and spa set amid the blush-pink beauty of the snaggletooth Dolomites is this season’s must-stay hotel break for Italy. Blissfully isolated near Redagno, it’s cradled by a clutch of UNESCO-listed summits and forests, with cross-country skiing on the doorstep. From €390 (£350) per night, B&B.

5. Der Böglerhof, Alpbach

This Zillertal region hotel near beautiful Alpbach has a timeless feel and a dedication to health and wellbeing. The valley’s standout place to stay has also had a makeover, with a new wellness complex, outdoor pool, yoga studio and expanded family spa. And surrounding it all is the serene 70-mile Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau area. From €340 (£290) per night, B&B.

6. Der Böglerhof, Alpbach

This Zillertal region hotel near beautiful Alpbach has a timeless feel and a dedication to health and wellbeing. The valley’s standout place to stay has also had a makeover, with a new wellness complex, outdoor pool, yoga studio and expanded family spa. And surrounding it all is the serene 70-mile Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau area. From €340 (£290) per night, B&B.

7. Mürren Palace, Jungfrau Region

This Swiss grand dame reopens at the end of 2024, 150 years after it first welcomed guests in 1874. As well as a top-to-toe refit, there’s a new extension, plus 45 suites that ooze the sort of glam that once attracted Rita Hayworth here. Nearby, the Schilthorn summit is getting an upgraded cable-car that’s set to launch in March 2025, offering swifter piste access. From CHF335 (£280) per night, B&B.

8. Evi Hob, Orelle

A quick schuss away from Val Thorens, this Trois Vallées speck on the map feels like a small ski town time forgot. But perhaps no longer, as this season it’s welcoming its first hotel-hostel, with doubles, family rooms and dormitories, a typical French Savoyard kitchen and a lounge bar. Better still, your skis will hardly have kissed the snow before you’re on the cable-car — it’s a mere 50m from the hotel. Doubles from €128 (£110) per night, dorm beds from €79 (£67), B&B.

9. Mandarin Oriental Cortina, Dolomites

Ahead of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics in 2026, the resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo is shoehorning in plenty of activity. First Hotel Cortina, in what was the Hotel Splendide Venezia, is set to open near year’s end but, before that, Mandarin Oriental is debuting its first Alpine resort. The 83-room hotel will reimagine the grand old Hotel Cristallo, dating back to 1901, with a commanding, shelf-like view over the valley. The Herzog & de Meuron design includes a pool that flows inside and outside the property, plus there are ski butlers. The drawback? Soon, the whole world will be visiting. Room rate tbc.

10. MAD Retreat Hôtel, Nendaz

When is a Swiss hotel not a hotel? When it’s a collection of 25 preserved granaries that have been transformed into cosy rooms, a vegetarian restaurant and a spa that’s focused on mind-body rejuvenation: a holistic recipe that’s increasingly a blueprint for Alpine spa hotel development. R&R is MAD Retreat’s raison d’etre, so it’s adults-only, but with the Les 4 Vallées ski region catering for every snowy activity and ability imaginable, it’s understandable if you leave more exhausted than when you arrived. Rooms: Doubles from £450, all inclusive.