The Alps are filled with legendary resorts that are home to starred hotels, stretching from France through Switzerland and Italy. Then, in order to stand out from the competition, architects and designers exercise an expert off-piste. Unparalleled structures move in escalating luxuries cocoons, ready to receive a group of rich skiers.
The short history of emblematic ski resorts
Rich English people were the first to think of skiing as a form of leisure, seeking novel thrills. Stick planting was first popularized as a sport in 1920. With her keen intuition, Baroness Maurice de Rothschild identified Megève’s tourism industry and established her first hotel. Others quickly imitate them. Winter sports have not yet become more accessible in the Alps, but the luxury hotel sector has already moved in. Then, an irrepressible and extraordinarily fertile industry was born in the virgin valleys of Gstaad and Courchevel.
The architecture and interior design of the most upscale hotels in the Alps remain opulent cocoons where guests may retreat after a tiring day of skiing, whether they are futuristic, modern, or classic. The evidence is in the photos!
