Hotel Tannenhof – seven suites, two Michelin Keys, two Michelin stars

Hotel Tannenhof occupies the sunniest position in St. Anton am Arlberg, a century-old landmark rebuilt piece by piece in 2011 above what locals call the birthplace of Alpine skiing. Perched at 1,350 metres, it holds just seven suites and a staff of 24 looking after a handful of guests around the clock. The MICHELIN Guide promoted the house from one to two Keys this year, recognising a place of singular, unhurried character, while its own kitchen carries a distinction rarer still: when the Guide Michelin returned to Austria on 21 January 2025 after a fifteen-year gap, chef Dennis Ilies and his team won two stars for Gourmetrestaurant Tannenhof at the very first attempt, having taken over the stoves only that October and earned the stars within seven weeks. The result is less a conventional hotel than a private Alpine retreat, down to the helicopter transfers arranged from the village helipad and the chauffeur waiting to meet them.

01The house

Tannenhof's reputation runs deeper than its current, resolutely modern interiors suggest. Rebuilt piece by piece in 2011, this century-old landmark occupies the sunniest position in St. Anton, the birthplace of Alpine skiing, and the reconstruction left the building looking contemporary rather than nostalgic despite its age. Inside, dark, aged timber recovered from the original Tannenhof still lines parts of the house, giving the new structure a sense of inherited history, while the whole property is redecorated each year with work by a single chosen artist, pieces guests can also buy.

Perched at 1,350 metres, the location combines sweeping views over the village and the Verwallgruppe with direct access to snowy forest and the nearby slopes. A team of 24 looks after what amounts to a handful of guests at any one time, around the clock - the kind of ratio that explains why Tannenhof reads more like a private house than a hotel.

02Rooms and suites

There are seven suites across three floors, no two alike, each one, in the MICHELIN Guide's own words, a luxurious world of its own: generously sized, minimally furnished, finished in warm wood with a curated selection of art. The standard Suite runs to around 80 square metres; the Master Suite, at 200 square metres, adds two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an office around a large dining table built for gathering family and friends, with views over St. Anton and the Verwallgruppe peaks.

Insider tip

Closed May–July; restaurant season 29 July–31 October 2026, Wednesday–Saturday.

Custom box-spring beds measuring 2.1 by 2.2 metres come with a pillow menu, bathrooms have a freestanding tub and rain-dance showers, and every suite keeps an open fireplace and oak flooring that carries through into the restaurant and fireside room.

03Where to eat

Gourmetrestaurant Tannenhof is the house's crowning distinction: when the Guide Michelin returned to Austria on 21 January 2025 after fifteen years without an edition, chef Dennis Ilies and his team earned two stars immediately, having arrived as head chef only in October 2024 and been awarded the stars within seven weeks. Ilies, shaped by a stint at the three-MICHELIN-starred The Table Kevin Fehling in Hamburg, built his menu around the idea "Taste the Alps, discover the world" - alpine ingredients enhanced with flavours and techniques gathered on his travels.

A second, looser register runs alongside it: à la carte, Ilies favours a sharing concept of many small plates, casual and unpretentious rather than formal, built for the pure pleasure of tasting. The cellar is treasured like a precious gem and curated by the house sommelier, who also advises on pairing, and the kitchen holds four toques in the Austrian Gault Millau guide alongside its two MICHELIN stars.

04The bar

Dennis Ilies is not only a two-MICHELIN-starred chef but also an award-winning bartender, and the Tannenhof bar runs on the same restless curiosity as his kitchen. With a rotary evaporator and laboratory-grade technique, he builds signature cocktails and mocktails from flavours picked up on his travels, and creates an elaborate non-alcoholic pairing to run alongside the tasting menu for guests who skip wine altogether. Evenings settle around the fireplace, with bar snacks to match the drinks.

05Spa and wellbeing

The spa adds its own layer of pampering across 500 square metres: a 15-metre pool with a counter-current system, a spring-water plunge pool, indoor and outdoor whirlpools, an outdoor sauna and an aroma steam bath, all set against panoramic views of the St. Anton mountains. Two treatment rooms handle classic and beauty therapies, and a small, well-equipped fitness room - Power Plate, Kinesis wall, rowing machine - sits alongside a quiet lounge for tea, fruit and house-made syrups; yoga can be arranged in-suite on request.

The spa also takes day guests by arrangement. In October 2026 the hotel listed a Mini Day Spa from 9am to 2pm at €80 per person, a Full Day Spa from 9am to 8pm at €160, and a Gourmet & Spa Day, combining treatments with a meal from the star kitchen, at €200.

06The neighbourhood

St. Anton am Arlberg is known as the cradle of Alpine skiing, its slopes shaped by decades of pristine, powdery snow and routes that have hosted professional championships. The village itself rewards a walk beyond the hotel garden, with traditional Tyrolean lodges and stone farmhouses, a historic church and cosy restaurants along its lanes. Tannenhof sits on Nassereinerstraße, a short walk from the Nassereinbahn lift and the Hoppelweg, close enough to the lifts for a quick descent yet removed from the village's main through-traffic.

07Making the most of a stay

Guests short on time can fly directly to the St. Anton heliport, where Tannenhof's own shuttle collects them for the final stretch up to the hotel; a chauffeured car service also runs free within town during winter. The house typically closes for the season between May and July, with the restaurant and Day Spa this year operating a summer and autumn season from 29 July to 31 October 2026, Wednesday to Saturday. With only seven suites and a kitchen now drawing attention well beyond the Arlberg, booking - whether for a room, the tasting menu or simply the spa - rewards planning well ahead of a trip.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.