From the Belle Époque palaces of St Moritz and Gstaad to Courchevel's modern palaces: nine hotels that have shaped the image of luxury winter holidays in the Alps – with their years, owners and accolades.
In this story · 4 sections
The grand hotels of the Alps belong to two eras. The first is the Belle Époque, when families like the Badrutts in St Moritz built palaces for British and European guests who had begun travelling to the mountains in winter. The second is the past few decades, when Courchevel became the densest collection of luxury hotels in the Alps and France introduced the official Palace distinction.
The distinction is awarded by Atout France, the French tourism development agency, to five-star hotels that meet additional requirements. The 2026 list includes 33 palaces in France, seven of them in the Alps. Switzerland has no equivalent state distinction, but the historic palaces in St Moritz and Gstaad hold a similar status. Here are nine hotels, with what we know about them. Prices and opening dates change every season and are available from the hotels themselves.
9 places
© OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap
- 01Kulm Hotel St. MoritzHotel · St. Moritz Dorf
- 02Badrutt's PalaceHotel · St. Moritz
- 03Gstaad PalaceHotel · Gstaad
- 04The Alpina GstaadHotel · Oberbort, Gstaad
- 05Airelles Courchevel, Les AirellesHotel · Courchevel 1850
- 06Cheval Blanc CourchevelHotel · Courchevel 1850
- 07Le K2 PalaceHotel · Courchevel 1850
- 08Four Seasons Resort MegèveHotel · Mont d'Arbois, Megève
- 09Hôtel Royal, Évian-les-BainsHotel · Évian-les-Bains
St Moritz: where it all began
Kulm Hotel St. Moritz
The hotel where winter tourism was born
According to the hotel's own history, it was here in September 1864 that Johannes Badrutt bet his British guests that they would enjoy St Moritz in winter. In 1878, Switzerland's first electric arc light was lit in the hotel's dining room. At the Winter Olympics of 1928 and 1948, the opening ceremonies were held in Kulm Park, next to the hotel.
- The bet
- 1864
- Electric light
- 1878
Via Veglia 18, St. Moritz
Insider tipHigh up in St. Moritz Dorf with views over the lake.
Badrutt's Palace
The tower over the lake
Caspar Badrutt bought the Hotel Beau Rivage in 1864 and rebuilt it into what became Badrutt's Palace, which opened in 1896. The hotel was designed by Chiodera & Tschudy and has 112 rooms and 43 suites. The tower, which burnt down in 1967 and was rebuilt, is one of the town's symbols. The hotel is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
- Opened
- 1896
- Rooms and suites
- 112 rooms, 43 suites
Via Serlas, St. Moritz
Insider tipA few hundred metres from the Kulm.
Gstaad: the castle and the newcomer
Gstaad Palace
The castle on the hill
Gstaad Palace opened in December 1913 as the village's first luxury hotel, designed by the Dutch architect Adrien van Dorsser. Since 1947 it has been run by the Scherz family. In 1915, a tennis tournament was held here that later became the Swiss Open, and a vaulted cellar used during the Second World War to store valuables is today a fondue restaurant.
- Opened
- December 1913
- Scherz family
- since 1947
Palacestrasse 28, Gstaad
Insider tipOn a hill above the village, visible from the whole valley.
The Alpina Gstaad
The modern chalet palace
The Alpina Gstaad opened in 2012 in the Oberbort area, above the Promenade, and is built of wood and stone in the local chalet style. The hotel represents the new generation in Gstaad: as discreet as the old palaces, but built for today.
- Opened
- 2012
Alpinastrasse 23, Gstaad
Insider tipA couple of minutes' walk from the car-free Promenade.
Courchevel: five palaces in one resort
Airelles Courchevel, Les Airelles
The façade at the Jardin Alpin
Les Airelles stands in the wooded Jardin Alpin area of Courchevel 1850, with direct access to the slopes. The hotel holds the Palace distinction and is the flagship of the Airelles group, which also has palaces in Gordes and Saint-Tropez. Its façade with painted details and turrets is one of the most photographed in the Alps.
- Distinction
- Palace (Atout France 2026)
Rue du Jardin Alpin, Courchevel
Insider tipOpen in the winter season only.
Cheval Blanc Courchevel
LVMH's first Cheval Blanc
Cheval Blanc Courchevel opened in 2006 as the first hotel of LVMH's Cheval Blanc brand, which has since gained siblings in Paris, Saint-Tropez and Saint-Barthélemy, among others. It is home to Le 1947 à Cheval Blanc, Yannick Alléno's restaurant, which has three stars in the Guide Michelin 2026.
- Opened
- 2006
- Restaurant
- Le 1947, three Michelin stars
Rue du Jardin Alpin, Courchevel
Insider tipNext to Les Airelles by the Jardin Alpin.
Le K2 Palace
One of Courchevel's five palace hotels
Le K2 Palace is one of Courchevel's five palaces on Atout France's 2026 list. The Guide Michelin lists the hotel's Peruvian restaurant L'Altiplano. Its sister property Le K2 Altitude has the restaurant L'Altitude, which won its first Michelin star in 2026.
- Distinction
- Palace (Atout France 2026)
Insider tipOpen in the winter season only.
Megève and Évian: Rothschild and a royal name
Four Seasons Resort Megève
On Rothschild's mountain
Four Seasons Resort Megève opened in December 2017 on Mont d'Arbois, the slope that Noémie de Rothschild chose for her alpine project in 1920. The hotel consists of four chalets with 55 rooms, three restaurants and a 900-square-metre spa, and it holds the Palace distinction.
- Opened
- December 2017
- Rooms
- 55
Route du Bilan, Megève
Insider tipBy the slopes of Mont d'Arbois, a little way outside the village.
Hôtel Royal, Évian-les-Bains
The palace on Lake Geneva
The Hôtel Royal was inaugurated on 16 June 1909, designed by the Parisian architect Albert Hébrard for the Société des eaux minérales d'Évian. The name comes from King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, who had a suite reserved but died in 1910 without having visited. The hotel hosted the G8 summit in 2003 and was chosen as the venue for the G7 summit in June 2026.
- Opened
- 16 June 1909
- Park
- 19 hectares
960 Avenue du Léman, Évian-les-Bains
Insider tipA summer palace rather than a ski hotel, with a 19-hectare park above the lake.
At a glance
The hotels at a glance
| Hotel | Resort | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Badrutt's Palace | St Moritz | 1896 |
| Hôtel Royal | Évian-les-Bains | 1909 |
| Gstaad Palace | Gstaad | 1913 |
| Cheval Blanc Courchevel | Courchevel | 2006 |
| The Alpina Gstaad | Gstaad | 2012 |
| Four Seasons Resort Megève | Megève | 2017 |
The property market in the resorts can be found on VERA PI's pages about Courchevel and Megève. More destinations can be found among metromode.co's destinations.
