Alpina Gstaad

Blending state-of-the-art amenities and decadent creature comforts into a relaxed but chic “Alpine Modern” setting, the Alpina Gstaad feel like a stylish friend’s chalet.

• The three-bedroom Panorama Suite—a duplex equipped with a full kitchen and a private rooftop spa with a breathtaking views
• The modern Japanese cuisine served at Megu restaurant
• The clubby cigar lounge modeled after a bar in Havana
• The lobby’s incredible contemporary art by the likes of Tracey Emin, Dan Colen and Carol Bove and Baroque ceiling mural salvaged from a nearby chalet.

The first new luxury hotel to open in Gstaad in 100 years, the Alpina seamlessly blends state-of-the-art amenities and decadent creature comforts into a relaxed but chic “Alpine Modern” setting. Many of the handsome decorative elements adorning the hotel have been locally sourced (including leather, limestone, salvaged wood, crystal, and woolen fabrics), but it is the idiosyncratic homey touches that make the Alpina feel less like a ski resort and more like a stylish friend’s immense and ultra luxurious chalet. Room accessories like a hip collection of Taschen art books on the bedside bookshelf, a super-soft cashmere throw casually tossed over the armchair, and a potted plant on the nightstand give even the standard rooms an appealingly personalized feeling.

Each guestroom is equipped with an iPad (tucked inside the drawer of the red leather-covered desk), a state-of-the-art Bang & Olufsen entertainment system, silky Frette sheets, and delicious Acqua di Parma products in the bathroom (which includes separate shower and oversized tub.) Design details such as cowbell-inspired bedside lamps, a beautifully embossed leather headboard, and vintage black and white photographs of snowy Gstaad village, evoke the unique history of the town as both a ritzy Alpine resort and a traditional Swiss farming village. The walls of the guestrooms (and most of the hotel, for that matter) are rustic—made from raw wood salvaged from old farmhouses. The floors, by contrast, are quite decadently heated from below ensuring no cold feet. Every guestroom has a spacious balcony, some with incredible views overlooking Gstaad village and the mountains beyond.

Lavish but never garish, the Alpina’s suites take the well-achieved balance of modern and antique design to the next level. Here you will find the Bang & Olufsen entertainment centers discretely tucked away inside 19th-century Swiss armoires decorated with ornate inlays and original hand-painted patterns. The three-bedroom “Panorama Suite” duplex has a full kitchen as well as a private roof-top spa featuring a steam room, sauna, and outdoor hot-tub with an incredible outlook over the Bernese Oberlands—with Glacier 3000 at the top and the sparkling lights of Gstaad town below.

The heart of the hotel is the first floor lounge/bar area, where guests can settle in to comfortable couches for hot cocoa by the roaring fire or sip cocktails at the swanky bar. Here again, traditional Swiss design elements and materials meet with exceptional contemporary flair. In the lounge, local Ringgenberg limestone walls, embossed leather-wrapped columns, and a beautifully restored baroque ceiling mural (salvaged from a nearby home) create an unlikely, but delightful setting for a fashionable collection of international contemporary art by the likes of Tracey Emin, Dan Colen, and Carol Bove. The beautiful open space of the lofted lounge, which centers on a grand staircase leading down to the main lobby, manages to be both majestic and cozy. With plenty of romantic nooks and spectacular mountain views, the space works equally well for daytime lounging and late-night reveling (an in-house DJ spins on the weekends.)

The Six Senses Spa just off the hotel lobby on the ground floor is a cavernous (2,000 square meter), but tranquil oasis that features a state-of-the-art fitness center, a yoga studio, a hammam, a salt room, a juice bar and twelve private treatment rooms. The spa menu offers collagen and oxygen facials as well as a variety of massages (Shiatsu, Thai, Hot Stone, and Swedish.) The 25-meter indoor pool has LED lights, a skylight, and two Jacuzzi hot tubs.

Those looking to combine a luxurious state-of-the-art hotel experience with the charm and authenticity of staying a friend’s elegant chalet.

Editor's Note: There have been negative member comments about slow and bad service at the hotel’s restaurants, but the property is working on this issue.