FIVE-STAR SKIING: NEW-ERA ALPINE HOTELS

Back in 2007, the Experimental Group launched its speakeasystyle Experimental Cocktail

Club on a small side street in Paris. The group has since expanded into hip boutique hotels, wine bars and restaurants, setting up venues in London, New York, Ibiza and, more recently, the Alps. The Experimental Chalet, which opened in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier last December, recently finished its first season to resounding success. This new take on mountain luxury is decked out in bright tiles and muted velvets, with a buzzy brasserie and an airy cocktail bar on the first floor. Laid-back and clubby, it’s the sort of place where you’re more likely to hang out in jeans and trainers than get dressed up for dinner.

Valsana Hotel & Appartements, which launched in the Swiss resort of Arosa last year, has a similar feel. The funky offspring of the old-school Tschuggen Grand Hotel, it’s decorated with splashes of bright colours and bold prints. There’s also a nice nod to sustainability in the form of an ice battery, which converts waste heat to reusable energy.

The newly refurbished Riders Hotel in Laax, meanwhile, has a distinctly industrial feel, featuring plywood beds, polished concrete floors and a basement nightclub. It’s set to reopen in late September this year, in time for the upcoming ski season.

Another new player on the Alpine accommodation scene is the boutique Huus Hotel in Gstaad, its open-plan hang-out areas decorated with jewel-toned furniture and vast bookshelves. There’s also a weekend DJ and a tempting gin-based cocktail menu for apresski refreshments.

Communal areas, it seems, are key, as demonstrated by Maison et Hôtels Sibuet’s Terminal Neige. The brand’s Refuge du Montenvers, in Chamonix, and Terminal Neige Totem, a ski-in ski-out hotel in Flaine, offer an on-trend mix of rough wood, exposed light bulbs and colourful statement furniture.

Those who prefer the ‘apres’ to the ‘ski’ should keep an eye out for nightclub brand La Folie Douce, which last year opened its first hotel in Chamonix. Set in the former Savoy Palace, this slopeside hotel has four fashionable restaurants, a spa, a cracking kids’ club and daily yoga classes.

The one thing these places have in common is fun. Ski hard, then head back and party hard. Alternatively, relax with an Aperol spritz, tuck into comfort food or hang out in the lobby listening to a DJ. Like any good city club, there’s no need to leave. experimentalchalet.com valsana.ch ridershotel.com huusgstaad.com montenvers. terminal-neige.com lafoliedoucehotels.com FK

ABOVE: Riders Hotel in Laax, Switzerland