Even guests who regularly experience 5-star service cannot fail to be impressed by the attention to detail at The Alpina Gstaad, and LISA YOUNG was surprised and heartened to discover the family that runs the luxury hotel in Switzerland also supports companies, artists and talents engaged in social and sustainable activities in the developing world
Gstaad’s philosophy is simple… come up, slow down.
Feeling philosophical, I traded in my fast-paced lifestyle for a few days of R&R at The Alpina Gstaad. This sophisticated, warm and exquisite mountain retreat is located at an altitude of 1,050 metres in the pristine Swiss Bernese Oberland Alps.
WINTER WONDERLAND: The Alpina Gstaad
Perched high at the top of opulent Gstaad, The Alpina Gstaad is an elegant affair with perfect service, drawing in wealthy travellers. It has a classic, romantic feel to it, yet it’s unlike any other hotel.
During the winter, the hotel becomes embalmed in deep snow and international skiers descend on this chocolate-box town for its pristine winter conditions and glacial skiing. Wintertime offers 40 kilometres of snow-covered, rock-free cow pastures where only 30 centimetres of snow base is needed to ski.
From Geneva Airport to Gstaad takes around three hours with one quick train change. I travelled by train to Montreux, hugging the shore of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Known as the Route du Lac, the winding tracks led us through ancient vineyards in the Lavaux wine region. Its UNESCO World Heritage terraced vineyards date back to the Roman days and stretch for 30 kilometres between Lausanne, Vevey and Montreux.
On arrival at Gstaad, my bags were scooped up by a chauffeur and transferred into a sleek, white, all-electric Tesla Model X car. Its doors rose up like wings, and I hopped in for a luxurious five-minute complimentary drive up the hillside to the hotel.
The hotel’s entrance is by way of an underground tunnel, until you arrive at the lobby entrance, which is showered in natural light from an opening in the roof.
In great contrast to the opulent surroundings, an old ’77 Chevy ice-cream van (pictured) is parked outside the hotel entrance. It has black silhouettes and splashed paint – the work of American artist Richard Hambleton and part of the hotel’s vast art collection. However, this is no ordinary ice-cream van. Known as the ‘Shadowman Van’, it has been transformed into a vehicle that helps community centres and refugee camps in Bangladesh and Uganda (more information here: to.org).
I’m greeted by Nachson Mimran, Chairman and Creative Director of The Alpina Gstaad. He’s involved in every meticulous detail of the hotel. Nachson and his brother, Arieh, also founded the investment platform to.org, supporting companies, artists and talents engaged in social and sustainable activities, mostly in the developing world.
Born in Switzerland and raised in Europe and West Africa by an American mother and Moroccan–French father, Nachson and two of his brothers (five children altogether) now run The Alpina Gstaad. Nachson’s father, Jean Claude Mimran, has little to do with the day-to-day running of the hotel. His interests remain largely in West Africa, where he has agricultural interests in the sugar industry.
As much as Nachson believes every hotel should have a reminder that linens and towels don’t have to be changed every day, he doesn’t believe it’s the only way forward to be a responsible and sustainable hotel. “We are a 5-star hotel with a 2,000 square metre spa, and we continuously aim to improve our waste management and energy consumption, but we are not a tree house in Costa Rica, so there is a limit to how sustainable we can actually be.
“I’m extremely proud of and humbled by what we’ve achieved, but there was something lacking. As a young entrepreneur with a mission to seek out and empower those trying to find solutions to social or environmental problems, there was a bit of a disconnect with what we were doing at the Alpina… catering to the very influential and privileged.
“We are in the business of providing exceptional service… but what’s beyond that?” he says.
It dawned on Nachson that, even in a place like Gstaad, there was an opportunity to share or use their platform (The Alpina Gstaad) as a space to share incredible things that are happening in the world and to try and find solutions to social or environmental problems.
“Our tagline is beyond expected,” he adds. “For us, beyond is a human-focused experience that hopefully takes interested guests on a journey. For example, on arrival, they see an ice-cream van parked at the front of the hotel, and at this point they don’t really understand why it’s there. They soon become aware that it’s a portal into other projects, showing how we use our platform for positive change.”
Another example… you see wolverine claws, worn by Hugh Jackman in Wolverine, in part of the hotel’s art collection. If you explore a little further, you realise the claws are a symbol of the hotel’s involvement with Leonardo DiCaprio and helping to reintegrate wolf populations in the North Pacific (USA)… and that leads to further discussion with guests.
The hotel, spa and kitchen are embedded in art and cultural programming to hopefully nudge guests in a certain direction without judgement, condescension or guilt, and get them engaged in what the hotel supports. In the spa, staff wear ocean plastic Adidas shoes, which is the hotel’s way of stating its stance on single-use plastic and the pollution of our oceans.
This exclusive alpine-chic hotel has been thoughtfully designed and decorated using traditional Swiss craftsmanship and materials, including stone, leather and centuries-old fir crafted by local artisans. Contemporary accents have been mixed with antique wood, while a traditional Swiss flavour is maintained. The hotel is full of cultural, ethnic and funky contemporary art. One of my favourite rooms has to be the huge basement cinema with around 40 big, comfy chairs and a popcorn cart. Perfect!
My opulent suite had a balcony that overlooked the hotel’s outdoor heated garden pool, surrounded by lounge chairs and with doting staff always at the ready to supply guests with exotic refreshments, even if it was the middle of winter and fresh snow was on the ground. The jaw-droppingly beautiful mountains felt so close and seemed to rise from around the edges of the pool.
The spellbinding mountains demanded my constant attention and so there was only one thing for it… it was time to ski!
After a visit to the hotel’s Silver Sport ski shop, I was soon on my way to the slopes of Wasserngrat (1,940 m), this time in a Mercedes V-Class spacious sedan with plenty of room for skiers and their gear. This complimentary shuttle service operates between 9am and 10pm, delivering guests to lifts and collecting them afterwards from rendezvous points or perhaps a restaurant or après-ski bar.
Gstaad has 200 kilometres of ski slopes between an altitude of 1,000 and 3,000 metres above sea level, plenty of ski touring areas, two snow parks, 10 snow sports schools, 142 kilometres of cross-country slopes, 184 kilometres of winter hiking trails, 80 kilometres of snow show shoe trails, 29 kilometres of sledding trails, a curling hall, winter biking trails, and ice-skating rinks. There’s also summer skiing on the nearby glacier.
The five main skiing areas are Rinderberg, Lengebrand, Saanerslochgrat, Hornberg and Eggli – and, with one quick phone call (or a pre-arranged rendezvous), The Alpina Gstaad will drop off and collect their guests from anywhere in the area.
Gstaad village is small but it’s packed with quaint cafés, designer clothing shops, sporting shops, exquisite food shops selling Swiss specialities – from cheeses to meats and pastries that, on sight, will make you drool – and abundant top-class restaurants.
After a day on the slopes, I dined at the Sommet Restaurant – the jewel in The Alpina Gstaad’s crown. It boasts a well-deserved Michelin star for its exceptional gourmet food.
The chef, Martin Göschel, prepared exquisite langoustine carpaccio with Osietra caviar; stuffed calamarata with scallop and crab and spicy peanut sauce; prime veal cutlet and stewed tail; and, finally, a white chocolate ball with hazelnut and warm caramel to end a delectable and refined dinner.
The Alpina Gstaad’s Japanese restaurant, Megu, is also outstanding and non-hotel guests drive from all over Switzerland to experience the succulent dishes, which include maguro tuna with spicy miso, crispy kanzuri shrimp, and silver cod with yuzu miso.
There’s also the Cigar Lounge, Wine Cellar and, of course, the cinema for after-dinner relaxation and popcorn!
The hotel’s magazine, re;source, is an introduction to the art, projects and products co-created and supported by The Alpina Gstaad and by to.org.
“The magazine offers insight into the activations, campaigns and events close to our hearts, and, once guests read it, perhaps they’ll join our journey,” says Nachson.
TRAVEL FACTS
Rates for winter season 6th December 2019 – 15 March 2020
Room prices start from £724 (CHF850) per night, double occupancy, including breakfast and a daily food and beverage credit of £85 per person per day in the hotel’s three restaurants, free access to the swimming pools, sauna, steam bath and relaxation areas of the Six Senses Spa, parking, as well as service charge, all taxes and VAT.
Flights:
Return flights from the UK with swiss.com start from £116.
Self-drivers:
For self-drivers, The Alpina Gstaad has a covered car park that guests may use free of charge. Valet parking is also provided. Private chauffer driven cars can also be arranged through the hotel. Small private aircraft can land at nearby Saanen landing strip, approximately 6 kilometres from the hotel, and helicopters can land within the hotel grounds.
Useful websites
Categories: Luxury ski and snowboard, Switzerland