10 Exceptional Ski Lodges and Resorts for Your Winter Escape

These are the finest ski lodges across the globe to consider for your next alpine retreat. Whether you want to experience the thrill of skiing in the French Alps, revel in Japan's legendary powdery snow, or savor a glass of high-altitude wine in Italy or Switzerland while lounging in a Mies van der Rohe chair, skiing has always been synonymous with luxury. The luxury ski lodges around the world offer unparalleled experiences.

Today's top ski resorts and their lodges encourage you to make the most of the slopes and indulge in post-ski pampering. These resorts offer a range of winter activities, such as electric mobile rides, extended night skiing, and twilight sleigh rides. After a day on the slopes, you can unwind with wellness and post-ski activities, including Wyda (silent Celtic yoga), stargazing, sake tastings, and on-site food markets.

As part of our "Hotels We Love" series, we have handpicked the top ski lodges to book this year. From cozy chalets in Canada to elegant hideaways in Switzerland and Japan's newest and largest slopes-adjacent retreat, here are our choices for the best ski lodges, listed in no particular order. So, put on your moon boots, secure your lift passes, and prepare for an exhilarating experience.

1. Six Senses Crans-Montana
   • Location: Crans-Montana, Switzerland
   • Why we adore it: A chic ski-in, ski-out hideaway with a spectacular spa
   • Loyalty program: IHG One Rewards
   • Opening its doors in February 2023, the Six Senses is a 45-room ski-in, ski-out complex nestled above the primary gondola in Crans-Montana, in Switzerland's French-speaking Canton Valais. The chalet-style accommodations are terraced, providing breathtaking views of either the Matterhorn or Mont Blanc, along with exclusive early access to the slopes every morning.
   • The property boasts a 21,500-square-foot spa, offering nine treatment rooms, an innovative Stretch Pod, a yoga studio, three thermal pools, steam rooms, and a hammam. Notably, the Biohack Recovery Lounge employs smart technology to optimize the body's natural healing processes, including NormaTec compression boots for alleviating lactic acid build-up, Hypervolt percussion massagers, and back wraps to soothe muscle tension after a day on the slopes. Prices start from $1,360.
2. The Omnia
   • Location: Zermatt, Switzerland
   • Why we adore it: Uninterrupted views of the Matterhorn and a secluded setting
   • The Omnia, a discreet 30-room member of Design Hotels, creates an ambiance reminiscent of a James Bond film. It is built into a mountain with a discreet cave-like entrance. Situated in a quiet corner of Zermatt, the timber building provides easy access to the lifts and some of the best Matterhorn views in town.
   • Expect furniture from renowned designers such as Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen. The recently renovated spa includes an indoor pool, thermal baths for rejuvenating post-ski legs, saunas, and steam rooms. The restaurant is a highlight, serving hearty yet healthy vegetable-focused dishes, including Walliser dumplings with forest mushrooms and dashi, and grilled cauliflower with miso Hollandaise and walnuts. The wine menu features numerous high-altitude varietals from Italy and Switzerland. In July 2023, a new glass-bottom gondola lift opened, whisking visitors from Zermatt to Italy over a glacier. Prices start from $400.
3. The Alpina Gstaad
   • Location: Gstaad, Switzerland
   • Why we adore it: A sophisticated retreat with traditional elements
   • Loyalty program: I Prefer (Preferred Hotels & Resorts)
   • The Alpina Gstaad, perched on a hill a short walk from the picturesque resort town of Gstaad, made its debut in 2012 as the first luxury hotel to open there in a century. It took the French and Swiss owners, based in Gstaad, 15 years to construct the six-story hotel on a five-acre plot while adhering to the town's strict building codes.
   • The lobby leaves a grand first impression with its contemporary artwork, double-height ceilings, sleek central staircase, and use of reclaimed wood from Switzerland, France, and Austria. The 58 timber-walled rooms, suites, and new residences, designed by Chaletbau Matti in collaboration with regional craftsmen, are a blend of contemporary and traditional elements. Abstract paintings and marble and timber-clad bathrooms with large soaking tubs coexist with carved wooden ceilings, hanging lamps made from embroidered leather cowbell straps, and painted wooden cupboards inspired by generations-old designs found in Swiss Alpine homes. Gas fireplaces provide additional comfort on cold nights. Prices start from $1,600.
4. Four Seasons Vail Residences
   • Location: Vail, Colorado
   • Why we adore it: Expansive, homey accommodations with Four Seasons service
   • The Four Seasons Resort Vail boasts an excellent location right by the slopes, but its spacious and contemporary 24 on-site residences provide a unique experience ideal for extended stays, enabling you to fully explore Vail's 195 slopes and 5,317 acres of skiable terrain. These individually designed rooms feature modern furnishings, including lasso-shaped chandeliers, and private balconies with whirlpools, panoramic mountain views, fire pits, and barbecues. The modern kitchens allow you to prepare your own meals, with or without the assistance of a private chef.
   • The extensive spa offers treatments designed to help you acclimatize to the high altitude, in addition to steam rooms, saunas, indoor and outdoor pools, and hot tubs. The dedicated ski concierge can facilitate backcountry excursions to powder-filled bowls, as well as activities like ice-skating, snowmobiling, dog-sledding, and cross-country skiing. Prices start from $850.
5. Aman Le Mélézin
   • Location: Les Trois Vallées, Courchevel, France
   • Why we adore it: Lavish accommodations with exclusive mountain access
   • The Aman Le Mélézin, a 31-room ski-in, ski-out Aman, is situated 2.5 hours away from Geneva or Lyon by train. It's located on the Bellecôte piste, which is part of France's massive Les Trois Vallées, the world's largest ski area, covering around 25,916 skiable acres.
   • While it's an excellent spot for post-ski pampering, it also serves as a cozy Alpine retreat where you can relax quietly, linger in the bilingual library, or enjoy champagne by the terrace's wood-burning heaters. The first tracks program allows you to hit the slopes early, and 2023 introduced moon biking, an off-piste adventure through the snow-covered mountainside of Pralong Farm on ultra-light electric snowbikes, a sustainable alternative to gas-powered snowmobiles. Also new are dusk horse-drawn sleigh rides to a chalet in Les Prés de la Croix, where you can savor a traditional Savoyard fondue dinner. Prices start from $3,000.
6. Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono
   • Location: Niseko, Japan
   • Why we adore it: Spacious guest rooms, private onsens, and early-morning slopes access
   • Loyalty program: World of Hyatt
   • Opened in 2020, Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono features 100 spacious guest rooms, including 28 suites, each equipped with a private onsen. These rooms occupy four separate buildings and offer stunning views of the Annupuri range. The spa, surrounded by a stream and bordered by birch trees, includes a pool and a tattoo-friendly onsen, a rarity in Japan, where tattoos are often considered taboo.
   • Accommodations come with deep soaking tubs, oversized beds, spacious walk-in closets for storing winter gear, and sofas that convert into an additional bed for families or small groups. The resort offers nearly a dozen restaurants, including a deli, sushi counter, cozy charcoal-grill robata, and French-Japanese teppanyaki, as well as a private karaoke dining room. On-site ski valet services cater to powder enthusiasts, and an early-bird first tracks program, led by the general manager, ensures you hit the slopes before they officially open. Prices start from $250.
7. Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan Onsen Hotel
   • Location: Nekoma Mountain, Japan
   • Why we adore it: Family and group-friendly with cultural activities and affordable rates
   • In December 2023, Japan will witness the unveiling of Nekoma Mountain, a merger of two ski resorts—Alts Bandai and Nekoma Snow Park & Resort—connected by a new lift, with a total of 13 lifts and 33 courses available. The ski-in, ski-out Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan Onsen Hotel is exceptionally budget-friendly and offers various room configurations suitable for groups or families.
   • The 149-room resort presents an array of activities, including morning food markets, hands-on programs for crafting local Aizu handicrafts, stargazing, sake tastings in the convivial sake bar, and a tiled onsen, spa, and pool. There is also a relaxed creperie and café offering casual dining, while the Aizu Yushoku Takazen restaurant serves superb Aizu cuisine, including local beef and miso dengaku dishes, glazed vegetables from Tohoku. Prices start from $90.
8. Das Edelweiss
   • Location: Grossarl, Austria
   • Why we adore it: A family-friendly wellness sanctuary with spacious new suites
   • A new wing of this expansive Alpine-style resort offers multiple wellness experiences. Located at the foot of Grossarltal-Dorfgastein Ski Area, about an hour by train from Salzburg, the resort features 18 lifts, 494 acres, and over 25 miles of skiable slopes with wide trails and consistent snow.
   • Guests can book one of the 17 new Family Suites, featuring knotty wood paneling and large terraces, providing extra space for groups with gear. The family wellness area includes over a dozen pools, including a three-story waterslide and a kid's area. In contrast, a more subdued adults-only spa features relaxation rooms, infrared saunas, fragrant steam rooms, and multiple thermal baths with views of the surrounding Alps. Prices start from $395.
9. Forestis
   • Location: Südtirol, Dolomites, Italy
   • Why we adore it: A modern retreat with a focus on wellness
   • Loyalty program: Invited (Small Luxury Hotels of the World)
   • Previously a tuberculosis sanatorium built for Austrian royalty, Forestis opened in Italy's German-speaking Südtirol in July 2020. This ski-in, ski-out property's 62 wood-clad suites are perched atop Mount Plose's Palmschoss chairlift and offer views of numerous slopes with 26 miles of winding trails beneath the jagged, honey-colored Dolomites.
   • The heart of the property is a 21,528-square-foot spa, constructed from mountain pine, spruce, larch, and stone pine. It incorporates the Celtic Tree astrology system and Celtic-based holistic treatments, including silent rooms for Wyda (Celtic yoga), saunas, and thermal baths. The resort also arranges snowshoeing, off-piste adventures, and sledding. Prices start from $620.

10. Fairmont Chateau Whistler

    • Location: Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
    • Why we adore it: Exceptional hospitality in a château setting
    • Loyalty program: Accor Live Limitless
    • For those seeking a ski château experience, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, with 539 rooms, is a fairy-tale château nestled in a forest of snow-covered evergreens. This ski-in, ski-out lodge is just a five-minute walk from the Blackcomb gondola, which transports you to North America's largest ski resort, featuring 200 marked runs, 8,171 acres of terrain, 16 alpine bowls, and three glaciers—making it a great choice for advanced skiers seeking an extended summer season.
    • While the resort is conveniently situated a 15-minute walk from the vibrant Olympic Plaza, everything you need can be found on the property. This includes a spa that embraces ancient Indian Ayurveda techniques, numerous indoor and outdoor heated and thermal pools, eucalyptus steam rooms, and three restaurants. The resort also offers cultural excursions to the local Indigenous Squamish and Lil'wat Nations. Prices start from $230.