Fresh tracks, fur throws and a very good glass of something warm.
There is a particular kind of joy in the first morning of a ski holiday. The hush of the fresh snow, the crunch of a boot clicking into place, the knowledge that a hot chocolate (or something stronger) is waiting for you at lunch. Winter 2026 is shaping up to be a cracker, with new openings, glossy reopenings and a few seriously stylish hideaways to book now.
The trouble, of course, is choice. Do you want ski-in/ski-out convenience, a spa the size of a small village, a Michelin-starred menu, or a private chalet where nobody will see you in your dressing gown at 11am? (We know which one we’d pick. It changes daily.)
So we’ve done the legwork. This is our edit of the ski hotels worth the flight, the transfer and the inevitable bruised ego on the red run. Pour yourself a mulled wine and settle in.
Ski hotels at a glance
- Best for families: Hotel Le Coucou, Méribel
- Best for adults-only escapes: Casa Cook Madonna, Dolomites
- Best for a concierge who thinks of everything: Saint Roch, 3 Vallées
- Best for powder seekers: Niseko Village, Japan
- Best for old-school glamour: Badrutt’s Palace, St Moritz
- Best for ultimate ski-in/ski-out luxury: Aman Le Mélézin, Courchevel
- Best for design lovers: Juvet Landscape Hotel, Norway
Hotel Le Coucou, Méribel, France
Best for: Family ski holidays with serious style
Price per night: From around £665 (€780), half board
Reopens: 11th December 2026 (open until 3rd April 2027)
Here is a family hotel that doesn’t look like one. Le Coucou is designed by Pierre Yovanovitch, so expect warm, layered interiors where alpine tradition meets modern comfort, rather than a bouncy castle in the lobby. It sits at the foot of the Rond-Point des Pistes, which means exceptional ski-in/ski-out access (hear, hear).
Of the 55 rooms, 39 are family suites, and there are two private chalets for those who like their own front door. A five-star stay that makes everyone from toddlers to teenagers feel looked after? We’ll take it, and a long lunch while we’re there.
Casa Cook Madonna, Madonna di Campiglio, Italy
Best for: Adults-only calm in the Dolomites
Reopens: 3rd December 2026
Price per night: From around £240 (€280), breakfast included. This is the winter rate quoted at launch, so check current rates.
If Casa Cook’s laid-back, nature-first aesthetic is your idea of heaven in summer, wait until you see it with snow on the ground. Now entering its second winter, this adults-only boutique hotel sits in the pretty village of Madonna di Campiglio, moments from 150km of world-class pistes. The nearest airports are Verona and Milan Bergamo, which makes it surprisingly easy to reach.
The design is all simplicity and authenticity, but with that unmistakably chic Casa Cook finish. Lifts are minutes away, and if you’d rather skip the adrenaline, there are snowshoe hikes, glacier trails and curated experiences to try instead. Back at base, you’ll find a spa, sauna, gym and yoga sessions, plus a menu by three Michelin-starred chef Jacob Jan Boerma, built on local, seasonal ingredients. Don’t skip dinner. No, really.
Saint Roch, Maisons Pariente, Courchevel 1850, France
Best for: A concierge-led alpine refuge at the foot of the slopes
Price per night: From around £1,110 (€1,300), breakfast included
Opens: 18th December 2026
Maisons Pariente has opened its fifth address in France and second in the Alps, and what a way to do it. Saint Roch sits right on the piste, steps from the village centre, with privileged access to the 3 Vallées, one of the largest ski areas in the world. There’s a ski shop on site, so your equipment and fittings are sorted in-house and every departure and return is delightfully effortless.
The concierge is the real star. Dogsledding through the forest, snowmobiling after dark, a helicopter flight over the peaks, dinner served high on the mountain: days are shaped around you, whether you want to ski hard or simply soak up French mountain living.
The 37 rooms and suites are all warm materials, subtle light and enveloping textures, moving from intimate (Superior) through Deluxe to expansive (Prestige), with suites that open into proper living spaces. On the fifth floor, two Prestige Suites can be booked on their own, and with three adjoining rooms they become the Penthouse, an entire top floor for one family or group. Very Christmas-with-the-whole-clan.
Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Aosta Valley, Italy
Best for: Spa time beneath Mont Blanc
Price per night: From around £160 (indicative, based on summer dates), with winter nights typically higher
Open: Throughout the winter season (the hotel now stays open year-round)
Here’s a five-star that never really shuts up shop. Following the success of staying open year-round in 2025, R Collection’s Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc is once again open throughout the season, so you can enjoy the Aosta Valley at a slower, more peaceful pace.
The setting is spectacular, right beneath the dramatic peaks of Mont Blanc, and breakfast comes with a view of the mountain itself. Come evening, there are signature cocktails at the Equinox Lounge Bar and refined dining at La Fourchette Restaurant. The 500-square-metre ERRE SPA is the après-ski ace up its sleeve, with an indoor pool, sauna, Turkish bath, outdoor solarium and a fully equipped gym. Book the treatment and linger. You’ve earned it.
Niseko Village, Hokkaido, Japan
Best for: Powder-chasers and first-timers alike
Opens: 28th November 2026
Price per night (Moxy Niseko Village): From around £87, rising to about £480 in peak season
Japan’s snow has a reputation, and Niseko Village, part of YTL Hotels, is ready for another big season. White Season returns on 28th November with two launches that deserve your attention: the new Moxy Niseko Village and a next-generation gondola system.
Moxy brings 310 playful, bold guestrooms to the base of the mountain, ski-in/ski-out and right beside the Niseko Village Gondola. Expect Japanese craft-inspired interiors, three dining and social venues, a 24/7 fitness centre and an outdoor foot onsen (yes, please) for sore ski legs. It’s the fun, sociable pick on this list rather than the hushed one, and we’re fine with that.
The star of the show may be the new Mori-no Gondola. It doubles transport capacity across 86 cabins, including four VIP cabins with tables for light dining and two glass-floor cabins for a thrilling new view of the snow-draped terrain. Elsewhere in the resort, you’ll find the Niseko-yo dining precinct for food lovers, a Kids’ Club for ages 1.5 to 9, the wabi-sabi apartments of Hinode Hills and the lively ski-in/ski-out Hilton Niseko Village. One of Japan’s most complete ski destinations, full stop.
mama thresl, Leogang, Austria
Best for: Choosing your own mountain mood
mama thresl price per night: From around £175 per room (indicative)
Winter opening: Exact hotel dates to be confirmed.
Down the road, mama thresl is the playful, sociable sibling, with easy access to skiing and snowboarding, a relaxed restaurant and bar, rooftop relaxation areas and a properly lively après-ski scene.
Four Seasons Resort Megève, France
Best for: Chic, polished mountain living
Price per night: From around £1,710 (€2,000)
Reopens: 16th December 2026
Megève has long been the stylish choice for those who want their alpine village with a side of elegance, and the Four Seasons Resort Megève is a fitting address. It sits up on Mont d’Arbois, offering the kind of seamless service the brand does best. If you like your ski holiday smooth, glamorous and impeccably organised, this is your hotel.
Badrutt’s Palace, St Moritz, Switzerland
Best for: Old-school alpine glamour
Price per night: From £1,008 (low season) to £1,602 (high season) for a room
Winter season: 3rd December 2026 to 30th March 2027
Come on, it’s Badrutt’s Palace! St Moritz’s grand dame has been welcoming the well-heeled since the 1890s, and it still sets the standard for winter sparkle in the Engadin valley. It’s a hotel for dressing up for dinner, for people-watching in the lobby and for feeling very much part of the St Moritz story. Book it for the full “winter in Switzerland” fantasy.
Eriro Alpine Hide, Ehrwald, Austria
Best for: A discreet Tyrolean hideaway
Price per night: From around £660 per person (€775), all-inclusive of meals, drinks and activities
Winter opening: Dates to be confirmed with the hotel
Tucked into the Tyrolean village of Ehrwald, in the shadow of the Zugspitze, Eriro Alpine Hide is the one for those who like their luxury quiet and a little secret. It’s a design-led retreat that trades flash for atmosphere, which, after a day of lift queues, might be exactly what you want.
COMO Alpina Dolomites, Italy
Best for: Wellness with a mountain view
Price per night: From around £500 (€588) in low season, with peak winter nights considerably higher
Winter season: December to March (exact opening date to be confirmed)
COMO Hotels has brought its signature wellness-minded calm to the Dolomites, and the result is a mountain retreat that feels as good for the body as for the Instagram grid. If your idea of a ski holiday includes a proper reset between runs, this is the address to pencil in.
Aman Le Mélézin, Courchevel, France
Best for: Ultimate ski-in/ski-out luxury
Price per night: From £2,871 (low season) to £5,314 (high season) for a room, half board
Winter season: 10th December 2026 to 4th April 2027
Courchevel 1850 is the glitziest corner of the French Alps, and Aman Le Mélézin is its quietly confident star. Slide out of the door onto the slopes, then return to Aman’s trademark serenity, with a spa and understated interiors that let the mountain do the talking. It’s pricey, yes. It’s also very, very good.
Juvet Landscape Hotel, Valldal, Norway
Best for: Design lovers who want wild, snowy wilderness
Price per night: From around £250 to £330 for a Landscape Room
Open: Late February to the end of November, so it’s closed over Christmas and for most of the ski season
Not your typical ski hotel, and that’s the point. Juvet’s glass-walled cabins are dotted through the Norwegian landscape, so you wake up with the mountains practically in the room (film fans might recognise it from Ex Machina). It’s the one for people who want snowy wilderness and architecture more than lift queues. Pack your thermals and your sense of adventure.
Still dreaming of that first chairlift ride? Us too. Start booking.
