Courchevel 1850, France · Opened 2006 · LVMH · 36 rooms and suites
By invitation. Bernard Arnault built this house for himself first and opened it to guests second, and it shows in a way no committee-designed hotel manages. Thirty-six keys, a private ski room per guest, and a staff who have spent the summer preparing for your week.
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them we may earn a commission — it never affects our selection or what we write.
Thirty-six keys in a building that could hold three times that many. The consequence is space: wide corridors, a ski room where each guest has a private cabin with warmed boots, and public rooms that never feel occupied. Sybille de Margerie's interiors use white, silver and pale wood rather than the carved-pine cliché of the Alps, and they have aged better than almost anything else built in Courchevel that decade.
Genuine ski-in ski-out onto the Jardin Alpin, which feeds directly into the Three Valleys — the largest linked ski area in the world. The house keeps instructors on retainer for guests, and the ski butler service means you never carry equipment. For non-skiers the location is less kind: Courchevel 1850 in season is a village of shops and restaurants at high prices.
Le 1947 holds three Michelin stars under Yannick Alléno and seats around twenty people — booking at the time of the room reservation is not optional. Le Triptyque handles everyday meals well. The Guerlain spa is the best in the Alps outside Gstaad, with a 15-metre pool that is genuinely swimmable rather than decorative.
The rate is the highest of any ski hotel in Europe and the season is short, which means availability is largely spoken for by returning guests. Courchevel 1850 itself has become a retail street. And the house closes entirely in summer, so there is no low-season way in.
The Cheval Blanc Apartment, which occupies its own floor with a private lift, a dedicated staff entrance and a terrace over the Jardin Alpin piste. Below it, Suite 46 is the quiet alternative: corner position, two aspects, no passing traffic.
Yes — unusually so for an LVMH property. There is no logo in the public rooms, no brand merchandising and no day visitors. The house is closed to anyone not staying, which is the single strongest privacy measure any alpine hotel takes.
Mid-December to mid-April only. February half-term is the hardest week to get and the least pleasant to ski.
from €2,200 per night
The Dispatch continues
Enter The Journal →New guides, quietly. No noise, no tracking — a short note when something exceptional is worth knowing about.
Double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · no tracking.
Everything.Goes.Luxury is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the brands featured unless explicitly stated. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners; mention does not imply endorsement. Prices, rates and figures are indicative and change over time — always confirm current terms with the provider. Nothing in our guides constitutes investment, financial or legal advice.
This site uses no tracking, analytics or advertising cookies. We only store your choice locally in your browser so this notice is not shown again. Privacy policy