When it comes to snowy winter breaks, luxury arrives in a flurry of forms: spa frills to ease trail-weary muscles; creative dining that showcases mountain produce; or perhaps, simply having your ski rental sorted on-site at your hotel. But locate that snow-dusted bolthole set right beside the slopes and suddenly there’s an extra layer of luxury to top and tail your days on the mountain: with a ski-in ski-out hotel, you can just clip and go — no carrying of skis and poles, no minivan shuttles, no faff.
With all that time saved on mountain commuting, you could scoop the first lift or bag the morning’s fresh tracks (on pristine snow). Or you could book into the spa for a signature back massage (kneads must). We’ve sifted through our collection of luxury ski hotels, putting proximity-to-piste at the top of our wishlist, to bring you our pick of truly slopeside stays in the US and Europe.
SKI-IN SKI-OUT HOTELS IN THE US
MADELINE HOTEL & RESIDENCES
Telluride, Colorado
The resort Telluride in the Colorado Rocky Mountains is set between a town at its base and an on-the-hill Mountain Village. As ski resorts go, it’s a strangely divisive choice: either there’s no way you’re driving from Denver (or flying to Montrose) to get to this remote outpost; or it’s the very end-of-the-valley, close-knit-community feel of Telluride that you fall for. Those who dare are rewarded with 1,700 acres of skiable terrain with trails for Alpine, Nordic and backcountry skiing. For experienced riders, there’s heli-skiing too.
The hotel Auberge resort, Madeline Hotel & Residences, is a village in itself, with a choice of suites in the main hotel and private residences for apartment-style stays. Either way, you’ll have access to its choice of dining spots, spa serving up CBD masssages, screensaver-worthy outdoor pool and a lively après scene that centres around the ice rink-side terrace. Ski Butlers and Adventure Guides are on hand to sort out snow kit, lift passes, guiding and lessons.
Ski in, ski out Madeline Hotel & Residences, set in the Mountain Village at Telluride, has slopeside access not only to the Free Gondola but also to the Village Express chairlift.
MONTAGE BIG SKY
Big Sky, Montana
The resort In the foothills of Montana’s Spanish Peaks, Big Sky is high-altitude ‘big ski’ country. You could spend days just riding the slopes of Lone Peak and not cover the wider area’s 5,850 acres of skiable terrain. Don’t let the abundance of powder fool you — there’s as much here for beginners as there is for backcountry thrill-seekers. And you’re just a 45-minute drive from Yellowstone National Park, too.
The hotel A hotel that has a ski concierge and on-mountain hosts shows a reverence for snowflake-flecked adventures that we can get on board with. The ice rink and tubing hill have our attention, too, but what good is on-site kit hire without a capacious spa, heated outdoor pool, luscious line-up of restaurants and dressed-for-comfort rooms, suites and residences? Luckily, your Montage Big Sky basecamp has it all.
Ski in, ski out From the door of Montage Big Sky, a short slide in your pre-warmed boots will take you straight to a chairlift that removes the need to queue at the mountain base. There are also two magic carpets (AKA travellators) right by the hotel that open up ski-in ski-out access to beginner little Smiths as well.
VICEROY SNOWMASS
Colorado Rocky Mountains
The resort Aspen’s sister resort has had a ski hill since the Sixties but today’s well-linked terrain in Snowmass, spanning more than 3,300 acres, bears little resemblance to the five-chair starter kit of its infancy. Snowmass is a ski resort that has grown with purpose: utterly family-friendly, this village-like outpost in the Colorado Rocky Mountains is unusual in that most of its accommodation is right beside the slopes — its allure bolstered by a burgeoning culinary scene and a lively programme of events peppering the calendar.
The hotel For a side of glamour with your snowy getaway, Viceroy Snowmass delivers. Its cocooning residences, suites and penthouses are split between the Cirque and Pinnacle towers; dining can be casual and comforting or upscale and chandelier-lit; and a vast spa offering mountain-inspired rituals opens onto a heated pool and terrace. A ski concierge and on-site kit rental secure the hotel’s winter-sports cred.
Ski in, ski out The Assay Hill chairlift edges the hotel and is your personal gateway to the Elk Camp Gondola and Village Express: admire Viceroy Snowmass’s slopeside locale from the new-for-winter Lift Line Tavern, where alfresco tables and couches are all set for après-ski sips and bites.
SKI-IN SKI-OUT HOTELS IN EUROPE
COMO ALPINA DOLOMITES
Alpe di Siusi, Italy
The resort Alpe di Siusi is a plateau encircled by rose-rock escarpments in the Dolomite mountain range of South Tyrol. Modest in size, with just 60 kilometres of Alpine runs, Seiser Alm (its German name) compensates with majestic scenery, a fabled snowpark and stellar cross-country skiing. Further Alpine skiing options are available by the connecting cable car to Ortisei (Urtijëi in German) in the valley below.
The hotel In Alpe di Siusi, Como Alpina Dolomites has found its geographical soulmate, with both balancing winter adventure and peak-wrapped peace. Dolomite scenery is served through feature windows across this 60-key retreat. Wellness rituals and poolside downtime at the Como Shambala spa are as likely to fill your days here as cold, crisp spells outdoors — snowshoeing across gentle inclines or skating along cross-country trails. And a guided tour of the Sellaronda ski circuit is just one of the options that can be deftly arranged by the hotel’s winter-ready concierge team.
Ski in, ski out The cable-car station that connects Alpe di Siusi with Ortisei is but a short shuffle from your cosseting digs at Como Alpina Dolomites; and if lessons are on the agenda, this is also where you’ll find a meeting point for the local ski school.
HOTEL CHETZERON
Crans-Montana, Switzerland
The resort Bathed in sunlight from their south-facing co-ords and spanning altitudes from 1,500 to 3,000 metres, the slopes of Swiss ski resort Crans-Montana are snowsure and (literally and figuratively) breathtaking, bordered by the dramatically jagged peaks of the Valais Alps. Experts will want to treat themselves to heli-skiing or check out first tracks from the glacier Plaine Morte, while the rest of us enjoy the variety of easier runs that constitute Crans-Montana’s 140 kilometres of trails. For families, the Christmas-card-worthy ice rink calls, with evening Ice Discos set to music and lights.
The hotel One way to guarantee ski-in ski-out access is to plump for a hotel that was once a gondola station. Smith-approved Hotel Chetzeron stands on the piste above 2,000 metres. Snow-globe views of the ski area are the star of the show here, but rustic oak-and-stone interiors, a trad-Swiss restaurant, wellness area and an intimate set-up of just 16 rooms bolster its on-the-mountain allure.
Ski in, ski out Set on the slopes, Hotel Chetzeron offers two choices for your first move of the day: a chairlift outside to take you up to a blue run beside the Fun Zone, or a steepish black run that quickly mellows into a red.
ULTIMA HOTEL COURCHEVEL
Courchevel, Three Valleys
The resort Savoyard staple Courchevel has a gold-plated reputation as a millionaire’s winter playground; dotted with Michelin-starred eateries and hotel heavyweights (an Aman here, a Six Senses there); even its festive lights — chandelier shaped — feel aristo-worthy. No singular resort, it’s made up of six villages, but it’s Courchevel Village (1550), Courchevel Moriond (1650) and Courchevel 1850 that tend to hog the limelight. In Courchevel, you’re in the easterly tranche of the Three Valleys triptych (see our Three Valleys guide), with links to Méribel and the Belleville Valley resorts that weigh in with a combined 600 kilometres of pistes.
The hotel Ultima Hotel Courchevel is more of a hamlet than a hotel, bringing together 13 multi-bedroom chalets with upscale hotel frills — a world-class spa, a duo of pools, champagne lobby bar and concierge service. The option to arrange for a butler and chef elevate the traditional apartment model, and glossy interiors finished with crystal and black marble feel more superyacht than mountain lodge.
Ski in, ski out In a quiet corner of Courchevel Moriond, Ultima Hotel Courchevel borders the slopes of Belvédère, between La Rosière forest and Courchevel 1850.
LE VAL THORENS
Val Thorens, Three Valleys
The resort Val Thorens is the highest and most snowsure of the Three Valleys ski resorts, crowning the Belleville Valley. It’s easy to focus on its seamless links to Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, Les Menuires, Méribel and Courchevel — which stack up to a lot of joy for seasoned skiers and boarders — but Val Thorens does not rely on its connections to contend as a winter destination. Its compact village centre of shops, market stalls and restaurants, plus an appeal for families that extends to an ice rink and much-loved toboggan run, speak for themselves.
The hotel The Seventies lounge-club ambience of broodingly dark-timbered Le Val Thorens, a Beaumier hotel, delivers a piste-lover’s pad with irresistible retro flair. We’ll kick off with coffees at the hotel brasserie; take our après-ski Negronis to the slopeside sun terrace, and feast on all things cheesy at velvet-benched La Fondue.
Ski in, ski out Rooms at Le Val Thorens are categorised by Village View or Slopes View, so there are no prizes for understanding its piste-bordering location out back. To be precise, it’s a gentle ski down to the Ski School meeting point, and you’re right by the Castor et Pollux magic-carpet lift and the Piste aux Étoiles toboggan run.
For further inspiration, explore our collection of the best luxury ski hotels