Living it up in the Swiss Alps
This mountain town looked destined to become a backwater in the 1990s. Then along came an Egyptian tycoon with deep pockets.
The Chedi Andermatt is masked in mist as I trundle my luggage through the snow. I’ve just alighted the Glacier Express at Andermatt, a once unlikely outpost halfway along the famous rail journey from Zermatt to St Moritz, through the heart of the Swiss Alps. The former garrison town guards the Gotthard Pass, and staff at the hotel wear a smart, military-style uniform, the only nod to the upheaval that’s seen a five-star hotel rise where barracks once stood.
The lobby alone overwhelms the senses, with soaring oakwood panelling, glass-encased fireplaces, velvet lounges and cashmere blankets, Japanese paper lamps and log-sawn coffee tables. The Asian influences of the Chedi brand are offset by unmistakably European scenes of a wolfhound resplendent in a sheepskin ski jacket and a young girl building a cushion cubby for her shih tzu while mum dozes on a daybed, draped in a fur coat. Black stone pillars suspend a slatted timber ceiling lurking somewhere in the stratosphere, and a 30m-long chandelier floats above a black granite table that matches the lighting in both size and intent. A piano player takes his seat and kicks off the evening.
When the military withdrew from Andermatt in the 1990s, the town looked set to become a frigid backwater, before being unexpectedly resurrected in the mid-2000s by Egyptian construction tycoon Samih Sawiris, who sank more than €1bn into building all-new ski resort infrastructure, 42 apartments and six hotels, of which The Chedi, which opened in 2013, is the showpiece.
Managed by the Singapore-headquartered GHM hospitality company, which celebrates its 30th birthday this year, and designed by Belgian architect Jean-Michel Gathy, the southeast Asian aesthetics reflect the geographic homeland of the Chedi brand. It’s a masterful marriage of style, integrating expertly with Andermatt’s chocolate-box chalets. There are 123 suites and guestrooms, each with a balcony looking out over cobblestone streets, ski fields or towards Schollenen Gorge at the head of the Urseren Valley.
Both town and hotel have been chosen on this trip by Y Travel, a Melbourne-based boutique travel agency that leaves nothing to chance in scouting out premium ski resorts and hotels for their clients’ annual European ski safari, SkiBuzz. The Gutsch-Express gondola is a skip across the road and a hotel shuttle will drive you five minutes to the more advanced terrain of Gemmstock mountain. A “ski butler” gathers your gear in the morning and is waiting to de-rig you on return, so you can decamp to the bar. Summer guests can tee off at the Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course, or explore the hiking and mountain bike trails.
My grand deluxe room is all silky timber and sensual stone. The bathroom has a rain shower, deep soaking tub and Acqua di Parma toiletries. A wall-to-wall alpine mural hangs above a leather lounge and plump cushions tuck under a low Japanese table. From my balcony I can watch skiers carving their way down the mountain. The turndown service saves me from remembering how to dim the iPad-controlled lights. I return after dinner to find the fireplace magically lit, soft music playing and my Hastens king bed calling.
The four restaurants boast more than 30 Gault Millau points all up. Most guests gravitate to The Restaurant, with its modern European a la carte or classic Asian sharing menu. A rustic chalet beside the skating rink serves traditional Swiss fondue and raclette, while the Bar and Living Room (bless those imaginative Swiss names) is a more casual apres-ski haunt with light dishes and platters. After dinner, peruse the glass-cubed cheese cellar where golden blocks of Switzerland’s finest glow like ingots. The gastronomic showstopper, though, is the Japanese restaurant called The Japanese (what else?), and its sister ship on Mount Gutsch, where you can stash your skis and sit down to a gourmet bento lunch at 2300m. Personal service is outstanding. On my first night I order a drink at the busy bar; three days later the same bartender spots me lounging in the library and asks if I’d like the same again.
Chedi’s spa and wellness centre is 2400sq m of pure bliss, with 10 private suites offering all manner of facials and body treatments. I submit myself to some expert prodding and pummelling after a day on the slopes, then take a dip in the heated outdoor pool, snowdrifts piling up to the edge. There’s a separate 35m indoor pool, an En Vogue hair salon and extensive gym offering yoga, Pilates and personal trainers. But I’m not sure I’d want someone barking at me to do push-ups while I’m in this zen-like state. In Andermatt those days are long gone.
In the know
The Chedi Andermatt is 90 minutes by car from Zurich, or two hours by train. The property is a member of Leading Hotels of the World and Swiss Deluxe Hotels; deluxe rooms from $1050 a night. At the high-altitude end, the Furka Suite has three bedrooms and bathrooms, with a private spa featuring sauna, steam bath and Jacuzzi, from $21,000 a night.
Ricky French was a guest of Y Travel and Switzerland Tourism.