Arguably the most exclusive address at one of the most decadent European ski resorts, the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz has been dazzling guests for nearly 170 years
Step into the lobby at the Kulm Hotel and you’ll feel like you’ve found the beating heart of St. Moritz’s après-ski scene as guests. Wrapped up in designer ski jackets and oversized snow boots, warm yourself by the fire and listen to the steady crackle of logs, or sip champagne in low slung red sofas and antique chairs as you take in the snowy vistas out to Piz Nair and Lake St. Moritz.
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The former has hosted the World Ski Championships four times and the Winter Olympics twice, while when the latter is frozen over, steeds and riders take to the ice for horse races – or ‘white turf’ – and the annual Snow Polo World Cup, where a glittering crowd of spectators gather to cheer on well-shod teams sponsored by luxury brands.
The hotel’s founder, Johannes Badrutt, launched winter tourism in the Swiss resort town by making a bet with four Englishmen back in 1864. He believed they’d adore the St. Moritz winters, which are characterised by their bright sunny days, deep blue skies and snowy peaks, and promised to reimburse their travel expenses if they weren’t convinced. Badrutt’s gamble paid off – his guests ended up staying until Easter and winter tourism was born, with skiing, skibobbing and skeleton bobsled all taking off at the fledgling tourist town.
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The Klum Hotel continues to host the annual Olympia Bob Run – the 1,722-metre-long ice channel is the only natural ice bobsleigh run in the world – and its connections to the winter sporting scene are referenced throughout, from the retro skis and sleds on display to the shiny Cresta Run cups sitting in cabinets and old toboggans suspended from the walls in the Sunny Bar, the oldest sports bar in the Alps and meeting point for the Cresta’s daring pilots.
My superior room at the Klum Hotel is more akin to a suite, with navy cushions and throws juxtaposed against endless pine, fresh flowers in the bedroom and bathroom, and luxuriant drapes at the window. I immediately head to the balcony, which offers views over the resort’s snow-clad pines and rooftops, and tune into the snow polo commentary as the players line up on the ice to take penalties.
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The spacious pine-clad walk-in wardrobe smells heavenly (the pine aroma is meant to lower your heartbeat, too) with more than enough space for bulky ski gear and whatever designer shopping you might pick up at Palace Galerie nearby Badrutt’s Palace. The eight-item pillow menu, meanwhile, includes Swiss mountain herbs millet and the cherry pit warmer, which arrives heated.
If you want to blow the budget, check into the recently renovated Corvatsch suite, a 176-sqm space designed by Pierre Yves-Rochon that features its own fireplace flanked by sheepskin armchairs, plus a private dining area and two balconies.
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Breakfast at the Grand Restaurant is reassuringly traditional, as wait staff in white suits and black bow ties take your order from tables covered in crisp white cloths, and coffee is served in silver pots. I’m surprised, then, when I have to wait 20 minutes for my eggs Florentine, but when they’re grandly unveiled from underneath a silver cloche, all crisp muffin and perfectly poached egg, all is forgiven.
At Sunny Bar, Brit chef Tom Booton has created a hearty roster of comfort food, including toad in the hole and lamb hotpot, served up against a backdrop of alpine sports memorabilia, and we channel the spirit of the big drinking Cresta teams with shots of limoncello. Other dining options include KCC by Mauro Colagreco, where dishes like Engadine lamb shoulder are cooked over charcoal, and there’s Peruvian plates at Amaru by Claudia Canessa.
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Another perk of being a guest the the Kulm Hotel is free access to the 2,000-sqm spa, where facilities include an indoor and outdoor pool, saltwater grotto, infrared cabin and Finnish sauna. You can also tee off gratis at the par 27 nine-hole golf course, which is a two-minute walk from the hotel. But like me, you might not make it much further than the Kulm’s lobby, and the mouthwatering opportunities it presents for the people watching.
