Cheval Blanc Courchevel

The site was once occupied by La Caravelle, a hotel-restaurant in poor repair. It was demolished, rebuilt over two years of works and renamed, opening as Cheval Blanc Courchevel in 2006 in the Jardin Alpin, where Bernard Arnault learnt to ski as a child. It was the first establishment of the Cheval Blanc brand, whose name comes from Château Cheval Blanc, a Bordeaux grand cru that already belonged to the luxury group.

Cheval Blanc is the hotel brand of the LVMH group, whose director of hotel activities has said that the brand draws on the know-how of all the group's houses, from property to knowledge of its clientele. The wine connection continues at table: Le 1947 à Cheval Blanc takes its name from the most prestigious vintage of Château Cheval Blanc. The MICHELIN Guide now gives the hotel Three Keys, its mark for an extraordinary stay.

The building is a contemporary chalet, decorated by Sybille de Margerie. The MICHELIN Guide describes a whimsical alpine theme, with animal hide rugs, cuckoo clocks, twinkling lights and wide expanses of glass that reveal the snowy landscape, and notes the fires and candles glowing indoors. The hotel sums up its own look as a bold alliance of modern design, mountain materials and the spirit of winter.

Art is spread through the house rather than gathered in a single room. More than 200 works make up the collection of design and art, signed by Sybille de Margerie, Jean-Michel Othoniel and Bruno Peinado, and the MICHELIN Guide singles out an impressive modern art collection. Even the living room of the Suite Duplex Deluxe is set with carefully chosen works of art.

The hotel's address is simply Le Jardin Alpin. From the top of Courchevel 1850 it looks out over the slopes, and it calls itself the highest palace in the Jardin Alpin, the highest point of Courchevel 1850. The two chalets designed by Peter Marino stand facing the main house.

The hotel has direct access to the slopes of the Trois Vallées, described as the largest ski area in the world, and the MICHELIN Guide calls it a ski-in, ski-out chalet, so a ski day can begin and end at the door. L'Appartement goes further, with a private lift running straight to its own ski room at piste level. Lunch need not break the rhythm either: La Terrasse de Cheval Blanc, facing the Jardin Alpin, is a meeting point for skiers, who can carry on down the slopes on their skis afterwards.

The Suite Duplex Deluxe covers 105 m² over two floors for two guests, in a palette of chocolate tones and scarlet holly. Downstairs are a living room and a dining room. Upstairs, a second living room leads to the bathroom on one side, with a bathtub, a separate chromotherapy hammam shower and a sauna, and to the bedroom with its made-to-measure double dressing room and dressing table on the other. A private balcony runs around the upper floor, with views over the Jardin Alpin.

Welcome products carry Mountain Chic, the signature scent of Cheval Blanc Courchevel. For a family or group stay, the suite can be combined with one or two other rooms or suites, and each suite has a dedicated Ambassador who arranges personalised experiences.

L'Appartement covers 650 m² on two floors of the main house, for up to eight guests, and the hotel calls it ideal for families and groups. It has its own lift and ski room. On the fourth floor are three bedrooms, a dining room seating up to ten, a bar, a private kitchen, long balconies over the Jardin Alpin and a triple reception room with a fireplace, a grand piano, a high-end hi-fi system and panoramic views of the slopes.

The master suite on the fifth floor opens onto a private terrace over the snowy panorama and divides into two separate wings, each with its own bathroom and dressing room: one bathroom has a huge bathtub and a chromotherapy hammam shower, the other a sauna, a bathtub and a chromotherapy hammam shower. A wellness studio adds a dressing table and a flexible space for massage, yoga or private coaching. A dedicated team of butlers, with a chef's kitchen for their use, is on call around the clock, and L'Appartement is accessible to guests with reduced mobility, subject to availability.

Le Chalet spreads three bedrooms over four floors, and Peter Marino designed the two larger chalets. Le Chalet 5 Chambres, which pairs contemporary lines with an alpine spirit, has five bedrooms over 900 m² for ten guests and a team of 15 staff. Le Chalet 9 Chambres has nine bedrooms over 1,500 m² for eighteen guests, run by 15 staff including chefs and butlers. Both have an indoor pool, a Guerlain spa, a cinema room and interactive games areas.

The hotel's dining spans six venues, from Le 1947 à Cheval Blanc and Le Grill Alpin to La Terrasse de Cheval Blanc, the Bar, the Table de Partage and the Carte Blanche service. The centrepiece is Le 1947 à Cheval Blanc, which the hotel describes as the only restaurant in Courchevel with three MICHELIN stars. Its executive chef, Yannick Alléno, celebrates terroir in bold compositions, and Sybille de Margerie's enveloping décor opens the kitchen onto an intimate dining room, so that diners can follow the work behind the scenes.

In season, Le 1947 opens for dinner only, from Wednesday to Sunday, 19:30 to 21:00, and receives an intimate number of guests each evening. Le Grill Alpin, decorated all in red, is presented by the hotel as the place for convivial meals from dawn to dusk, while La Table de Partage is a private dining room for festive gatherings of families and groups of friends.

La Terrasse de Cheval Blanc is the open-air counterpoint. Facing the Jardin Alpin, it is set up for winter around a large brazier, and the hotel welcomes guests there for lunch in the open air. Yannick Alléno built its menu around flame cooking, with woody and smoky flavours.

Le Bar serves from the first coffee of the day to a comforting snack after skiing and lively evening aperitifs, with soft sofas and a crackling fireplace. La Yourte Fumoir is an authentic Mongolian yurt turned cigar and spirits lounge, furnished with generous armchairs, fur rugs and solid-wood low tables, with nomadic games in leather and felt, lacquered backgammon sets and card games to hand. Carte Blanche, the in-room dining service, is available 24 hours a day and can also pack a mini picnic for a ski day or serve an aperitif under the stars in an igloo.

Treatments at Le Spa Cheval Blanc are by Guerlain. Its Guerlain beauty experts offer rituals designed specifically for Cheval Blanc Courchevel, some to prepare for a day on the slopes and others to recover after skiing, in five treatment rooms and the Salon Orchidée, a treatment room for two. A Guerlain boutique offers the latest collections, and throughout the season the spa holds beauty events, Guerlain perfume workshops and personalised make-up sessions.

The spa also has a pool, a sauna and a chromotherapy hammam. Outdoors, guests find a whirlpool bath and a banya, which alternates icy cold with restorative heat. An ice fountain is there to soothe tired muscles after a long day on the Trois Vallées slopes. In season, the spa, the pool and the baths are open daily from 10:00 to 20:00.

The fitness room is open around the clock, and personal trainers are available on request. Hair is the domain of the Hair Room Service by John Nollet, the famous Parisian hair artist, whose team has worked here since 2006. In a baroque boudoir of mirrors, chandeliers and a leather-covered throne, Jordan Laffargue tailors each consultation, with rituals to wash, cut, colour and enhance hair. The salon is open daily until 20:00, presents John Nollet's latest collection of head jewels, and brings some services to the room on request.