Hôtel Annapurna

In 1972 Christiane and André Pinturault, who already owned and ran the Les Sherpas hotel, decided to add a second hotel in Courchevel; after two summers of construction, Annapurna was inaugurated in December 1974. Maurice Herzog, honoured in the name, was the designated leader of the 1950 French expedition to Annapurna, on which he and Louis Lachenal made the first ascent of a peak over 8,000 metres.

Claude Pinturault continued to develop the hotel, creating the first suites and renovating the whole establishment in a more contemporary style. His daughter Sandra joined the team in 2013 to carry on the hotel's tradition, and has since initiated major renovation projects, among them the restoration of the wellness area, ski room, teenagers' games room and corridors, and the creation of the kids club. The Alpage restaurant has an interior of its own: Mont Blanc granite, oak from Albertville and ceramics by Anne Marmottan, set to a soundscape created by Le Couturier du Son.

The hotel stands at 734 Route de l'Altiport in Courchevel 1850. The MICHELIN Guide, which names it the highest of the resort's hotels, remarks that the view could make a guest believe they were in Nepal. Air access is via the altiport in Courchevel 1850 or the airports of Geneva, 180 km away via the A41, and Lyon, 178 km via the A43.

By road, the hotel is 672 km from Paris by the A6 motorway, 205 km from Lyon and 100 km from Chambéry by the A43, and 51 km from Albertville by the RN 90. The Moûtiers SNCF station is 25 km away, by the D90 and then the D915.

Room categories rise in size step by step. The Classic Valley Room has a king-size bed for two in 17 sqm, and the Vallée Supérieure room gives two guests more space, at 25 sqm, also with a king-size bed. The Saulire Room, which the hotel describes as filled with light, measures 29 sqm and adds a south-facing balcony and room for two adults and a child.

The Southeast Family Room and the Family Room Southwest each have two separate sleeping areas. The first covers 47 sqm, with two king-size beds for up to four and a balcony facing south-east. The second, at 56 sqm, sleeps up to five, gives each sleeping area a private bathroom and adds a large bay window onto the slopes and a south-west balcony.

The junior suites each sleep up to three with a king-size bed. The Junior Suite Single Bay, 42 sqm and south-facing, combines bedroom and a cocooning living room in one open space; the Junior Suite Double Bay, at 45 sqm, has a spacious bedroom and a living room, with a large balcony over the mountains. The Junior Suite Signature, 48 sqm, offers what the hotel calls an impregnable view over the domain. The Annapurna Suite, 58 sqm, has panoramic windows, a living room that can be open to the bedroom or separate from it, and a whirlpool bath.

Among the larger suites, Suite Makalu, 67 sqm, sets its living area under the roof among natural wood cross beams, with a generous balcony facing the valley. Suite K2, 97 sqm, has a fireplace, a large balcony and a private sauna. The Everest Suite, at 145 sqm for up to four, offers two bedrooms, two bathrooms, high ceilings, vast picture windows, a fireplace and a terrace over the slopes; one bathroom holds a private sauna with a mountain view.

Alpage is the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant, led by Chef Jean-Rémi Caillon, whose cooking rests on close ties with market gardeners, fishermen and artisans; his menus of five or seven courses change with the seasons. It opens for dinner only, from 19:30, Wednesday to Sunday. In 2024 it received the Écotable 3-star label, which recognises a daily commitment to local supply chains, biodiversity and a smaller environmental footprint. Once a month Valentin Peyrard, head sommelier of La Maison Pinturault's restaurants, leads a winemaker dinner there, with a guest vineyard and a menu the chef creates for the occasion.

La Table de l'Annapurna takes a more classic line, serving traditional French cuisine with flambéing and carving done at the table. At lunch its terrace at the foot of the slopes looks out to the Courchevel peaks. Pastry Chef Téophane Faucher prepares crêpe Suzette, Chartreuse soufflé and tarts daily, and his traditional flan pâtissier has become the restaurant's signature dessert within two seasons. Room service runs from breakfast through to dinner.

The wellness area pairs water with heat. There is a 15-metre lap pool, a heated outdoor pool where, as the hotel puts it, steam mingles with the falling snow, and a jacuzzi. Two saunas, one panoramic and facing the mountains, sit alongside a hammam and a sensory shower.

Hotel guests can use the wellness area from 08:00 to 21:00. Visitors from outside the hotel may use the spa for two hours when they book a treatment of at least 60 minutes, between 10:00 and 15:00 and by reservation only.

La Banquise des Petits, the kids club at the centre of the hotel, takes children aged 3 to 10 for supervised activities such as cookie workshops, film evenings and treasure hunts. Outdoors, Base Camp IV has a real igloo, a 21-metre slide, angling and curling. The mascot is Maurice the polar bear, and children staying at the hotel are given a short story about his expedition.

Older children have the Teens Universe on the top floor, with billiards, table football, game consoles and board games, and the hotel's cinema screens films for all ages. Valentin Peyrard also leads a wine masterclass every Wednesday from 23 December 2026, for one to eight people, by reservation.