L'Apogée Courchevel

L'Apogée Courchevel is a recent arrival in the resort. Construction began in 2012, and the hotel opened in December 2013 in the Jardin Alpin quarter. Its concept came from the Paris designers India Mahdavi and Joseph Dirand, and the suites, from the Junior Suites to the Penthouse, bear their signature.

For the 2025-26 winter season, the hotel gave its restaurants a completely redesigned setting. The dining spaces were transformed by Kelly Wearstler, in her first European hotel project; she drew on Brutalist architecture and the Alps for sculptural interiors in dark stone, alpine woods and natural fabrics.

The hotel is part of Oetker Hotels. Besides its Palace status, it holds Two MICHELIN Keys, the MICHELIN Guide's mark of an exceptional stay.

Built on the site of a former ski jump, the hotel overlooks a former Olympic slope, at the edge of the Vanoise National Park. Across Les Trois Vallées, lifts link around 600 kilometres of slopes and more than 300 beginner and advanced runs. Above the resort rises La Saulire, a 2,738-metre peak of the Vanoise massif in Savoie and the central point between Courchevel and Méribel.

The shops of the Quartier de la Croisette are steps away on foot. A private limousine service with bilingual drivers handles transfers from arrival to departure, as well as outings across the French Alps.

The MICHELIN Guide describes the guest rooms as designed to feel like cosy miniature homes, and the suites as dressed in furs and plaid. The Deluxe Rooms face south, over snow-laden pines and sloping woodland, while the Prestige Rooms look over the valley, the slopes or snowy woodland, some of them from a private balcony.

The Junior Suites, about 45 sqm with a sitting area, were created by Joseph Dirand and India Mahdavi, with wood panelling, wools and suede, bespoke furniture and décor in reds and forest greens; their bathrooms pair Italian Fior di Bosco marble with black stone and antique mirrors. The Deluxe Junior Suites take up to three guests, with a king-size bed, a mountain view and a separate sitting area. Some have a private steam room, and a sofa bed or a connecting room is available on request; their bespoke furniture was commissioned by India Mahdavi.

The One-Bedroom Suites, about 70 sqm, add a separate lounge where a sofa bed can sleep an extra guest, with views over the mountains and forest, and the Deluxe One-Bedroom Suites, at 90 sqm, have a terrace or balcony. On the top floors, the Prestige One-Bedroom Suites cover 110 sqm, with large windows, views of the slopes and over the Valley of Courchevel, and a large balcony from which, the hotel notes, guests may see the alpenglow; their separate living room can take an extra guest.

The Deluxe Two Bedroom Suite, 120 sqm, sleeps four with mountain and valley views. The Family Suite, 100 sqm under the eaves on the upper floor, sleeps five in two master bedrooms and a living room with a sofa bed, and adds an oversized closet for skiwear and bathrooms in Italian Fior di Bosco marble.

The Penthouse, 300 sqm on the top floor with its own private access, has four bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, living and dining rooms, a small cinema, a private spa with sauna, steam shower and indoor whirlpool, and a hot tub on the terrace, for up to nine guests. Chalet L'Alpensia, directly connected to the hotel, spreads 550 sqm over five floors, with five bedrooms for up to eleven guests and views over the surrounding mountains and Les Trois Vallées; the hotel also offers a second chalet, L'Amarante.

The kitchens are led by Romain Antoine, who arrived as executive chef for the 2025-26 winter. Born on the Côte d'Azur, he brings Mediterranean inspiration, seasonal ingredients and local craftsmanship to alpine cuisine.

L'Apogée Club serves French and international cuisine from breakfast to après-ski, with live music; its restaurant hours are 12:00 to 19:00 daily, and non-residents may reserve. The menus run from Gillardeau oysters, Petrossian caviar and foie gras to artisanal pizzas, poke bowls and Alpine cheeses, and tea time, from 16:00 to 17:15, is an unlimited buffet of cakes, pastries, crêpes, club sandwiches and entremets.

In the evening, Beefbar Courchevel serves from 19:00 to 22:30 daily, and non-residents can book. The menu centres on Kobe beef, Black Angus and Wagyu with signature mashed potatoes and sauces, alongside a crispy Croque Sando, a Beefy Cordon Bleu, Wagyu pappardelle and street food such as mini smashed burgers, bao buns and crab tacos.

The Cigar Lounge, for hand-rolled, box-pressed and aged cigars, is open daily from 10:00 to 02:00 to hotel guests only, without bar reservations. In-room dining is available around the clock.

The hotel presents Spa L'Apogée by La Prairie as a warm retreat after a day on the slopes. La Prairie's five Art of Beauty ceremonies each pay tribute to one of its precious ingredients, Swiss caviar, platinum or gold, and Bamford's organic body treatments rely on aromatic essential oils from herbs and plants. Treatments can also be taken in the guest's room, for a minimum of one hour and at a supplement.

The spa has five treatment cabins, one of them a duo cabin created for the Bania ritual, with a private banya and a cold bath meant to stimulate the metabolism and ease muscle tension. Around them are a whirlpool bath, hammam, sauna and salt sauna, and an 11-metre blue mosaic pool for unwinding before or after a treatment, open from 07:00 to 20:30 to hotel guests only.

The fitness centre, with Technogym machines and a private coaching room, is open around the clock, and personal training and tailored programmes can be arranged on request. A unisex salon handles haircuts and colour, manicures, pedicures, waxing and a clean shave.

The ski room has a professional team for equipment rental, fittings and preparation, and its shop stocks L'Apogée Courchevel skis made by Nidecker.

Families have nursery slopes on the doorstep, many interconnecting rooms and a Kids Club where children and teenagers have activities designed for them.

The hotel's list of winter outings includes dog sledding driven by a professional musher, snowshoeing through the Alpine Garden, carriage rides through the resort's streets, hot-air balloon and private helicopter flights over Courchevel, hour-long snowmobile tours after dark and the chance to drive a snowcat through the resort after the slopes close.

Every guest room holds The Giving Bag, for clothes or anything else guests would rather not carry home; the donations go to the Red Cross and Secours Populaire.