Our first look at Rosewood Courchevel Le Jardin Alpin – the latest luxury-hotel opening in Courchevel
In the town that was once known as ‘St Tropez on snow’, the Rosewood Hotel Group has opened an institution inheriting the opulence of the golden age of winter tourism.
Courchevel 1850 was once known as “St Tropez on snow”. In the 1960s, only a few years after Europe’s first purpose-built ski resort sprang up in the French Alps, it became a magnet for royalty, politicians and celebrities flocking to the Savoyard mountain town in search of winter sun and perfect powder.
Part of its draw lay also in the fact that – unlike later generations of ski destinations such as Les Arcs, La Plagne and Flaine – its planners eschewed concrete brutalism in favour of distinctly Alpine architecture. Everything from hotels to the chic boutiques lining the centre of Courchevel was housed in traditional chalet-style builds, with slate roofs and wood cladding.
The town remains beloved. The latest high-end hotel opening is Rosewood Courchevel Le Jardin Alpin. For its debut winter resort (and second property in mainland France), the hospitality group took inspiration from the glamour of 1960s Courchevel. And, with the help of French interior designer Tristan Auer, the property has been infused with the spirit of the golden age of winter tourism.
“We approached the project as though we were creating a private mansion chalet rather than a traditional hotel,” says Auer. A return to the elegance of yesteryear is often central to his briefs, whether in his work for the Carlton on Cannes’ Croisette, the belle époque-style Villa Pétrusse in Luxembourg City or Belmond’s Royal Scotsman train.
Auer drew on his signature palette of materials – copper accents, mirrors, velvet upholstery, marble – combined with the natural warmth of Alpine wood. Inside the 51 guest rooms and suites, creams and off-whites echo the glistening mountainscape outside. “The idea was to transport guests into another world,” he says. It’s a philosophy of slowing down – an approach that runs through every detail of the hotel’s meticulous design.
rosewoodhotels.com
