MARCH 2019 businesstraveller.comThis building was restored and extended by long-
time St Moritz resident Norman Foster, and reopened
for the 2017 World Ski Championships. The décor
acknowledges the Kulm’s world-class winter sports
pedigree – both the legendary Cresta Run and famous
Olympia Bob Run are on the hotel grounds. Ancient skis
are stacked in corners, while early bobsleigh and luge sleds
with upholstered seats hang from the ceilings. On the
walls are black-and-white prints displaying the ways people
found to have fun in the snow a century ago, from horse-
drawn skiing to dinghy
sailing on ice, as well as
shots of skaters on the ice
rink wearing plus fours and
elegant hats.
The Kulm has a sister
hotel – the Grand Hotel
Kronenhof, a Belle Epoque
masterpiece – in Pontresina,
a wind-sheltered side valley
about ten minutes’ drive
from St Moritz. Even if
staying in St Moritz you
should visit Pontresina,
which is very different
from its glitzy neighbour,
being a picture-postcard
Engadine village of
narrow streets lined
with beautifully restored
buildings sitting side by
side with more modern
ones built in stone. It’s
a centre for outdoor
activities, strong in the
summer for walking and
mountain biking.
The hotel itself, with its beautiful Neo-Baroque
exterior, would make a great place to stay for a few days
or at the very least to enjoy an evening’s dining , either
in the Kronenstubli, a wood-panelled, intimate room
in the oldest part of the hotel (1848), or the fabulously
ornate Grand restaurant, with intricate chandeliers,
original frescoes depicting the four seasons, and staff
with gold epaulettes.PRIVATE BOLTHOLE
Back in St Moritz, another option is the Grand Hotel
des Bains Kempinski down by the lake, but if you take a
five-minute drive out of St Moritz you’ll arrive at Suvretta
House. Built by hotelier Anton Sebastian Bon in 1912,
the name translates as “house above the woods” and the
experience of staying here is like being in a private house
just outside St Moritz, with all of the advantages, save
being able to stroll around the town.LEFT AND BELOW:
Suvretta House is
a five-minute drive
from St Moritz(closed in summer, excellent in winter), to the lakes and
mountains opposite.
Its entrance lobby has impressive marquetry scenes of
St Moritz decorating the walls, carved wooden pillars
and a stone staircase with an iron balustrade leading to
wooden-framed glass doors into the main lounge. There
you are greeted by a riot of contrasting patterns on floors,
walls, furnishings and the many pillars in various tones
of terracotta, yellow and red, all illuminated (partly) by a
stained glass skylight in the ceiling.
It’s a bold combination that gives an air of warmth and
intimacy and sets the tone for the hotel, which, for all
the grandeur of its public areas, feels more homely than
Badrutt’s, perhaps because there are also many private
apartments in an annexe to the property. Like all the five-
star hotels it has an outstanding spa and pool, and also a
range of dining options, including the new Kulm Country
Club that occupies the old ice pavilion overlooking a large
expanse of green, which is used as an ice rink in winter. → CONTINUED ON PAGE 84DESTINATIONS
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