The Chedi Andermatt

The Chedi opened in 2013 as the anchor of Andermatt's transformation from a garrison village at the top of the Urseren valley into a resort, and it remains the most interesting new-build luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps. Jean-Michel Gathy's design does something unusual: it keeps the proportions and materials of an Alpine chalet, dark timber, stone, enormous fireplaces, but arranges them with the low horizontal lines and screened light of an Asian resort.

There are nine accommodation types running from Alpine Deluxe rooms to multi-bedroom signature suites, all with open fireplaces and deep soaking tubs. The spa is one of the largest in the region, with a 35-metre indoor pool, hydrotherapy areas, a full sauna and steam complex and a health club, and the hotel runs medical and longevity programming through a partnership with a Swiss health group.

The kitchen is a genuine destination, with a Japanese restaurant serving from a dedicated sushi and robata counter and a European restaurant built around an open kitchen and a glass-walled cheese tower stocked with Swiss producers. Andermatt itself now links via the Sedrun and Disentis lifts into the SkiArena, one of the larger ski areas in central Switzerland, and the Gemsstock has a reputation for steep off-piste. Unlike most Alpine grand hotels, The Chedi runs year-round.