Experimental Chalet Verbier
Art deco on ice
Alperol spritz
An intoxicating take on the traditional ski hotel, Experimental Chalet Verbier brings superlative cocktails and Seventies glamour to the heart of Swiss ski resort Verbier. This mountain bolthole is a high-altitude outpost of Experimental Group, and so the bar is the social hub, proving a definitive spot for après-ski soirees, and the Alpine-inspired restaurant freshens up old favourites like tartiflette. If you’re still going strong at close, take the party downstairs to the Farm Club, the longstanding cornerstone of Verbier nightlife.
Facilities
Rooms
39, including two suites.
Checkout
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
More Details
Rates include a buffet breakfast, which has been lavished with chef Gregory Marchand’s care and attention. Expect homemade granola, fresh pastries, sweet and savoury cakes, waffles, organic bacon and farm-fresh eggs.
Also
All of the common areas are wheelchair accessible, and there are three specially adapted rooms.
Hotel Closed
The hotel usually closes from from mid-April to late-June.
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
Ski room; concierge service; free shuttle to the slopes; free WiFi throughout; laundry. In rooms: Samsung TV; signature Experimental minibar stocked with homemade cocktails; Geneva retro radio; Amici coffee machine; tea and a kettle; free bottled water.
Our Favourite Rooms
If you’re happy to splash, it has to be the Panoramic Suite, which has a private Jacuzzi and no fewer than three private terraces, each with views over the rooftops and mountains beyond. If you’re a light sleeper, you might want to ask for a room on the higher floors – the hotel has been well soundproofed against any noise from the Farm Club, but it won’t do any harm being a little further away.
Spa
Experimental Chalet Spa is on the ground floor, and has three treatment rooms, a Jacuzzi, a hammam and a solarium. For their first ever spa, Experimental Group have collaborated with French skin specialists Biologique Recherche, who’ve been making cutting-edge cosmetics for more than 40 years. The treatments have been designed to make the most of their unique formulas, restoring skin that’s been tested by the Alpine elements.
Packing Tips
With the Farm Club just downstairs, you won’t have to trudge through any snow to get there, meaning you can wear not-so-sensible shoes without risk to life and limb.
Also
The interiors are the work of Paris-based architect and interior designer Fabrizio Casiraghi, whose previous commissions includes lavish Venetian apartments, Parisian boutiques and Hong Kong nightclubs.
Children
All ages are welcome. Under-2s stay in a cot for free. Extra beds for children aged 3-12 are CHF70 a night; breakfast is CHF18. Over-12s stay for CHF90 a night and breakfast for CHF42. Babysitting (CHF40 an hour) is available with four week's notice.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Settle into the sunken area by the fire.
Dress Code
Cream cashmere roll necks, suede and mountaineer-style boots will keep you right.
Hotel Restaurant
If rescue is too strong a term, we can at least agree that Experimental Chalet Verbier’s latest dining spot, Le St Bernard, is bringing sustenance to discerning mountain-goers with its hearty celebration of Alpine produce. Executive chef Rudy Ballin spins mountain cheeses, regional meats and seasonal vegetables into refined French-Swiss plates, paired with a selection of wines from the Valais, and enjoyed in a cream and burgundy dining room that sets the classic tone.
Hotel Bar
The bar is where a lobby would normally be, turning the ground floor into a cocktail-laced social hub. As with the other Experimental hotels, the drinks are the cornerstone of the experience – a menu of signature and new creations will be on offer, but the barmen are more than capable of going off menu to fulfil a custom request. During the day, post up by the fire or head out to catch a few rays on the sun-soaked terrace; after dark, the bar becomes the perfect prelude to the Verbier’s famous Farm Club, which is just downstairs.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served from 7.30am to 10.30am. The restaurant is open from 7.30pm to 10.30pm daily. Drinks flow in the cocktail bar from 6pm to 2am.
Room Service
One hot dish and two cold dishes are available every day.
Planes
The closest place to touch down is Sion, which can be reached directly from London’s City and Heathrow airports. There’s only one flight a week, though, so most people fly into Geneva (three hours’ drive) instead. The hotel can arrange transfers for €250 from Sion or €600 from Geneva.
Trains
If you’d rather go by rail, hop on a service to Sion at Geneva (you can catch the train from the airport station, saving the need for a trip into town). The journey takes around an hour and 45 minutes, passing plenty of mountainous scenery on the way. The hotel can arrange for a driver to collect you from Sion for €250.
Automobiles
You won’t need your own car in the village, which is easy to get around on foot. If you do want to hire at the airport, the Smith24 team can arrange it; the hotel has valet parking for CHF40 a day.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Most guests will be hitting the slopes or trails during the day, which is why the hotel have lavished particular attention on the experience at first and last light. Mornings begin with Greg Marchand’s breakfasts, which balance gourmet-quality cooking with the reality that a day in the mountains demands extra energy. On your return in the afternoon, you’ll find the bar and terrace in full swing, with guests sipping craft cocktails as they soak up the last of the day’s sun. After dark, the bar becomes a destination in itself, but night owls will find it makes a suave precursor to famous after hours spot The Farm Club, which is just downstairs.
The greatest attraction is the resort itself – Verbier is the largest village in Les 4 Vallées, which has more than 400km of groomed piste, ensuring something for skiers of all abilities. What’s more, the vast majority of runs face south, so when it’s sunny, it’ll stay that way pretty much all day. Seasoned skiers will be aware of the resort’s reputation as a free rider’s paradise – Verbier has some of the best lift-served off piste in the world, and holds the final stage of the Freeride World Tour. If you want to guaranteed fresh tracks no matter what time you get out of bed, book a heliskiing session with Adrenaline, whose team of expert guides will tailor the routes to your ability. In summer, that 400km of piste is turned over to hiking and mountain biking. Others get their kicks rock-climbing or canyoning, but for a real natural high, try skydiving or paragliding over the surrounding peaks – you won’t get a better view of Mont Blanc anywhere else.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
