Switzerland’s most storied ski town (the one, in fact, credited with pioneering the very concept of Alpine tourism), St. Moritz legendarily attracts the rich, the famous, celebutantes and the wannabes. Yet, there’s something compellingly earthy about the place, a town on a lake rich with natural environs, where winter sports and summer activities draw athletes and mountain lovers aplenty. As at the mountain restaurants (where some arrive by chairlift rather than muscle movement, and all types of diners and imbibers convene), Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski St. Moritz straddles the old and new, the lavish and the understated. The hotel, one of St. Moritz’s oldest, opened as a spa haven in 1864, set atop a healing mineral spring.

Today, it’s a cantata of harmonious contradictions, beautifully executed as one sweet symphony, a mellifluous hotel that can be unpretentiously excessive (think: first rate, on target service that doesn’t embarrass) and casually grandiose (imagine: suites renovated with clean lines and organic elements, but brimming with first-class amenities).

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I made my second visit to the hotel near the close of the winter season. I was delighted to notice how its Belle Epoque framework and attentively Swiss ambiance remain. Yet, it now also sports an edgy quality, a cool kid snazziness as welcoming to today’s TikTok jet setters as old-money families who have checked in here every year for generations. I rush inside to meet my old friend Norman Zweyer— a hotelier— and after I freshen up in my eye-popping (newly renovated) suite, we quaff vodka martinis on the front lawn inside the winter pop-up bar, Beluga Vodka igloo. (In summer, I’m told it becomes a Champagne bar — Veuve Clicquot). I’m supposed to go for cryotherapy in the fully kitted out spa, but frankly we get so cold holding the frozen martini glasses, we decide the act of toasting each other constitutes a modicum of the wellness ritual’s desired effect.

Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski St. Moritz has always had a festive air, not stuffy like some of St. Moritz’s other iconic hotels. Situated at the foot of Signalbahn Cable Car and the renowned Hahnensee Descent, the hotel truly qualifies as a ski-in/ski-out retreat. Steps from the lake, but a 10-minute stroll to the town’s shops, it lies tucked away slightly further afield, a trait that adds to its exclusive uniqueness.

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Whether it’s lunch in the hotel’s cosseting Lobby Bar or an evening at Billionaire, the hotel’s astonishing and ritzy supper club with nonpareil Cirque de Soleil-ish performances and over-the-top gastronomy (average bill paid is $750 a person), this hotel has it all. When the evening ends at Billionaire, everyone, from octogenarians to 20-year-olds, whirl their white napkins above their heads like avante garde helicopter blades. Some folks dance on chairs. In the end, that frenzied display says it all — it’s how I feel about this splendorous hotel; it makes you want to dance. Billionaires serves up stunning courses between stupendous acts from acrobats to opera.

The hotel’s creme-de-a-creme remains its Michelin-starred Cà d’Oro, under the helm of Chef Leopold Ott. In a room awash in stucco elements and drippy chandeliers, it serves upscale creative Mediterranean cuisine.

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Alternatively, don’t miss dinner at what might be the hotel’s most popular eatery, with its personality-driven chef and maitre d’hotel Adriano Feraco. Regional wine, cheese and pasta creations rule the day. A stunning breakfast buffets fuels an active day in the window-flanked Les Saison Restaurant. It has a special corner for children that’s so alluring I saw adults sneaking over to eat from it. The Lobby Restaurant and Bar, buzzy and at the heart of the hotel, has live music, exceptional light food (one of the best salads I’ve had in ages) and an engaging bar menu.

The hotel features 213 commodious rooms and suites — even the lowest category will garner you a large and pampering space. For longer stays and those with families in tow, the Tower Suite has space for four. Charming, it spans three floors amongst the hotel’s atmospheric original towers and features two bedrooms. Its décor feels like Swiss mountain hut opulence with furnishings in leather, cowhide and local upholstery. It encompasses nearly 1,300 square feet.

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Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski St. Moritz began as a spa hotel, and in its modern rendition, it continues to excel as a healing place for mind, body and spirit. Perhaps the highlight amongst its 30,000 square feet is its Alpine Sauna Landscape, an adults-only sanctuary of saunas. Tailored treatments use top-notch products such as Swiss Perfection. And guests can actually swig a glass of the mineral water that launched the hotel from a spigot in the spa, bringing history full circle. Don’t miss a swim in the outdoor pool with its mountain views.

During the winter season, an in-house ski shop supplies equipment and organizes ski school; in summer, it supports hikers and bikers who take to the trails. There are tennis, squash and padel courts on property; a well-equipped kid’s club; and special concierges called “Ladies in Red” (yes they really do don red suits), who can organize off property fun from paragliding to V.I.P. shopping.

Grand Hotel Des Bains Kempinski St. Moritz

Via Mazdi 27, 7500
St. Moritz, Switzerland
tel 41 81 838 38 38