Review Author

Chloe Frost-Smith

Contributing Writer

HOTEL SNAPSHOT

Perched high above Switzerland’s Jungfrau Valley, Grand Hotel Belvedere is a reminder that Alpine hotels are at their best when they respect the climb. Guests reach the car-free village of Wengen via charming cog railway from Lauterbrunnen, before boarding the hotel’s gondola-esque shuttle for the final ascent. I arrived during the iconic Lauberhorn downhill race week, in unseasonably mild January weather thanks to the föhn wind, with cowbells clanging in town and skiers spilling in from the slopes. Now part of the Beaumier collection (the brand’s first Swiss stay), the historic hotel spans two recently revamped buildings, both offering a refined base for winter sports while staying open year-round for hiking, biking, and high-altitude summer wandering across the Bernese Oberland.

Design & Character

The redesign walks a well-judged line between balancing Wengen’s longstanding ski heritage with Wes Anderson whimsy, with Geneva-based architects leaning into the building’s Heimatstil bones—arched windows, wood panelling, and lingering Art Nouveau details—while paring everything back to feel calm, tactile, and modern. Pine, wool, stone, lime-washed walls, and spruce parquet flooring dominate, allowing the landscape to remain the focal point. An extensive art collection brings warmth and wit to the hotel’s Alpine framework. Highlights include playful works by French textile artist Manon Daviet, commissioned especially for the hotel and placed in every room. Her pieces cleverly subvert Swiss cultural clichés—reimagining cows, mountains, and (in my case) slices of Swiss cheese into touch-me tapestries.

The Rooms

Rooms are cocooning and deeply restful, perfectly pitched for post-ski downtime and slow mornings after. Those facing the Jungfrau are particularly coveted, bathed in sunlight for much of the day and noticeably warmer than rooms at the back of the hotel, where the light fades earlier behind the mountain. My room was generously sized, with a private terrace overlooking the village, red- and green-shuttered chalets stacked below like a box of Swiss chocolates. In the hotel’s second building (the older Waldrand, just down the slope), rooms such as the Beaumier Suite benefit from uninterrupted views, with no neighbouring properties interrupting the sightlines. 

Alpine touches abound throughout: herbal infusion teas made from local plants, thick wool textiles, and a house beer delivered in metallic green and silver cans, best chilled in the snow outside. Bathrooms are lined with green serpentine stone that darkens dramatically when wet, mimicking mountain waterfalls in the region.

The Food & Drink

Dining at Grand Hotel Belvedere takes Alpine classics and gives them a knowing twist. In the main brasserie, familiar mountain dishes are reimagined by a chef with a vegan ethos, resulting in vegetable-forward plates and even a convincing vegan fondue. Desserts punch above their weight: the chocolate mousse is excellent, while a crisp alpine-herb cracker layered with coconut, lemon verbena, and beetroot offers an inventive take on a fruit salad.

The Sonnenbad lounge and terrace is where winter afternoons tend to stretch out, with fondue, raclette cheeseburgers cooked over an open fire, and drinks sipped outdoors beneath yellow umbrellas. Inside, the Belvi Salon offers a calmer counterpoint—ideal for afternoon tea, pre-dinner drinks, or easing into the evening as the light fades across the valley.

Bergwald Bar brings the mood up a notch, leaning into Alpine botanicals and house-made syrups crafted from local plants and Berner Rosen tea. The elderflower seltzer is a must-try, finished with foam dusted like fresh snow over the chunky ice cubes. Breakfast, meanwhile, is impressively generous: breads from a local bakery, homemade cakes and pastries, regional jams, fluffy pancakes, and a well-stocked buffet that makes early ski starts feel far more civilised.

The Amenities

Skiers are well looked after, with a practical on-site ski room, seamless logistics back to town, and superb Swiss Ski School Wengen instructors on speed dial (ask for dynamic duo, Patrick and Matteo). A standout is the boutique, housed in the hotel’s former fumoir, which hosts rotating brand takeovers—most recently Monocle, complete with copies of its special edition Alpine newspaper to flick through by the fire. There’s also a private dining room dotted with snowshoe-strapped chairs if you’re planning an event at altitude.

Spa & Wellness

The brutalist spa is a serene refuge after long ski days. An indoor-outdoor pool connects via a glass trap door that opens with a wave of your hand, revealing village and mountain views framed by steam. Facilities include a cold plunge, sauna, and steam room, plus a winter spa yurt for yoga and treatments (outdoor yoga takes over in warmer months). Treatments use Susanne Kaufmann products, with massage oils tailored to purpose—marigold for relaxation, arnica to reduce inflammation, pomegranate to boost circulation. Post-treatment rituals are genuinely thoughtful: heated beds, warming neck pillows, glacier-blue towels, herbal tea on tap, and a cranberry-coconut energy bite to send you back into the cold revived.

Fast Facts

Location: Wengen, Switzerland

Rating: Five-star

Pricing: Rooms from approximately CHF 550 per night in winter, including breakfast and spa access (rates vary seasonally).

Dining: Brasserie Belvedere; Sonnenbad lounge and terrace; Belvi Salon; Bergwelt Bar. Alpine staples are reimagined by Executive Chef Will Gordon through a modern, ingredient-led lens, spotlighting local flavours and foraged produce from the surrounding Bernese Alps.

Amenities: Indoor-outdoor pool and spa, ski room, curated boutique, shuttle service within Wengen, multiple bars and lounges, room service, free Wi-Fi.

Our favourite thing about the hotel: The spa circuit’s seamless flow of contrast therapy from heat to cold, finished with herbal tea and total mountain calm.

Airport: Zurich (ZRH) or Geneva (GVA), both approximately 3–4 hours by car and train, finishing with the historic cog railway.