Badrutt's Palace Hotel review: The beating heart of St Moritz’s jet-set social scene has never put a foot wrong

Badrutt’s Palace — one of three hotels that rule, unofficially, over the Swiss mountain resort of St Moritz (the other two are the Kulm and Suvretta House) — pipped Country Life to the post by a single year. It opened right in the heart of the town in 1896; the first Country Life appeared on the newsstand in 1897. The hotel featured regularly in the magazine’s early travel and advertising pages — and both have gone on to be institutions in their respective fields.

Despite being the beating heart of St Moritz’s jet-set social scene (it is closely associated with some of the most important dates on the resort’s calendar, including the annual ICE event), Badrutt’s has never kowtowed to pressure to conform to what so many people seem to desire from five-star hotels. The kind of pressure that has wrecked so many other fantastic properties and turned them into shiny, identikit versions of each other. It helps that the Badrutt’s brand is unfailingly consistent. It knows who it is and it’s not trying to be anyone else or chase hospitality trends, changing enough each year to stay relevant without putting off regular guests.

The rooms

The hotel has 159 rooms and all of them have a view of the lake or town centre. The most talked-about addition is the recently-opened Serlas Wing — a collaboration between Italian architect Antonio Citterior and Loro Piana Interiors. It is in a separate building, on the other side of the street from the central Palace and connected via an underground tunnel that also ferries guests to Chesa Veglia, a historic Engadine farmhouse built in 1658 that now operates as a rustic restaurant (banker banker Harry Morgan went to the opening party in 1935).

The Serlas Wing is a modern, grey cuboid of a building with designer boutiques on the ground floor. It could have felt entirely disconnected from the original, Gothic-inspired building and its turrets and wood-panelled walls, but someone very clever has united the architectural and interior styles with flashes of red, including the window frames and cut-out wooden detailing on the upper storeys of the old building and the window awnings on the new one.

Our room felt more like a private residence than something belonging to a hotel with ample storage space, including a walk-through wardrobe, a separate living room and an emphasis on texture to help soften the grey and red tones (think woollen and cashmere headboard, curtains and cushions). The Palace’s rooms are more classical; they have a lighter colour palette, elegant, Shaker-style panelling and gold lamps and picture frames.

Eating and drinking

Alarm bells typically start ringing in my head when I arrive at a hotel to find that there are four or more food and beverage outlets. Something about it screams of all-inclusive buffets and a desire to stop you venturing outside to explore — and spending your money somewhere else. But here, despite the 11 restaurants and three bars and clubs, the alarm bells were silent.

It helps that 1) they’re all wildly different and 2) that each offering is executed to perfection — often with a difference. In the Le Grand Hall, the dinner menu includes an array of exemplary Indian cuisine; in Le Relais almost every dish is prepared tableside including my favourite pudding, crêpes suzette, which might just rival the ones served at The Ritz London.

There’s also a Matsuhisa outpost to satisfy guests who crave consistency and seek comfort in knowing exactly what they will get regardless of where they go in the world — but even with this they’ve managed to overdeliver, by building the restaurant in the hotel’s former tennis hall (one of Europe’s earliest indoor tennis courts).

Paradiso Mountain Club & Restaurant — situated a way above the hotel, on the slopes — is popular with guests and passing skiers alike. It’s designed for unabashed fun with lively, resident DJs, panoramic views and, of course, a disco ball.

However, Badrutts’ pièce de résistance is the Renaissance Bar, helmed by the magnificent Matteo Oddo who, three years ago, stumbled upon rows of forgotten, storied spirits and wines in the dusty cellars. A bottle of honey liquor, bottled, according to its label, in 1870 was in perfect condition thanks to the subterranean room’s steady temperature and dim light. A carefully curated selection of cocktails, made using some of these rediscovered alcohols, are available to sample in the bar, including the ‘St Moritz Whisky Cocktail’ — Matteo’s favourite to make.

How they’ll keep you busy

The hotel operates nearly year-round (the summer months are becoming increasingly popular, especially with repeat guests) and has an impressive roster of activities to keep all types of travellers happy.

There is a spa with an enviable indoor-outdoor swimming pool (above) that’s level with the treetops meaning when you’re in it, your line of sight skims the canopy to catch the lake beyond. And there are high-altitude tennis and padel courts and instructors on hand to help you perfect your backhand. In the winter months, the in-house ski and snowboard shop can kit you up for a day on the slopes.

Last year, they collaborated with Mesa, a local yoga studio who host regular, gentle practices and meditation sessions.

What else to do while you’re here

Carriage rides, snow-shoeing, shopping, people-watching, helicopter tours… the list goes on and on.

Make time to walk around the picturesque lake which is often veiled in a gossamer-thin mist first thing in the morning.

Who’s it for?

Everyone. Part of the joy of Badrutt’s is that some people come down to dinner in ballgowns and others in puffa jackets (albeit Moncler ones). Surprisingly — for a hotel that attracts such a wealthy clientele (more than 50% of them arrive by private jet) — no one is putting on an act and seem genuinely happy to be here.

What gives it the ‘wow ‘factor?

1) The staff — all of whom you can tell look proud to work at the hotel, and 2) how relaxing a stay here feels, even when operating at a high-occupancy rate (which is most of the time).

The one thing we’d change

I’ve been sitting here, staring at my notes and laptop screen for five minutes, and haven’t been able to come up with anything…

Rooms at Badrutt's Palace Hotel start from £1,020 a night. Visit the hotel's website for more information and to book.