Hotel des Trois Vallees, Courchevel

Des Trois Vallées has always been a great example of the post-war 20th Century modernist design—but only after a full renovation in 2013 this classic mountain chalet can boast a truly timeless blend of modern and vintage styles.

Hotel des Trois Vallées was the first hotel in the postwar resort of Courchevel, and the look, marrying the exterior of a traditional Alpine inn with a cool modernist interior, epitomised the spirit of the times.

Over years of use, as trends came and went, the original designers’ vision was lost. Recent renovations, however, have restored the hotel’s retro charm—much of the original furniture, by designers like Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, and Pierre Paulin, is back on the floor — and today’s Hotel des Trois Vallées feels like a vintage film set.

The open-plan lobby is a charmer with its rustic fireplaces, stone walls, rugged wood paneling, and windows framing postcard-like views of the mountains, plus mod sofas and French versions of the Egg chair, a fifties classic.

Guest rooms and suites are slightly more subdued, modern and appropriately cozy with blonde wood beds and fluffy white duvets.

Some are cabin-like, others more contemporary, with asymmetrical vaulted ceilings; all have flat-screen TVs, private balconies, and fifties-inspired furnishings. At the top end—quite literally, on the top floor of the hotel—La Suite features a living room with a fireplace, two bedrooms, and a large terrace facing the snowy slopes.

After a day on the slopes you’ll likely decamp to the large Jacuzzi, more like the size of a small swimming pool, in the Hotel des Trois Vallées Spa. The lobby opens onto the bar and restaurant, where a large table d’hôte (that’s “communal table,” for non-Francophones), warmed by the nearby fireplace, welcomes breakfast guests.

Come for teatime or après-ski, or grab a bottle of Chasselas and a hunk of locally produced cheese from the Épicerie, the hotel’s tiny but smartly stocked gourmet market, and retire to your room before venturing out for dinner.

The main text (above) courtesy of Tablet Hotels, modified to fit the format.

in our opinion

What we love

• Magnificent fusion of modern decor and 1950’s style, expressed through original furniture by Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Pierre Guariche as well as classic mountain lifestyle pieces by Pierre Paulin;
• Ideal location with easy access to the slopes—as well as shops and bars of the resort town;
• Warm, cosy atmosphere of the bar and lounge area, with its wonderful log burning fire.
• Spectacular mountain views from the rooms (all have balconies).

What you should know

• Free WiFi throughout the hotel;
• This family-friendly hotel has free cribs (infant beds) in the guestrooms. Family amenities include babysitting;
• This is a smoke-free property;
• Guests are welcome to bring pets (charges apply);
• Hotel des Trois Vallees is a member of Design Hotels™.