In the style of Wes Anderson
The Majestic – The Timeless Palace
The name says it all. Opened in 1919, this 300-room luxury hotel welcomed the cream of international high society. By day, guests played tennis and golf in the summer and went horse-drawn skiing in the winter. But above all, the hotel came alive at night. The entire Chamonix crowd would come to let loose at the dance bar for a magnificent evening in the style of *The Great Gatsby in the Alps*: eccentric costume balls, an orchestra in tuxedos, champagne fountains… The golden age of a glamorous and effervescent mountain resort.
The 1950s and 1960s brought the party to a halt, and the suites were converted into private apartments and offices. But the building itself has lost none of its majesty. The monumental lines of its colossal facade and the impeccably preserved period decor of its ground floor continue to make it an icon of Chamonix’s past.
Rose du Pont – A Belle Époque Gem
Rose du Pont ’s Barbapapa-style facade is every bit as impressive as that of The Grand Budapest Hotel.
The former La Terrasse bar already stood out in downtown Chamonix with its carved balustrades and Art Nouveau columns that seem to dance above the Arve River. But when it became Rose du Pont in 2022, the establishment underwent a spectacular renovation—and one that’s irresistibly Instagrammable. Inside, architect and interior designer Christophe Bro has gone all out, drawing inspiration from Belle Époque Parisian brasseries and department stores: a cathedral-like bar-library, a backlit glass dome, and an upper level designed like a theater gallery…
It’s dazzling, elegant, and a little decadent. Like a good cocktail served after midnight to the sound of jazz.
La Folie Douce – The Hotel That Never Sleeps
Once upon a time, a very staid luxury hotel: the Savoy Hotel. Today, La Folie Douce. And its name is a promise in itself. Before its 2018 grand opening, behind the immaculate white facade—which was left intact—it was a demolition party to make way for extraordinary spaces and wild creativity. Everything at La Folie Douce breaks the rules without a second thought.
Raw, formwork-removal materials blend with flair alongside the most delicate textures. The design pushes the envelope—and it’s done with finesse. The spectacle isn’t just in the decor, either; La Folie Douce also has its own in-house cabaret. A wild setting for a place to live and party—"open to all who are open-minded." Hybrid, stylish, and free—right in the spirit of the 1920s, but version 2.0.
Le Refuge du Montenvers – Charm in the Air
You get there by rack-and-pinion train, and that alone sets a slightly nostalgic mood.
Perched on the mountainside, facing the Mer de Glace, the Grand Hôtel du Montenvers has all the makings of an Andersonian closed-door setting. Sober, sturdy, carved from stone and steeped in melancholy: the kind of building that has weathered more than a century without batting an eye. Inside, the same poetic austerity is evident in the dark wood paneling on the walls and the frugal yet warm interior design. It’s easy to imagine Bill Murray reading a novel in a leather armchair by the fireplace… Above him, the ghost of a mountaineer who seems to have found refuge here for eternity.
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