Carlton Hotel St. Moritz

High on the slope of St. Moritz Dorf, with the lake below and the peaks of the Upper Engadine opposite, the Carlton Hotel St. Moritz has looked south over the valley since 1913. Every one of its rooms is a suite, and every suite faces the lake.

History

St. Moritz had been a winter resort since 1864, when Johannes Badrutt famously wagered a party of English summer guests that they would enjoy the Engadine in winter. By the eve of the First World War the village had a row of grand hotels, and the Carlton, opened in 1913, was among the last of that generation.

A story attached to the house holds that it was built with Tsar Nicholas II in mind as a summer residence, a visit that war and revolution made impossible. The tale cannot be proved, but the name of the Romanoff restaurant keeps it alive.

For most of the twentieth century the Carlton was a conventional grand hotel of the Engadine. It was later bought by the Tschuggen group, owners of the Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa, and closed for a complete rebuilding of its interior. It reopened in December 2007 as an all-suite house, with far fewer and much larger units than before.

Architecture and design

The exterior is the original 1913 block, a pale, many-windowed building set into the hillside above the lake. It stands a little apart from the village houses, with a garden terrace in front of the main façade. The 2007 interiors are the work of the Ticino designer Carlo Rampazzi, who works in strong colour and bold pattern, with much of the furniture designed for the house. The effect owes more to the stage than to Alpine tradition.

Rooms and suites

There are about sixty suites and junior suites, all facing south, so every guest wakes to the lake and the slopes of Piz Rosatsch across the valley.

Dining

The hotel's best-known table is Da Vittorio, run by the Cerea family, whose original restaurant of the same name is in Brusaporto, near Bergamo. The St. Moritz outpost follows the family's Italian repertoire. The Romanoff, the hotel's other dining room, serves a broader menu, and the bar and lounge open on to the sun terrace above the lake.

Wellness

The spa is spread over three floors, with indoor and outdoor pools looking over the lake, saunas, steam rooms and treatment rooms. In winter the outdoor water steams in cold air at more than 1,800 metres.

Weddings and events

With about sixty suites, the Carlton suits small weddings and private celebrations better than large conferences. Its salons and restaurants can be reserved for private dinners, and the terrace above the lake serves for summer receptions.

Location

The hotel stands on the Via Johannes Badrutt, above the centre of St. Moritz Dorf and a few minutes from the shops of the Via Serlas. The Rhaetian Railway station, on the lakeshore below, has direct trains to Chur and is a stop on the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express. Zurich is about three and a half hours away by train, and the small Engadin Airport at Samedan takes private aircraft. In winter the lake freezes hard enough to carry the White Turf horse races and snow polo, and the Cresta Run and the bobsleigh run both start in the village. Summer brings a second season of hiking, sailing and kitesurfing on the Upper Engadine lakes, and the hotel opens for both, closing in spring and autumn. That winter calendar is much of the reason people book a luxury hotel in St. Moritz in February.