Having read a great deal about the Chedi Andermatt Hotel and after getting many positive comments on it, we had planned for some time to visit this hotel setting new standards in the luxury Alpine hotel business.
Our trip on the Glacier Express naturally was the perfect “vehicle” for slotting in a stop in the heart of the Swiss Alps to explore The Chedi Andermatt. Did we mention that it was chosen last December as the best winter hotel in Switzerland? Just one more reason to accelerate our timetable and finally make it happen!
The Chedi Andermatt – The Hotel
Right across from the Andermatt train station, this masterpiece by the Egyptian investor Samih Sawiris comes on like a super-sized chalet. And yet its appearance is anything but monumental. The complex made up of several buildings really blends quite naturally with its Andermatt context.
Enter the lobby and you bid adieu to charming reticence: We could hardly believe our eyes…instantly, the very modern reception area practically radiates a very special ambiance. Crystal designer lamps sparkling exquisitely like square cut diamond bracelets hanging over the bar add just one more perfect touch of glamor to the scene.
Next to the reception, a generously sized and stylishly equipped seating landscape with fireplace raises the comfort level by another notch.
But even as we continue to explore the hotel’s other public areas we are struck again and again by this “comfortable, nonchalant elegance,” radiating throughout. Everywhere, we encounter expertly staged Oriental-Asian elements with just a hint of Swissness.
The rooms and suites
As we enter our generous Deluxe Suite, we are once more blown away by the same “wow factor” as earlier in the lobby. Stylish furnishings, noble materials and a multitude of small details captivate immediately! So, to give just one example, with the room’s iPad you control the butler service, adjust the room temperature, lights, and window coverings or you can hang out an electronic “do not disturb” sign for housekeeping. Technical infrastructure at its coolest!
Wood, leather, stone and glass are stylishly combined in elegant fashion.
The bathroom – nearly as big as my bedroom back home! – is equipped with a freestanding bathtub and one of the biggest rain showers anywhere. A sensor controls the ventilation in the toilet automatically – how ingenious!
The Restaurants
This 5-star establishment is a member of the GHM Group, which is especially strongly represented in the Asian area. It is therefore not much of a stretch that in things culinary as well a subtle Asian flair is evident. So, in the four show kitchens of the gourmet “The Restaurant” Asian and European dishes are prepared in full view of the guests watching the spectacle.
Rivaling the show kitchens, the five-meter high “cheese cellar” is another eye catcher!
The breakfast buffet is top of the line! The selection on offer here leaves no wish unfulfilled, from a variety of breads to patisserie, cold cuts, cheeses and plenty of fresh-pressed juices, too; you really can find everything here to start your Andermatt day with plenty of energy.
Incidentally, what we noticed already at check-in was repeated in the restaurant: an extremely friendly and attentive service staff helped us feel instantly at ease. The unusually high proportion of Swiss on the service team is another surprise.
Not least to be found on the premises is the “The Japanese” restaurant, offering authentic Japanese delicacies at the tempura and a sushi/sashimi bar.
Spa area of superlatives
The 2,400 m2 spa and fitness area is overwhelming, especially the 35 Meter indoor pool with a companion heated outdoor pool!
In addition to ten treatment cabins, the wellness area includes a sauna landscape with bio and Finnish saunas as well as a sole biosteam bath and hydrothermal bath.
Andermatt Swiss Alps
Egyptian investor Samih Sawiris has big plans for Andermatt. The concept is to build the “Andermatt Swiss Alps” resort with six hotels in the 4- and 5-star categories, 490 vacation homes in 42 buildings and roughly 25 exclusive chalets and convention facilities when completed.
With the Chedi opening, he has already achieved the first milestone, something he can be more than proud of without question. To us, the 5-star hotel seemed extremely well-executed and a delight despite its imposing scale!
Sawiris himself confided in an interview with the NZZ (Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich’s daily newspaper) that he was most impressed, among other things, with the lobby restrooms as well as the spa area with its outsized swimming hall.
The indoor pool really is awesome! Still, we were also impressed by some entirely different hotel amenities; for example: the elegant ski room styled like a living room (we’ve NEVER seen anything like it!), the sensor-controlled restroom ventilation, and the modern iPad controls.
A Chedi stay is surely no steal. To indulge in this luxury during the off-season, you will casually count out cool CHF 700 for a room. You can have the Deluxe Suite during high season for just CHF 1,400! From the aspect of price, too, you will lodge here in the major leagues. But really…once you’ve saved up the necessary “change,” you really owe yourself the treat of a night at the Chedi for a special occasion. Come now, it doesn’t have to be the suite, does it? ;-) Know that the standard room already measures an unbelievable 52 m2, and the hotel with its public areas and the spa alone make it worthwhile.
Our thanks go to…
Great thanks to Sven Flory, Sales Manager and Christian Henker, Marketing & Communications Manager, who made our stay possible.
Also, a big compliment to the extremely friendly staff. We felt completely taken care of without being fawned over. Great job!
