We review the best ski hotels with the best club or executive lounges. The best hotels include Almhof Schneider, Fairmont Banff Springs, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Fairmont Tremblant, Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Schlosshotel Fiss, Spa, and Casino.
By reviewing each of these club lounges, in turn, I conclude which hotel club lounge comes in at the top and which hotel I would select as having the best club lounge at any ski resort.
1. Fairmont Chateau Whistler
The Fairmont Chateau Whistler has impressive suites with fireplaces (perfect for those cozy winter months), modern spa bathrooms with soaker tubs, and updated modern alpine decor.
The rooms at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler are less impressive. They are more generic than 5-Star. Most have decent-sized windows, but few are floor-to-ceiling. The majority of rooms don’t have balconies, which is a real disadvantage. The ones with a balcony only offer Romeo and Juliette style, so you can’t step out or sit on your balcony. For this joy, you have to pick the Four Seasons Whistler, I’m afraid, which is the best hotel in Whistler.
The standard rooms at the Fairmont face backward, towards the car park rather than over the pool and the slopes. While they remain luxury rooms with 37m2 of space, they are nothing special, and if you are a luxury traveler, you may be disappointed if you get a car park view. If you want a fireplace in your room, it’s only the suites at the Fairmont that offer fireplaces.
The Fairmont offers small 40 mL bottles of Le Labo Rose 31 bath amenities in their bathrooms, which is standard for the Fairmont brand. These amenities smell nice but are not my favorites.
The big advantage of the Fairmont is that it’s located at the base of Blackcomb Mountain by the Wizard Express ski lift. This means you walk out of the hotel and onto the slopes. They have a ski concierge room to store your skis/boards/boots overnight, so you don’t have to carry everything back to the hotel. In this ski concierge room, hot chocolate is sometimes available, too.
The Fairmont pool is large and heated, which is a magical place to swim, and you can warm up in the hot tubs that surround the pool.
If you want a club lounge, I think this club lounge has to be the best of any ski hotel. You get access to by booking their Gold rooms. The Fairmont Chateau Whistler Gold floor accommodations offer jetted tubs and gas fireplaces in every room, along with upgraded hotel amenities and Bose sound systems.
The Fairmont Gold accommodations are located on the 9th to 12th Floor, with some Fairmont Gold rooms on the 8th floor. Privileges include:
- Private check-in and check-out
- Exclusive Fairmont Gold Lounge for Fairmont Gold guests
- Deluxe Continental Breakfast in the Fairmont Gold Lounge
- All day coffee & tea service in the Fairmont Gold Lounge
- Afternoon canapés & honour bar in the Fairmont Gold Lounge
- Complimentary newspapers and personalized wake-up calls
- Fairmont Gold privileges include exclusive access to the Fairmont Gold Lounge. Relax fireside while enjoying complimentary Deluxe Continental Breakfast, local newspapers, and magazines, catching up on email with our complimentary laptop computer or simply unwinding after a day on Whistler Mountain
2. The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch
Sadly, there are no hotels with executive club lounges in Aspen. The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch is not far away at just under 2 hours drive and has one of the best hotel club lounges in Colorado.
The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch is located in Beaver Creek, a mountainside destination in Avon, Colorado. It is just a few minutes from Vail and is part of a gated community. This year-round Five-star accommodation features a luxurious spa and ski-in/ski-out access.
Guests with club lounge access enjoy exclusive amenities. Some room types include private balconies with Colorado Mountain or Vail Valley views and in-room fireplaces (you should request one of these where possible), all of which embrace Rocky Mountain luxury and the adventurous, pioneering spirit of the American West. It is the perfect resort to enjoy being outside in the mountain air with campfires.
There is a delightful pool heated throughout the year and plenty of hot tubs to relax in. There is also an expensive resort fee at this resort, but it is currently completely waived for Globalists.
The Ritz-Carlton club level lounge at this Bachelor Gulch hotel features an almost endless array of beverage and culinary offerings throughout the day: continental breakfast, lunch, light snacks, Hors d’Oeuvres early in the evening, followed by dessert and cordials.
Specialists from The Ritz-Carlton Spa also host weekly one-hour chair massage sessions exclusively for Club Level guests.
3. Fairmont Banff Springs
The world-famous Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel stands as a landmark in the picturesque alpine town of Banff, Alberta. Canada’s “Castle in the Rockies” has provided legendary hospitality to its guests for more than 125 years.
Fairmont Banff Springs offers all the amenities of a world-class resort, with 757 guest rooms and suites, superbly appointed Banff accommodations and attentive, personalized service. From cozy rooms tucked away in quiet corners of the castle to spacious suites with sweeping Alberta mountain views, Fairmont Banff Springs has the perfect guest room, suite, or Fairmont Gold accommodations for your Rocky Mountain getaway.
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel was modeled after a castle in Scotland, as evidenced by its turrets, castle-like look, and grand public spaces. You can enjoy a real-life honeymoon in a castle here, plus it enjoys a very convenient location in the heart of Banff National Park, just above the Bow Falls and close to thermal springs.
The hotel features a large, 32 m (105 ft) saltwater indoor pool complemented by an indoor whirlpool, a kid’s wading pool, and an outdoor 20 m (66 ft) pool that is filled with heated water and open year-round. There’s also an excellent Willow Stream Spa and numerous excellent restaurants. And let’s not forget the hotel’s magnificent golf course to exercise you between meals.
If you are looking for an executive club lounge, pick a Fairmont Gold room, all privately located on the 4th and 5th floors of the main hotel, and offer a level of service and recognition that will help you make the most of every moment of your stay. As a Fairmont Gold guest, you will enjoy individualized service from your dedicated Fairmont Gold Manager, access to the exclusive private Gold Lounge, and more.
Fairmont Gold Accommodation includes Fairmont Gold turndown service and private check-in and check-out. The Gold club lounge is elegant yet relaxing, the ideal place to unwind next to the fire with a good book or catch up on email. As a Fairmont Gold guest, you can enjoy coffee, tea, and an honor bar throughout the day, as well as complimentary canapés. In the morning, you can enjoy a hearty and complimentary continental breakfast buffet with cold and hot items.
4. Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise features breathtaking views of Lake Louise and the surrounding Canadian Rocky Mountains. Elegant and polished, yet relaxed and inviting, this 539 room luxury resort in Banff National Park lives up to the natural wonder with which the hotel shares its name. Unwind and enjoy the views from well-appointed guestrooms, indulge in luxurious suites and specialty rooms, or experience the exclusivity of Fairmont Gold, where you can enjoy complimentary meals and drinks in this luxury hotel club lounge.
Located on the 7th floor of the Chateau is the club lounge floor. This ‘hotel within a hotel’ offers special privileges and highly personalized service by a dedicated Fairmont Gold Supervisor, who will ensure your stay is nothing short of memorable.
Luxury Fairmont Gold accommodation includes:
- Private check-in and check-out
- Private Concierge
- Private lounge exclusive to Fairmont Gold guests
- Healthy deluxe continental breakfast in the lounge
- All-day coffee and tea service
- Evening canapes and honor bar in the lounge
- Complimentary newspapers and personalized wake-up calls
- Complimentary laptop and iPad use in the lounge with high-speed internet
5. Fairmont Tremblant
Spectacular by nature, Tremblant’s landmark ski-in ski-out hotel provides the best setting for a perfect alpine getaway. Perfectly located at the foot of the majestic Tremblant peaks, Fairmont Tremblant resort is the best destination for a balanced combination of relaxation and adventure, creating memories for couples, families, and singles to cherish for a lifetime.
Fairmont Tremblant offers all the amenities of a world-class resort, with 314 guest rooms, including 62 spacious suites, superbly appointed accommodations, and attentive, personalized service. Many of the luxury rooms offer breathtaking, spectacular views of the mountain, the pedestrian village, or surrounding woodlands. Rooms come in various sizes, and The Fairmont Gold experience includes a club lounge and a private reception area on the 7th floor.
Gold rooms offer warm decor, a luxurious bathroom, exquisite personal amenities, high-speed Internet access, and club lounge access. The concierge lounge offers complimentary daily continental breakfast, drinks, snacks, tea, coffee, and “honor bar” all day, and complimentary canapes.
Imagine waking up in a cozy cabin-like guest room, refreshed and ready to take on the day’s adventures! Described as the true Canadian experience, this resort offers many outdoor activities you can enjoy to make the best out of winter. With all the facilities and equipment on-site, you can make sure your next getaway is filled with fun and long-lasting memories.
6. Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa And Casino is a tranquil waterfront resort on Lake Tahoe, nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Spend your days exploring the area’s winding trails, relaxing at the on-site spa, and dining at the award-winning restaurants before retreating to one of the spacious rooms, upscale suites, or private waterfront cottages. Diamond Peak Ski Resort is 2 miles from the resort and is where you can find some great skiing.
In terms of an executive club lounge, there is a lounge at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa And Casino, and the morning breakfast selection is good with a decent selection of cheeses, smoked salmon, cold cuts, cereal, yogurt, etc. All-day snacks are cookies and gummy bears, as well as soft drinks. There is a limited selection of food in the evening, including soup and some pleasant light bites. While this is definitely not the best hotel club lounge at a ski resort, it is good to have a lounge to use nonetheless.
7. Fairmont Pacific Rim
On the way to Whistler, you might want to stop by the Fairmont Pacific Rim, one of the best luxury hotels in Vancouver, and it features a Gold Club lounge. It is around 2 hours drive from the skiable mountains of Whistler.
This hotel also has a main lobby bar, which is the place to see and be seen in Vancouver and is great for people-watching. It probably has the most stunning pool in Vancouver, surrounded by loungers and cabanas, and is a great place to hang out in the summer. Rounding the hotel off is an outdoor terrace, a garden, and the Botanist Restaurant, which offers a menu inspired by the principles of botany, organic farming, and sustainable sourcing.
As for dining and shopping, there are plenty of good options within a 20-minute walk. The hotel provides complimentary drop-off services in one of their BMW house car (7 series) on a first-come, first-served basis, and you rarely have to wait for more than a couple of minutes for a ride.
The lobby lounge is an amusing feature of this hotel as it turns into a bar at night and attracts some of Vancouver’s finest try-hards. It’s to people watch but can be quite lively and is certainly not a relaxing lounge bar to take the family or look for some peace.
A Harbour View Room in the Pacific Rim is your best room choice from these hotels, although the Waterfront has a similar view. Pac Rim has more frills with a TV in the bathroom mirror, virtual surround soundbar, iPad room controls, super fluffy bathrobes, more dining options, better gym.
Both the Gold lounges at the Pacific Rim and Vancouver Waterfront during the summer months since both have an awesome outside patio. The Fairmont Pacific Rim Gold Club Lounge offers breathtaking views of Coal Harbour, Stanley Park, and the North Shore Mountains.
8. Almhof Schneider, Lech
The best ski hotel in Austria is the pretty little Alpine village Lech. Lech is the Austrian St Moritz or Megève, a place for the rich and famous to see and be seen. This gorgeous resort has hosted many celebrities. It was a favorite ski resort of Princess Dianna, and Pippa Middleton visited just before we did in 2019. Other past visitors include the Jordanian royal family, the Dutch royal family, and Monaco’s Princess Caroline.
No hotels here have executive club lounges, but all the best ones include an incredible breakfast, a ridiculously good evening meal, and most include light snacks in the afternoon to keep you going, so a club lounge isn’t necessary at these ski hotels.
The Almhof Schneider is one of our top picks in lech and one of the best ski hotels in the world. It is also located in one of the best spots in Lech. It is ski-in, ski-out, but also only a few steps from the village, where you can enjoy apres-ski in the classy but lively bars, buy designer wear from Strolz or pick up essentials from the village pharmacy or supermarket.
The style of this hotel is a modern ultra-luxe chalet. Luxury hotels simply don’t get better than this, and from the moment you step inside, every member of staff tries to make your stay as easy as possible for you, from unpacking your ski gear to bringing you whatever you want, whether it’s on the menu or not.
The food here is exquisite, and the staff are warm. I particularly love the large windows that look down over twinkling Lech from the restaurants and bar. If you come here in the lower season (at the beginning or the end of the ski season), you will be served the hotel menu (which is AMAZING) in the fine dining restaurant area, which is a real treat. In high season, the main menu is served in the main restaurant, which is larger.
Bedrooms here are a mass of pines and dark woods but are decorated in a modern style. Walls and ceilings are pine-clad, floors are dark wood, and luscious chocolate-colored rugs keep your feet cozy. There is so much high-end detailing in this hotel. Every piece of furniture has been carefully selected. Lamps are often made out of reindeer horns. Thick blackout curtains complement the pine walls, and fresh, high thread count, crisp white linens match the snow outside.
The bathrooms here are also beautifully designed in creamy marble with delicious AESOP amenities, which means that your body and hands always smell of Christmassy oranges when you stay. AESOP is also the only hand and body cream that works for my skin in the dry alpine air. It sounds silly, but the Almhof Schneider has even got the perfect choice of toiletries. It is this attention to detail that keeps their loyal repeat guests.
All the bedrooms are extravagant, and our room, room 103, was no exception. It had a separate bedroom and a lounge with a roaring fire, which my son loved throwing logs on. The hall area (yes, our room had a hall) was an ideal place to stow your bags and hang your clothes. Previously we have stayed in 2 other rooms at this gorgeous hotel, and they have all been brilliant. Even the base rooms here are fabulous, and of course, you get the same breakfast and evening meal here, whichever room you choose.
Back to the food. There is one of the best breakfast buffets imaginable in the morning, smoked salmon and meats with around 15 homemade accompaniments. Loads of muesli and cereal choices, including choco pops for the kids, plus salad items and cheeses. Eggs made to order are brought to the table, and there is a patisserie tray with the most delicious homemade patisseries including home-made muffins, patisseries stuffed with cinnamon and apple, all so good that you feel obliged to take one or two back to the room to scoff once your stomach accepts food again.
In the evening, the food can only be described as exquisite and is delivered in one of the classiest fine dining restaurants I have experienced. Beautiful Alpine decor is complemented by generous Alpine flower arrangements (we had a lovely purple flower on our table) and six courses of deliciousness. The additional option is to order something different if the menu doesn’t take your fancy. It is one of the few menus that I have come across where the food is more beautiful and tastes even better than it sounds in the description on the menu.
Also within the hotel is a stylish pool and spa, a smoking room with a pool table, a kids club, an impressive spa, a ski room, and as the hotel is ski in ski out, there is nothing more you could want or need. We tend to stay here towards the start and the end of the main season when the rates are cheaper. Even in the low season, the rates are expensive, but you get what you pay for, and you simply won’t find a better ski hotel in the Alps. Almhof Schneider is paradise on alpine slopes. Ski perfection.
Book a room at Almhof Schneider via our luxury travel concierge and get brilliant extra benefits at no extra cost.
9. Schlosshotel Fiss
For food throughout the day, even better than an executive club lounge, try the exclusive Schlosshotel Fiss. in Austria. Located a short drive from Innsbruck Airport, the ski area of Fiss is relatively undiscovered by the British market, and yet it must be the best ski area for children of any ski resort anywhere in the world.
This luxury ski-in-ski-out ski hotel sits directly on the slopes of Fiss. It has a lift that elevates you directly from the hotel ski shop (which is part of the hotel) right onto the slopes. It is perfect for adults but offers an insane amount of fun for the kids too. It is, without a doubt, one of the best family ski hotels in Europe.
Schlosshotel Fiss is located at 1,436m altitude in the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis region of the Western Tyrol. It’s a 1-hour drive from Innsbruck or 2.5 hours from Munich or Bolzano. The nearest train station is in Landeck, a 30-minute transfer away.
The arrival is spectacular. An alpine road winds its way up the side of the steep mountain leading to Fiss. The hotel has a modern alpine feel. The lobby has lots of pines and stonework and leads to the bar area, a mass of candles, and stylish alpine furniture. Much like a Four Seasons hotel but more individual, the entire area is immaculate. Beyond the bar area is a sun-dappled terrace and a further lounge with a roaring fire where you can enjoy an extravagant afternoon food buffet included in the room rate.
All the rooms at Schlosshotel Fiss are extremely stylish and modern whilst retaining their alpine heart. Rooms are immaculate, large, and recently refurbished, with exquisite furnishings and flint-colored tiling in the bathrooms. Pinewood floors, doors & cupboards are offset by white sheets and cream rugs. Expect enormous baths and walk-in showers, and a separate toilet in the bathroom. Outside, there are balconies with seats, a table, and a lounger offering dramatic mountain views.
On the slopes, this region has invested massively in a huge array of fun things for the kids to do. Wigwams, American Western-style villages, dragons breathing smoke, and monsters in caves are hidden on the slopes. Even the magic carpet ski lift has animated Cinderella characters trying on shoes and depicting other fairytale scenes as you are transported past. This is a mini Disneyland in the snow for the kids (and the young at heart).
Off the slopes, the Schlosshotel Fiss doesn’t disappoint either, for the adults and the kids. The absolute highlight for kids at Schlosshotel Fiss is their “Splash Zone” waterslide pool, where children can get a thrill from whizzing down an enormous curly slide, complete with flashing lights and powerful jets of water. Even little kids are catered for in the Splash Zone with a babies’ pool, a shallow puddle full of toys, and fountains.
The pool area’s beauty is that the Splash Zone is a sealed-off pool next door to the quieter and more sophisticated adult infinity pool. The infinity pool area is extravagant and peaceful, the best I’ve seen in the alpine mountains. Inside the pool area are numerous comfy loungers to relax on, and the room and pool are deliciously warm. Beyond the pool, the facilities are almost endless, with an enormous spa area offering treatments, an adults’ relaxation area, and a sauna area, along with a family relaxation area and sauna.
The food is also brilliant at Schlosshotel Fiss. Breakfast is lavish with everything you could wish for, from salads and fruits to pastries and muffins to cereals, sushi to juices, including numerous multivitamin options. There is an exclusive egg chef who will do your eggs as you wish, and of course, being a luxury hotel, there is plenty of champagne for breakfast if you want to start the day with a glass.
The afternoon buffet is also generous and almost rude in volume, with vats of delicious homemade pasta, pizza, salads, trays of hot and cold meats, and the deserts… apple strudel, a million chocolate, and black forest gateau type cakes, custards (both vanilla and chocolate) and every soft drink you can think of.
There’s a large and stylish bar area for pre and post-dinner drinks in the evening, decked out with candles. Bar prices for a luxury hotel are surprisingly low, with a bottle of Heineken coming in at just €4 EUR, and if you like wine, there is a complimentary wine tasting most evenings. Another nice feature is the live music in the hotel bar most evenings.
The restaurant deservedly has two stars, 78 points, and two bottles in Austria à la carte 2009 gourmet guide. The hotel itself is a TripAdvisor Travellers Choice winner from 2017, although I can’t imagine why it doesn’t win every year.
Schlosshotel Fiss is definitely a five-star luxury hotel. I can’t imagine there is a hotel in the Alps that does more to amuse children, with the “Splash Zone”, their own food buffet, a kids’ club, a cinema room, a teens’ area with a pool table, and a bunch of consoles for playing computer games. The dining is fantastic for the entire family. The staff are welcoming, efficient, and kind. With the lift that takes you directly to the ski slope, ski hotels don’t get better than this.
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