There are few accommodations in Zermatt that is as conveniently located as Schweizerhof Zermatt, a beautiful boutique hotel that is close to Gornergrat lift station and Zermatt’s train station, through which most visitors arrive to this petrol-car-free ski town. We pushed our luggage trolley off the train, crossed the street from the station, and then walked into the lobby of Schweizerhof Zermatt. All in all, it took us less than five minutes. That’s just how convenient it was.

Inside, we were taken by the warm wooden Swiss-chalet-style interiors and contemporary accent furniture. The lobby opens out into a buzzy room that blends bar, restaurant, lounge and reception area, suffused with a welcoming orangey glow from numerous lamps.  You can tell the zones for eating, relaxing or gathering a group by chair arrangements, or bookcases loaded with unique ornaments and shelves of vintage books. The staff around are very attentive, friendly and chicly dressed. After a smooth check-in, our porters took care all of our luggages including ski equipments. We were told that the room key opens not only the door to our family suite, but also our own private ski closet in the ski room downstairs, where all our equipment will be stored. Each of the closet has its own boot heaters as well as enough space for skis and snowboards for the entire family. We had never experienced such a service before during our past ski trips.

We ascended to our family suite in a lift tangled with planty greenery. Our suite is light and bright in a soothingly cream and beige tone with a gleaming white marble bathroom. The rooms have an Alpine Swiss chalet style to it, but also a modern touch with plenty of high-tech amenities around, such as a bed-side iPad to control the room temperature or order room service, and Dyson hair-dryer (I have never seen a hotel provides such a high-end gadget and this is my personal favorite!). On the book shelves in the living room, there are some cute ornaments as well as vintage books.

After a quick change of clothes and unpack, we decided to go out and explore around the town of Zermatt. I spoke to the staff at the front desk, who kindly gave us a map of the town and pointed us some great spots that have a wonderful view to the Matterhorn. Directly outside the entrance of the hotel is the main high street, which has many shops selling souvenir, Swiss watches, and chocolate, as well as cafes, bars and restaurants. The station to the Gornergrat train, which takes the visitors up to the mountain, is also only 100 meters away.

We made dinner reservation at “Le Schweizerhof Kitchen“, one of the three restaurants in the hotel. The restaurant has an open sitting plan with direct view to the kitchen, where you can see the culinary staff busy buzzing around the open fire BBQ grills, cooking stations, as well as stone pizza oven. The choices on the menu are really extensive, with dishes for different dietary preferences (meat lovers, vegetarians, vegans, and so on), we had a really hard time to decide on what we want to try. Finally, we opted for QUINOA, Quinoa with Granatapfel and Avocado salad, Beef Ribs for two, and to finish, Chocolate Mousse. Every dish was made to perfection with beautiful styling and delicious flavors. Even the kids’ dishes were impeccably styled. The service was fantastic, too. Our server was very helpful and friendly. We absolutely loved the laid-back, yet upbeat vibes of the restaurant with comfortable seating and live DJ playing tracks in the background.

Over the years, I have read about Michel Reybier Hospitality, the parent company of Schweizerhof Zermatt, and its chic but affordable hipster diffusion hotels as well as his lavish and fiendishly expensive La Réserves. This is the first time we have personally experienced one of their hotels. The overall understated luxury style as well as the attentive services definitely made an impression on us and we would love to try another one of their hotels soon, preferably in Switzerland.

*We are invited as guests by Schweizerhof Zermatt, but all opinions are our own.