After God, there was Skiing. After Skiing, there was Art. St Moritz began as sacred summer pilgrimage to those wanting to drink from the healing mountain springs of St Mauritius in the Upper Engadin Valley in the Swiss Alps. Even the Pope promised absolution to those who made this Holy mission. It was only in the mid 19^th Century that winter tourism first came to this cherished Alpine village, earning St Moritz recognition as the first ever Alpine winter sports resort. Fast forward 100 years, it has seen an influx of artists and bohemians using the town as their creative backdrop; with galleries and art festivals following. This artistic evolution of St Moritz has been reflected most recently in the latest addition to the St Moritz skyline, the Hotel Grace La Margna.

Like Maria Montessori was a trailblazer for education, Grace La Margna’s progressive approach to hospitality has paved the way for an inventive and refreshing update to the traditional luxury hotel offerings synonymous with St Moritz. Just below the centre of town the Grace La Margna re-opened in 2023 following an intensive restoration project. Enjoying a romantic panorama of the lake from most rooms, Grace La Margna combines the amenities of a five-star luxury with a level of detail to look and feel like a boutique hotel.

The outside of the Grace La Margna blends into the St Moritz tableau, but akin to a Kinder Surprise, inside is unexpected. All of the features from the Bel Epoque era have been protected, like the arched windows, the pillars and the wooden panelling are original and restored to former glory. However, contemporary art dominates the inside and this aesthetic is firmly woven into the fabric of the hotel. Where there is a nook, there is an avant-garde sculpture; wall spaces showcase established and up and coming artists and even some dinnerware features Matisse-style imagery. Every time you enter a communal space, there is something new for the eyes to discover.

“Seek and ye shall find…” plenty of treasure. The dimly lit cigar room is a terracotta den housing a selection of cigars sizeable enough to lure Churchill from his grave. Directly underneath is the gift shop, housing a glamourous selection of accoutrement and is the only vender in Switzerland boasting a collection of Maison Assouline. The kid’s club is without a doubt one of the most tastefully decorated of any five-star hotel. Far more than an afterthought, it has a tree house and a mini climbing wall; and is unusually plastic-free. The ski rental shop is downstairs by the front entrance for convenience and sells all of the favourite winter brands including Moncler.

Don’t be put off by the simplicity of the rooms: they are merely a foundation for an ingenious consolidation of five star services. The most noteworthy is the pillow menu (available 24hrs) where there is a choice of six varying in thickness and material to offer the best possible night’s sleep. A tablet device in the room means that you can order your new pillow, book treatments, get room service or reserve tables in one of the restaurants without having to call reception – the efficiency is beyond refreshing.

This unconventional and modern approach to hospitality comes from the staff, a much younger crowd than what you would expect. GM David Frei is in his mid-thirties, and he has assembled an equally young team around him bringing their novel ideas and ingenuity to Grace La Margna. You can enjoy a pizza with dough that has been steamed before crisping in the oven for a light ‘bao’-like dough experience. A spritz of aromatherapy oils to the hands will compliment mood while sipping on a cocktail suggested by a taro card, from a deck offered by staff – gentle encouragement to try something new. Far from gimmicky, this risk-taking attitude has paid off and is attracting a younger crowd to the hotel, now a destination in itself for afternoon tea, dinner or a soirée in good company.

Head of the Spa at Grace La Margna is Olympia Dimika, who hails from a background in physiotherapy. Naturally, the treatment programme at Grace La Margna is carefully curated to include rituals which are advised by physiotherapists to aid recovery from skiing and other activities. The beauty therapies are also designed specifically for skin at altitude, coping with the dryer conditions and inclement weather.

The post-ski leg massage begins with a brisk and thorough rub with crushed ice, to reduce lactic acid(to counter stiffness) and to bring the blood to the surface of the skin. This is followed by a copper brush, to stimulate lymphatic drainage which although is the least comfortable part of the process, your legs feel smoother than a set of Thailand’s finest silk pyjamas. The massage using a mixture of products including unctuous baobab and mango seed oil cream and a firming serum incorporates a massage technique using reflexology pressure points. It’s the closest your legs will ever be to having a pair like barbie.

Take a swim in a pool with a view and if you time it right in the morning, you’ll see the sun will emerge from behind the Corvatsch mountains, sending beams of light into the water as you take some lengths; there is no better way to start the day. In the vast hot tub you can enjoy a reclining jacuzzi and fierce jets are pumped from one wall, positioned at different heights to massage calves, glutes, lower and upper back. Never has a jacuzzi serviced the needs of recovering ski legs more than this.

Then there are the saunas. Feel like a womb in space, with the twinkling lights in the black marble sky of the steam room. The mid-temperature sauna, featuring Himalayan salt brickettes, warms to a comfortable 70 degrees; and if you are feeling brave, the Finnish sauna heats to 90 degrees. From the heat to cool, don’t be put off by the name: “Emotional Shower”. A tricolour of red, blue and green lights will prepare you for contrasting showers which emulate nature. The cooling ‘Engadin Fog’ setting, shoots freezing cold mist reminds you, you are alive.

In Winter, only around 30% of visitors to St Moritz will ski; the rest are there for spectating the winter sports including the Snow Polo World Cup and The White Turf, as well as the international competitions, if not just the après. Servicing the needs of these dedicated sybarite tourists are an imitable concentration of luxury hotels in St Mortiz, the bubbling spring of winter resorts. Grace La Margna reimagines a luxury boutique hotel, as a new generation of alpine hospitality emerges in St Moritz. It takes a hefty four hours to get to St Moritz on the train from Zurich, passing 195 bridges and 55 tunnels through a UNESCO world heritage site of which the landscape hasn’t changed for centuries. Luckily the hotels in the Swiss Alps are evolving, for the better.