In the Style of Wes Anderson

Its name says it all. Opened in 1919, this 300-room palace welcomed the crème de la crème of international chic. By day, guests played tennis and golf in summer, and were pulled on skis by horses in winter. But above all, it came alive at night. All of Chamonix gathered at the bar-dancing hall for magnificent soirées — a true Great Gatsby in the Alps affair: eccentric fancy-dress balls, tuxedoed orchestras, champagne fountains... The golden age of a mountain both glamorous and effervescent.

The 1950s and 60s brought quieter times; the suites became private apartments and offices. Yet the building itself has lost none of its majesty. The monumental lines of its colossal façade and the impeccably preserved period décor on the ground floor still make it an enduring icon of old Chamonix.

241, allée du Majestic – Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Rose du Pont’s candyfloss-pink façade could rival that of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Once known as La Terrasse bar, it already stood out in Chamonix town centre with its sculpted balustrades and Art Nouveau columns dancing over the River Arve. But when it became Rose du Pont in 2022, the establishment underwent a spectacular — and irresistibly Instagrammable — transformation.

Inside, architect and interior designer Christophe Bro went all in on the grand style of Belle Époque Parisian brasseries and department stores: a cathedral-style bar-library, a backlit glass dome, an upper floor designed like a theatre balcony… It’s dazzling, elegant, and just the right amount of decadent — like a fine cocktail served after midnight to the sound of jazz.

43, Place Balmat – Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Once upon a time, a stately palace: the Savoy Hotel. Today, La Folie Douce — and the name says it all. Before its grand reopening in 2018, a demolition party behind its preserved white façade made way for vast open spaces and a burst of creative madness. At La Folie Douce, Here, creativity takes the lead — and the rules take a back seat.

Raw, unfinished materials blend with the most refined textures — a daring mix that somehow feels perfectly under control. The show isn’t just in the décor; La Folie Douce also houses its own cabaret. A spectacular stage for life and celebration, “open to all those who are open-minded.” Hybrid, stylish, and free — entirely in the spirit of the Roaring Twenties, only version 2.0.

You arrive by cogwheel train — and that alone sets the tone of gentle nostalgia. Clinging to the mountainside, facing the Mer de Glace, Le Grand Hôtel du Montenvers feels like a set waiting for a Wes Anderson film: understated, sturdy, carved from stone and tinged with melancholy — the kind of building that has watched more than a century pass without blinking.

Inside, the same poetic austerity of dark wood panelling lends warmth to its simplicity. It’s easy to picture Bill Murray in a leather armchair by the fire, reading a novel… while above him, the ghost of an old mountaineer lingers in quiet refuge for eternity.

Impasse du Montenvers – Chamonix-Mont-Blanc