Eriro.
Photo: Alex Moling. Courtesy of Eriro
The Coolest Mountain Escapes for Design Obsessives
Meet the wave of next-gen alpine retreats delivering high-altitude hospitality
As travelers seek higher ground amid rising temperatures—“coolcations,” if you will—a new generation of mountain properties is quietly rewriting the altitude playbook. Forget timber-on-timber Alpine retreats—though we’ll always have a soft spot for a well-executed antler chandelier. Today’s most compelling high-altitude hotels operate with different ambitions, demonstrating how mountain architecture has evolved from simple shelter to site-specific revelation.
The evidence is everywhere: brutalist concrete frames Chilean volcanoes with geometric precision, while Japanese spas merge Buddhist design principles with thermal innovation. Bhutanese tent camps reference ancient fortress architecture without falling into pastiche. NASA-developed wellness machines share space with traditional onsens, and elephant migration patterns dictate Kenyan camp layouts rather than conventional site plans.
What emerges is a new architectural vocabulary for elevation—one where material choices serve both aesthetic and ecological purposes, where cultural preservation doesn’t preclude innovation, and where luxury is measured by integration rather than isolation. These properties prove high-altitude hospitality can transcend both gravity and genre, creating experiences that feel both grounded and transcendent. At their best, they answer questions we hadn’t thought to ask about how to inhabit mountainous terrain. Consider it elevated thinking, literally.
The Ritz-Carlton Nikko. Photo: Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton
1. The Ritz-Carlton Nikko | Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
Two hours north of Tokyo, in mountains where Buddhist monks found solitude centuries ago, Japanese firms Nikken Sekkei Ltd and Layan Design Group have achieved something rare in one of the country’s most cherished mountain pilgrimage stops: sacred space without sanctimony. Three precise wings cut between ancient firs, each targeting a specific view of scenic Lake Chuzenji, Mt. Shirane, or Mt. Nantai. The regional craft integration is masterful but never obvious: Kanuma Kumiko fretwork and Oya stone meet bronze cladding from a nearby historic mine. Across 94 rooms, traditional engawa porches get a contemporary rethink that actually works. At signature restaurant The Lakehouse, two Michelin-starred Kanji Kobayashi strips Tochigi’s unsung ingredients (like yuba, soy milk skin) down to their essence through Tokyo-grade technique. Even the spiritual programming—morning meditation, Buddhist fire ceremonies—unfolds in spaces that prioritize practice over performance.
COMO Alpina Dolomites. Photo: Courtesy of COMO Alpina Dolomites
2. COMO Alpina Dolomites | Alpe di Siusi, Italy
De Biasi & Comploi show COMO can tackle mountain architecture without alpine clichés. Their striking circular structure on Europe’s highest plateau trades expected moves for nuance: quartzite and glass volumes defer to UNESCO-listed peaks. The 60 rooms extend this restraint, where wood panels and leather details meet duck egg blue walls, antler-free. COMO Shambhala reimagines wellness architecture through precise moves, such as Finnish and bio-herb saunas flow outdoors, while a NASA-designed Space Curl machine neighbors infrared therapy rooms. Even the dining strips regional cuisine to its essence, letting Alto Adige wines and Mediterranean flavors stand without folkloric flourish.
Guest accommodations at AWA Hotel. Photo: Courtesy of AWA
3. AWA Hotel | Chile
At Lake Llanquihue’s edge, Chilean studio Arquigestion demonstrates that brutalism can be an unexpected complement to volcanic terrain. Their 16-room structure sits at 45 degrees to the shore—solving privacy and solar challenges while framing Osorno Volcano through walls of glass. Instead of timber-lodge defaults, a metal lattice screen translates forest patterns into circulation paths, while raw concrete meets local cypress guaitecas wood with clear intent. The showstopping climate-controlled pool extends toward the lake like a crystalline datum line. Yes, adventure comes standard (seaplane excursions, volcano treks), but this is distinctly modern architecture that knows better than to compete with its setting.
Eriro. Photo: Alex Moling. Courtesy of Eriro
4. Eriro | Ehrwald, Austria
Gruber Architekt founder Martin Gruber’s reimagining of a 1936 inn at nearly 5,000 feet elevation demonstrates how constraints can drive innovation. Working within strict planning regulations, Gruber collaborated with timber expert Andreas Mader to create nine expansive suites using wood harvested from nearby forests and reclaimed barn materials. The architecture balances intimacy and exposure through precisely deployed glass curtain walls and custom details—bespoke doors for example demand 36 hours of handiwork—while raw materials like sheep’s wool panels and clay surfaces enhance the organic softness within view. Further connection to the land comes from chef David Franken’s zero-waste culinary program, meditation pools facing alpine meadows, and a general air of mountain ease that teases guests to embrace a digital detox.
Bar at Pemako Punakha. Photo: Courtesy of Pemako Punakha
5. Pemako Punakha | Punakha Valley, Bhutan
In Bhutan’s sacred Punakha Valley, Bill Bensley proves luxury can evolve tradition rather than embalm it. His 21 tented structures for local hoteliers Tashi Group weave between centuries-old pines and rhododendrons, tracing ancient hillside pathways rather than bulldozing new ones. The design references Tibetan dzong fortresses through considered details like Serge Ferrari fabrics and copper soaking tubs in forest-matched neutrals. Unexpected moments reveal the property’s soul—a glass-walled meditation room captures mountain light while local artist Asha Kama’s installations map mythical geographies onto modern spaces. Here, rainwater harvesting systems feel as essential as resident lamas’ blessings, where ecological and cultural elements intertwine naturally.
View from the lodge. Photo: Courtesy of Highland Base Kerlingarfjöl
6. Highland Base Kerlingarfjöl | Icelandic Highlands
The team behind the iconic Blue Lagoon has done it again, this time four hours from Reykjavík in terrain that demands a 4×4. Basalt Architects’ latest doesn’t just adapt to the Arctic environment—it exploits it. Underground passages link 46 rooms, six cabins, and seven 1960s A-frame huts (smartly preserved from the site’s ski lodge days), while cross-laminated timber and larch construction nod to both environmental standards and aesthetic ambition. The real coup? Three geothermal pools that source from nearby springs, plus a sauna positioned with surgical precision for mountain views. The result feels less like a hotel and more like a prototype for elegant Arctic living.
Guest suite. Photo: Sammy Njoroge. Courtesy of Angama Amboseli
7. Angama Amboseli | Kimana Sanctuary, Kenya
At Kilimanjaro’s base, master tentmaker Jan Allan has managed something quietly revolutionary. Ten elevated suites track elephant migration paths instead of conventional site plans—a move that sounds precious until you see how the structures weave between fever trees, their placement following root systems with surgical precision. Inside, designers Meintjes and Mitchell dodge safari clichés: walls incorporate elephant dung while 844 Maasai families’ ownership of this first community conservancy informs every decision. The postcard-perfect rimflow pool complex also doubles as an elephant drinking station. What really sells it: while most luxury camps strain to frame Kilimanjaro, these suites feel like they grew up alongside it. Four of the Big Five roam freely, but it’s the 400-plus bird species that hint at the ecosystem’s health.
Naturhotel Forsthofgut. Photo: Courtesy of Naturhotel Forsthofgut
8. Naturhotel Forsthofgut | Leogang, Austria
This 109-room property demonstrates how a five-generation forestry station pivots into modern luxury without losing its roots. Local wood meets black metal and glass in a series of additions that feel both inevitable and precise. The waldSPA’s forest-themed 61,000 square feet reimagines wellness architecture: a chemical-free swimming lake flows into an infinity pool, while secluded yoga platforms dot the woods. The kitchens span Japanese precision to creative vegan, all sourcing from the hotel’s Mauthof farm. For the commitment-phobic, there’s an off-grid three-bedroom hideout called Thoman Alm open from May through October. A 250-mile ski slope passes right by the front door in winter, but somehow, even something this novel manages to feels like a footnote at Naturhotel Forsthofgut.
Schloss Elmau. Photo: Courtesy of WEILL Associates
9. Schloss Elmau | Bavarian Alps, Germany
At an elevation of 3,444 feet above sea level, this dual-property complex proves hotels can evolve beyond their origin stories. The 1916 castle reopened post-fire in 2007, then added The Retreat in 2015—a move that would later accommodate two G7 summits with identical diplomatic suites. The 162 rooms split between buildings sidestep Bavarian clichés: floor-to-ceiling windows frame Wetterstein peaks, while furniture spans Indonesian to Chinese sources. Six distinct wellness areas (including a mountain-stream-fed nature spa, onsen, and hammam) reflect a therapy circuit influenced by global travels. The 300-seat concert hall and standalone bookstore aren’t mere amenities—they’re the intellectual backbone of a property where culture runs deeper than programming. Even the robes make a statement: bold colors replace standard white terry.
Interior of one of the Watchman Cabins at Blackberry Mountain with floor-to-ceiling windows. Photo: Ingalls Photography
10. Blackberry Mountain | Walland, Tennessee
Keith and Kreis Beall’s 5,200-acre property isn’t just avoiding mountain lodge clichés—it’s creating new standards. Forty rooms spread across stone cabins and houses cascade down 2,800 feet of Tennessee mountainside, each named for local vegetation without falling into backwoods kitsch. Art advisor Nikki Brown skips the regional craft playbook entirely: Héctor Bitar works with dried site flowers while Bradley Sabin’s ceramics command the Lodge lobby. Even practical elements are a product of mindfulness, as TVs are hidden behind commissioned artworks while in-room soaking tubs frame the landscape. The wellness program (aerial yoga, sound baths) could’ve been Instagram bait. Instead, it’s genuine, which might explain why it ends up on social media anyway.
Cover: Eriro.
Photo: Alex Moling. Courtesy of Eriro
