Hotel Kitzhof Mountain Design Resort

Class: First

Style: Alpine modern

Rooms: 164

The slopes around Kitzbühel, high in the Austrian Alps, are world famous among skiers. Indeed, the "Hahnenkamm" Race Weekend, which centers around one of the world’s most demanding alpine courses, takes place here each January. But the slopes are also home to the chamois, a native goat-antelope species that roams the jagged terrain.

This iconic little creature is central to Ursula Schelle-Müller’s design concept at Hotel Kitzhof, acting as a conduit between contemporary minimalist lines and classic alpine textures. Its horned silhouette is embroidered onto soft red scatter cushions around the hotel. Other nods towards the region’s natural bounty are more subtle. In the lobby, for example, wooden lampshades and bucket-shaped leather armchairs share space with a simple reception desk that was hand crafted by a skilled local cabinet maker. The gardens, landscaped by Friedhelm Hellenkamp, blur the boundaries between the mountains and Kitzbühel’s church-speckled urban landscape.

At Hotel Kitzhof’s brick-clad enoteca, where guests come to sample fruity red vintages around an old oak table, the walk-in wine cellar is the most prominent design feature. And at the Kitz Alm restaurant, which specializes in Tyrolean comfort food, it’s the wooden floors, ceilings and walls that combine to make diners feel as though they are ensconced in a traditional alpine lodge overlooking Kitzbühel. The undulating landscape around the town is ripe for exploration, especially in the summertime, when the snow and ice retreats and breakfast is served on an outdoor terrace overlooking a gently-flowing waterfall.

Natural rhythms also have a bearing on life at the 600-square meter Kitz Spa, which has a tiled indoor pool overlooking the hotel’s private garden. This is a view that can be enjoyed from many of the guest rooms, most of which have their own balconies. Schelle-Müller has carefully decked the sleeping areas with black-and-white prints that show skiers tackling Austria’s vertiginous slopes. With images like that to inspire you, and local materials like leather, pine and loden evoking a sense of traditional alpine life, the outlook over the nearby mountain tops feels even more rewarding.