New Resort Wants Skiers to Have Their Cake and Eat It Too
One of the first things I noticed when entering the lobby of Airelles Val-d'Isère was a wooden table covered with a spread of pastries and cakes, including a brioche scattered with pink pralines that were so bright they bordered on fluorescent—a regional specialty, apparently.
A young man sporting a medieval-style Savoyard hunting outfit approached and asked me if I wanted to indulge, but I was distracted by the flames flickering in the tall stone hearth to the left of the table, as well as by the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining the walls. Several seconds later, a woman clad in a getup that evoked a 16th-century milkmaid emerged from behind one of the shelves, which was actually a hidden service door complete with imitation leather spines.
Myriad sweet treats and an offbeat, through-the-looking-glass vibe with a Middle Ages twist are abundant at the hotel, which is the latest selection for our column on exciting new hotels, Room Key. The most recent addition to the Airelles luxury chain, (Airelles also has properties in Versailles, St. Tropez, and Gordes), the hotel finally opened last winter after the COVID pandemic derailed its earlier launch in December of 2019.