AlpenGold Hotel - The Golden Egg of Davos Is Switzerland's Most Controversial Hotel

High in the Swiss Alps, perched above Lake Davos like some sort of extraterrestrial pod, sits a building that locals call the "golden egg." The AlpenGold Hotel doesn't apologize for its presence. Its 40-meter oval form, wrapped in 62,000 individual metal pieces that shimmer gold in the alpine light, stands in deliberate contrast to the traditional chalets dotting the landscape.

This is where global power brokers gather each January for the World Economic Forum, where you can eat Peruvian ceviche at 1,560 meters above sea level, and where the hotel actively refuses a five-star rating for reasons that make surprising sense.

Location

The hotel commands an elevated position on the edge of the forest, just outside Davos's center in the Stilli area. Below it spreads Lake Davos; beyond, the Landwasser valley and the surrounding mountain peaks create what the hotel calls "plenty of wide views."

You're close enough to reach the town's activity but removed enough to feel the isolation that comes with altitude. The site itself carries weight: this is where the Basler Sanatorium once stood, a tuberculosis clinic that treated patients from 1896 until 1985, when changing medical practices rendered such high-altitude retreats obsolete.

Building the Golden Egg

The hotel opened in December 2013 as an InterContinental, the product of a development that began with a 2006 design by Matteo Thun. That original concept influenced what Munich-based firm Oikios ultimately built, though they made one crucial change: swapping Thun's proposed wooden facade for the diagonal metal cladding that now defines the building. Oliver Hofmeister, who founded Oikios after working for Thun, oversaw the final design.

The construction involved mathematical precision that borders on obsession. Those 791 wave-shaped balustrade elements? Each one is unique in dimensions but shares an identical internal steel rib structure, clad in 3-millimeter steel sheets. Most measure roughly 1.6 by 4.5 meters, though some stretch to 14.6 meters.

German facade specialist Seele (the same firm that built Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium) manufactured them in Pilsen, Czech Republic, then shipped each piece in custom transport frames for six months of on-site assembly.

The hotel's business history proved as dramatic as its architecture. Just six months after opening, operator Stilli Park AG declared bankruptcy, paying 405,000 francs monthly to Credit Suisse, which owned the building through a real estate fund.

The newly formed Weriwald AG took over operations the same day without interrupting service. In 2020, Aevis Victoria SA bought the property, and in May 2021, Michel Reybier Hospitality assumed management, prompting the name change from InterContinental to AlpenGold.

The World Economic Forum

Each January, this hotel becomes the primary accommodation for attendees of the World Economic Forum, when Davos transforms into a temporary capital of global capitalism. The hotel's 1,500 square meters of conference facilities can handle up to 900 guests across eight combinable meeting rooms, a ballroom, and spacious foyer. The entire property can be booked exclusively, which happens when the world's economic and political elite descend on this small Alpine town.

Interestingly, the hotel refuses formal five-star classification. The reason: pharmaceutical and medical technology companies prohibit housing doctors in luxury hotels, and Davos regularly hosts medical congresses. Better to skip the stars and keep the medical conference business.

Nuts & Co Lounge Bar

This is the hotel's casual anchor, where floor-to-ceiling windows blur the line between inside and the outdoor terrace. The interior references local building traditions through dark wood paneling that echoes the shingles on regional chalet roofs. Warm colors, indirect lighting, and a substantial bookshelf create what feels like someone's very well-appointed living room.

The AlpenGold burgers have achieved something approaching cult status in Davos, built on high-quality meat and house-made sauces. The snack menu expands beyond burgers, and afternoons bring colorful desserts designed to pair with coffee or tea. Behind the bar, bartenders work through a global spirits collection, mixing classics and original creations with what the hotel describes as passion.

La Muña

Earning 14 Gault-Millau points, this top-floor restaurant combines Peruvian and Asian influences against alpine panoramas. The name comes from a Peruvian plant traditionally used to counteract altitude sickness, which seems appropriate for what might be the Alps' highest restaurant.

The design leans monochrome: slate gray and black punctuated by eclectic art and dramatic lighting. The cooking philosophy prizes ultra-freshness, combining ingredients raw or marinated, generally on the fly. The restaurant sources produce difficult to find in Europe, then serves dishes designed for sharing straight from the open kitchen.

The standouts include ceviche (red tuna with sesame, or sea bass with black truffle), black cod marinated in saikyo miso, and what they call "crispy Shakes" that somehow merge tartare's melt-in-your-mouth texture with rice's crunch. The approach favors contrasts: tender against crunchy, subtle against tangy.

Sapori

The Italian restaurant operates with an open show kitchen where you can watch the brigade work while natural light softens as evening arrives. The curved dining room aims for elegance through simplicity, deliberately avoiding what the hotel calls "Italian clichés."

The menu works through authentic Italian cuisine: cold-pressed olive oil, Mediterranean herbs, fresh seafood, tender veal, braised beef. You'll find vitello tonnato, burratina artigianale, house-made tagliatelle, refined risottos, crisp pizzas, branzino alla acqua pazza. Vegetarian and vegan options include Acquerello risotto and penne all'arrabbiata.

Mini Club

The kids' program offers a dedicated space where children can paint, craft, climb, cook, dress up, and generally inhabit their own world separate from adults. The qualified staff provides supervision while children play, explore, and connect with other young guests.

Accommodations

The main building contains 216 double rooms and suites, plus 38 apartments in two lower buildings connected underground to the hotel.

Every room emphasizes space, designed to feel like what the hotel calls "a home away from home." Floor-to-ceiling and wraparound windows frame mountain views and flood rooms with natural light.

The aesthetic favors soft shades and tactile furnishings over traditional Alpine wood interiors, creating cocoon-like spaces that feel modern rather than rustic.

Fresh mountain air and those expansive views define the experience more than any specific design element. The rooms prioritize giving you space to unfold, whether you're staying a weekend or settling in for weeks.

Spa Nescens

The spa collaboration with Swiss beauty brand Nescens spans 1,200 square meters in the building's base. Two separate wellness complexes serve men and women, each equipped with sauna and steam bath, plus a shared sauna and sanarium. Fourteen treatment rooms include two Spa Nescens suites for couples and Alpine Spa suites with private saunas, steam rooms, and whirlpools.

The heated indoor and outdoor pool forms the spa's centerpiece, complemented by a fitness studio and yoga room. The space encourages you to slow down, absorb the mountain environment's energy, and take time the way alpine resorts have promised since those tuberculosis patients first arrived seeking healing air more than a century ago.

The setting has changed dramatically, but the premise remains: sometimes you need to go high to recover what altitude living demands.