The Lodge

Above Verbier in the Swiss Alps at 2,000 metres within the Four Valleys ski domain, The Lodge belongs to Richard Branson and occupies a chalet of considerable scale and architectural ambition in one of Europe’s most reliably snowful ski areas, with a ski-in ski-out position on the piste network and a private staff-to-guest ratio that places it firmly in the exclusive-use chalet category where the property functions as a private Alpine residence for a single group. The interiors combine the deep comfort of Savoyard Alpine architecture — exposed timber, stone fireplace, antler chandelier — with the specific aesthetic sensibility that the Virgin Limited Edition collection brings to its properties worldwide: quality without formality, character without stuffiness, a social atmosphere calibrated to conversation and pleasure rather than to the performance of luxury. The chalet accommodates up to twelve guests in six suites.

The private chef prepares menus calibrated to the group’s preferences and the availability of the local Alpine produce — the raclette and fondue cheeses of the Valais, the cured meats and charcuterie of the Rhône valley, the wild game of the surrounding mountains — and the wine cellar’s collection of Burgundy and Valais vintages reflects the seriousness with which the Alpine chalet tradition has always treated the intersection of mountain cold and great wine. Ski guiding with certified instructors, snowshoe expeditions above the Verbier valley, and helicopter skiing on high-altitude glaciers are arranged through the chalet team. The Verbier Music Festival in the summer season gives the chalet an additional cultural dimension for non-skiing guests.

The Lodge’s exclusive-use model means the guest experience is defined by the group rather than by the property’s standard programme, and the chalet team’s ability to adapt the daily rhythm, the dining, and the activity schedule to the specific preferences of each arriving group gives it a flexibility and responsiveness that hotel programmes designed for mixed guest populations cannot match.