A former cable-car station in Switzerland has been transformed into a dramatic design hotel

With a location this spectacular, you may think the architects of the Chetzeron design hotel had an easy job. Located above sea level on a plateau overlooking the Rhone Valley, the hotel has been converted from a former cable-car station and each of its 16 guestrooms - as well as its communal areas - gives dramatic views out over the snowy alpine peaks.

Photo: © actescollectifs & IN-S

But you have to give credit where credit is due: the sensitive, minimalist design is perfectly in keeping with the hotel's surroundings, creating a comfy, welcoming space that manages not to encroach to heavily on its beautiful surroundings.

Photo: © actescollectifs & IN-S

According to the architects, a group of five architects working together is Switzerland and calling themselves 'Actescollectifs', the conversion made it possible to create unusual volumes for a high-mountain hotel, as the large concrete structures typical of industrial buildings have been kept to provide a new visual atmosphere full of light.

Photo © Daniela-Tonatiuh

The landscape, they say, 'becomes an integral part of the decor of the various spaces due to the large picture windows, and subtle dimming of the lights shows the grandeur of the circus of the Valais Alps to the south.'

Photo © Daniela-Tonatiuh

The atmosphere of the interiors is plush and cosy, while the restaurant features a cascade of terraces where guests can enjoy the bright alpine sunshine. Noble, classic, warm materials - notably stone and oak - are used inside the hotel, from the central lobby to the bedrooms, for a feeling of safety and warmth in the rugged high-mountain environment. The facades are covered with local stone contrasting with the industrial architecture and big horizontal window frames, and lead the eyes toward the outdoors.

Accessible on foot, by snowmobile or on skis from the top of the Cry d'Err cable car, the Chetzeron design hotel offers unique moments of serene tranquillity in the sunset while the last skiers go back down to the resort. Say the architects, enigmatically: 'In summer, only cowbells disturb the silence of the mountains.'