A new name is joining the ranks of Courchevel 1850's high-end hotels, and it's not playing by the usual timber-and-tartan rulebook. Bourbon Hotel, the latest opening from French boutique collection Chapitre Six, opens its doors on 18 December 2026, just in time for the peak ski season.

Chapitre Six is the independent hotel group founded by Nicholas Saltiel, with properties scattered across France. The Courchevel project marks its entry into the Alps, and the location is about as prime as it gets: the hotel sits in the resort's Golden Triangle with direct ski-in, ski-out access to Les Trois Vallées, the world's largest linked ski area with hundreds of kilometres of pistes across Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens.

The building houses 28 guestrooms and three suites, keeping it firmly in the intimate-boutique camp rather than the big-chalet style Courchevel is famous for. Parisian design studio Henry is behind the look, which swaps traditional alpine decor for something moodier: think dark woods, rich velvets, low lighting and deep armchairs, all styled to feel like a private members' club in London rather than a mountainside lodge. The brief was reportedly an aristocrat's alpine retreat, and art direction from Paris-based Pierre-Alexis Guinet adds the finishing touches. Floor-to-ceiling glass keeps the focus where it should be, on the panoramic mountain views.

The facilities read like a well-judged après-ski lineup. There's a vinyl bar for slow evenings, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant run by Michelin-starred chef Simone Zanoni, and a subterranean spa clad in natural stone and onyx, complete with an indoor pool, sauna and hammam for post-piste recovery.

For travellers, the timing matters as much as the design. Courchevel 1850 is the highest and most exclusive of the Courchevel villages, with reliable snow from December through April and a well-earned reputation for luxury hotels and fine dining. A 31-room property with ski-in, ski-out access and a Michelin-starred kitchen will appeal to couples and small groups who want that level of polish without the scale of the resort's palace hotels. Skiers planning a 2026-27 winter trip would be wise to watch for early booking windows, as small properties in the Golden Triangle tend to fill fast over Christmas and February half-term. Anyone pairing skiing with serious eating will find the Zanoni restaurant alone a reason to look twice.