by For four days every January, the Alpine town of Davos is transformed from an isolated mountain resort favored by Swiss and German skiers to a gathering of the world’s elite. Having hosted the World Economic Forum (WEF) every winter since 1971, Davos bears the event’s namesake, and its bold mission statement proclaims its commitment to “improving the state of the world”.
Since its inception, the invitation-only forum has welcomed an eclectic mix of world leaders, philanthropists, entrepreneurs and celebrities from Donald Trump, Bill Gates and Greta Thunberg to King Charles III, Mick Jagger and the Archbishop of Canterbury. This year’s power summit runs to 2,800 VIP attendees, including Israeli president Isaac Herzog, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, World Bank Group president Ajay Banga and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
With so much business to do, WEF attendees don’t go skiing, even though Davos is at the heart of one of Switzerland’s biggest ski areas. Together with neighboring Klosters, the resort boasts 300 kilometers of pistes and endless off-piste terrain over six glorious mountains. Keen skiers would be right to realize that WEF is a great time to go skiing in this vast area without any crowds, but there is one caveat: accommodation.
Not surprisingly, when the population of a small Alpine town has almost tripled, swollen with heads of state, venture capitalists and billionaires (Bloomberg reported that 116 billionaires have registered to attend Davos 2023), bedrooms become gold dust.
In what has been called “controlled chaos”, hotel prices have skyrocketed and properties such as the stately Steigenberger Icon Grandhotel Belvédère Davos, which hosted the inaugural WEF and still plays a leading role in the event, require reservations a year or more in advance. Book a room the week after WEF (from just £285) and hit up the barman for a Belvédère cocktail and stories locked into a famous nightcap – you won’t regret it.
Ordinary Davos locals also contribute to the chaos, renting out their private homes and spare rooms. One current Airbnb listing, for example, is currently offering a double room in a two-bed apartment on the Promenade, Davos’ central strip, for £7,818 per night, plus a £1,324 service charge. It was even known that the hospital has sold beds to bodyguards who need overnight accommodation.
As Rupert Longsdon, founder of luxury operator The Oxford Ski Company, says: “The WEF turns Davos into an Airbnb of the highest order. We know that clients pay to redecorate sheds to their liking – hopefully in a style that the owners also like.”
One of the few serviced lodges available in Davos, Tivoli Lodge is a perennial favorite with WEF regulars due to its grand architecture, remote location and impressive wine cellar. For something even more secluded, there’s Chalet Eugenia, a sprawling 11-bedroom estate in the secluded town of Wolfgang near Davos. Known for hosting famous guests including various members of the British Royal Family, the chalet offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains which are believed to have inspired the then Prince of Wales to paint a watercolor which winter season pass 1992/93 Davos-Klosters.
King Charles III has been a loyal fan of Klosters since he visited the chocolate box antidote to the city of Davos back in 1978. A fine village used to hosting blue-blood and silver-screen royalty, Klosters is apart of its neighbor with just 5.5 miles as the crow flies, a distance easily covered by train or skis over Parsenn mountain.
Home to beloved hotels, such as the rustic Chesa Grischuna and Hotel Wynegg, and delicious chalets such as Chalet Bear and Haus Alpina, Klosters offers a relaxing alternative to Davos. However, time is money for the “Davos Man” (one in ten WEF 2022 attendees traveled to the event on a private jet), and the 25-minute journey between the two venues always hinders him.
Just as beds become a scarce commodity during WEF, so do restaurant tables, with many of the town’s prized venues (Stall Valär, Extrablatt, Gasthaus Höhwald and Golden Dragon) reserved exclusively for events hosted for popular all-access white badge holders. Die-hards can catch up on last night’s gossip at KaffeeKlatsch over Birchermüesli and pancakes or grab homemade kombucha and aromatic chickpea masala at Lokal Davos, which has sealed its position as a locals favorite by policy walk-in only exercise during the forum.
After long days, WEF delegates unwind (read: keep networking) over sticks of Perrier-Jouët at Davos’ top nightclubs, Club Pöstli and Platzhirsch, or at private one-on-one gigs featuring the likes of Sting, Lenny Kravitz, and Chris Martin from Coldplay leads. .
The Hotel Europe’s elegant Tonic Piano Bar is the setting for some of WEF’s hottest gatherings, including this year’s wine soiree hosted by Skybridge Capital founder and chairman Anthony Scaramucci. With previous guests including Matt Damon, Richard Branson and Andrea Bocelli, Scaramucci is offering 2003 Chateau Latour pauillac on tap (at £785 a bottle) although the bar’s signature espresso martinis may help flagging guests through to a trickle. of the day
How to visit
The Steigenberger Icon Grandhotel Belvédère Davos (0041 81 415 6000; hrewards.com) offers double rooms from CHF267 (£245), including breakfast.
The Oxford Ski Company (01865 817 420; oxfordski.com) offers seven nights at Haus Alpina, Klosters, from £20,234 for up to 12 adults, including chalet catering.
Fly from London airports to Zürich with SWISS (swiss.com) from £128 return and travel on to Davos by train in two hours, 40 minutes (sbb.ch).
