Bringing the mountains inside at wellness retreat Hotel Arlberg, Lech in Austria

Fresh for the start of a new decade, one of our favourite Alpine haunts has had a makeover. Fabulously rustic whilst simultaneously dapper, Hotel Arlberg began 2020 with a new coat of paint and a subterranean spa extension plus a new heated stainless-steel outdoor pool. By working with nature, innovation and wellbeing, Hotel Arlberg Lech has alongside Architect Peter Staic and Pointner Design, created a luxury blueprint for Alpine Health Living.

Declaring themselves in competition with the gorgeous valleys and mountains that surround the Austrian hotel, Arlberg wouldn’t be the first hotel to merge the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. But Hotel Arlberg’s colour concept runs deeper with a carefully thought out natural paint palette. In consultation with colour experts, the new hues on Arlberg’s walls are designed to calm, relax and invigorate. Hazy blues and sage green represent the summertime mountains, while a shimmery champagne silver is reflective of the mist-swirled peaks.

“With no chemicals, there’s no smell and is therefore healthier to have on your walls. It's healthier on a subconscious level too, as it’s reflecting pure pigmentation and more intense colours that you’d genuinely find in nature,” said Patrick Krummenacher. 

Taking this health concept further, the paints are actually made from pigments found in the great outdoors and are as fresh as nature itself. Neutral-tone walls derive from volcanic clays, semi-precious stones create the sky-like blues of bedrooms ceilings and Carrara marble presents a pared-back sheen. Without chemicals the paints are non-toxic and Arlberg’s interiors become a holistic vision for the future of Alpine wellness.

Stepping downstairs to the subterranean spa, the theme of invigoration paired with innovation continues. A thoughtful use of lime plaster means the mineral keeps the underground spa fresh, whilst giving a natural, tactile feel. The use of locally sourced quartzite stone clads the spa adding to the sense of cocoon-like warmth in this hotspot of wellbeing. Incidentally, quartzite stone is a material favoured by world-renowned architects Philippe Starck, Norman Foster and Kengo Kuma amongst others. A clever use of copper leaf lamps makes the spa glow and new glass courtyards let the bright mountain light filter down into the underground spa.

Take a wellness journey in Hotel Arlberg’s healthy spa, spending time to restore the soul in the new stainless-steel outdoor pool and steamy jacuzzi. Treat yourself to a Susanne Kaufmann facial or massage and make time for their newest installation and the only one of its kind in the world – a horizontal water massage shower. This hydrotherapy creation was designed by Dornbracht and offers a multi-sensory water experience using temperature, pressure, aromatherapy and light.

Winning an award for its Interior Architecture at the German Design Awards, Hotel Arlberg brings sophistication to the wellness scene to Lech and makes for the perfect spa pitstop come snow or shine in the summer months.

Expect to positively float up from the spa, your joy de vivre fully topped up.

The famed hotel in Lech.

Set within a breath-taking backdrop of mountain peaks and the small-town charm of Lech, the famed family run Hotel Arlberg Lech celebrats its 75 year. A celebrity retreat with 51 rooms and suites, it is a sophisticated menagerie of original Alpine style that brims with cheerful informality and sweet, unassuming luxury. Closest airports: Zurich 2.5 hour drive or Innsbruck just over an hour away.