Nestling at an altitude of 1560 metres at the bottom of the Landwasser Valley in Graubünden, Davos is the highest town in the Swiss Alps, with a population of 12,000. A holiday resort in summer and a rather posh winter sports centre, Davos is best known internationally for its Economic forum (World Economic Forum), an annual gathering of the world's business leaders. Access to Davos is not easy, however, as you have to take several trains from Paris, the last line from Landquart even having the distinction of having smaller gauge tracks. As the mountain town is split between two centres, it is also served by two train stops, Davos Dorf and Davos Platz.
The journey by road from Zurich or Lucerne takes two hours. By the time you reach a top destination for corporate events. " With 6,500 beds in hotels (mainly 4* and 5*), tourist residences, campsites, open-air hotels and second homes, the resort has a total of over 28,000 beds and around a hundred meeting rooms." explains Carolin Roesner, Business Sales Manager of the Davos Congress & Convention Bureau. The Bureau organises tailor-made events according to the requirements of each customer, with its team managing every aspect, from scouting trips to hotel bookings, from choice of venue to technical requirements, from transfers to catering, from activities to entertainment...
A high-tech conference centre of XXL proportions
Davos Congress also highlights the sustainable side of the destination, with a town that was awarded the "City of Energy" label in 2001, hotels that have made major eco-responsible investments, and short-distance catering services. But above all, a "My Climate" certified conference centre. " Since 2020, it has been the first in Switzerland to be climate-neutral in its activities." says Carolin Roesner. The jewel in the destination's crown, this XXL complex, with a capacity of up to 5,000 people, hosts around a hundred events a year, including numerous medical congresses and energy conferences. And, of course, in mid-January, the World Economic Forum.
With views of the mountains of Graubünden, this wood and concrete liner on the Davos Promenade covers 12,000 m² with 34 rooms and a huge, ultra-design plenaryThis immaculate white building can accommodate 1,800 people. " Customers have been coming back for ages. This benefits the resort, with a high level of bleisure skiing at weekends." adds Carolin Roesner.
Hotels to suit all tastes
For business travellers, around fifteen addresses are highlighted for their facilities. These include the Hilton Garden Inn, which has the added advantage of being located opposite the congress centre, very close to Davos Platz station and the Jakobshorn tramway. Modern and comfortable, this 4* establishment opened in 2012 and offers 146 superior rooms, a restaurant, a wellness area and four meeting rooms for up to 40 people. The Morosani Posthotel - known as the "Pöstli" to its regular guests - is distinguished by its architecture and the "Pöstli", which has been designed to meet the needs of its guests. warm decor its 90 rooms and its rather busy and colourful communal areas. A popular venue for dining and partying with its trendy lounge and disco, the Pöstli is also a great place to work, for groups of up to 60 people, thanks to its six modular rooms and areas.
Also rated 4*, the Mountain Plaza Hotel (formerly Sunstar Hotel Davos) is bigger than ever, with 210 rooms and suites with a modern decor, a 1,000 m² spa and five modular rooms ranging from 28 to 140 m² - for 20 to 160 people in a theatre -. opening onto a large foyer and terrace. Its owner also owns the Waldhuus hotel, next to the 18 holes of the Davos Golf Club and just 500 metres from the congress centre. Completely renovated and extended two years ago, this other 4-star hotel, with its big mountain chalet style, now has 108 rooms and suites, a spa, a restaurant and five meeting rooms with a maximum capacity of 150 people. The Hotel Grischa is also close to Davos Platz station. A popular venue for events, it has 93 rooms, including 38 suites, all comfortable and welcoming, as well as no fewer than five restaurants ranging from grill to Asian cuisine and six meeting rooms from 37 to 100 m² (for 12 to 100 people).
Another top-of-the-range option, this one rated 5*, is the AlpenGold, a former InterContinental built in 2013 above the lake and at the entrance to the Flüela pass. futuristic architectureinspired by a reclining pine cone. Both high-tech and design, the hotel houses 216 rooms and suites, 4 restaurants (including one on the roof terrace), two bars with panoramic terraces and a 1200 m² spa. Event facilities cover 1,500 m² and include a foyer that can seat 400 people - in line with the capacity of the plenary session - as well as numerous meeting rooms for 30 to 160 participants.
Just as surprising, the Hard Rock Hotel is developing a rock'n'roll theme for its 94 rooms and public areas, just like the other establishments in this international chain. Its contemporary façade incorporates a former chapel transformed into a reception area (for up to 100 people), which completes the MICE offer with four meeting rooms for up to 70 people. Close to the conference centre, this fine hotel also boasts a rooftop bar, 'The 5Th', a spa and a restaurant whose walls are lined with musical memorabilia by the greatest artists.
Last but not least, the Grandhotel Belvédère, one of the resort's iconic 5* hotels, with a history dating back to 1875, has just left the Steigenberger brand to come under the management of the Berlin-based HR group. One thing remains the same, however: its MICE offer, comprising 126 rooms and seven function rooms, for receptions of up to 250 people.
Catering for original Swiss experiences
Twenty minutes from Davos, the glacial valley of Sertig is one of the most picturesque, with its peaks, stream and wooden chalets. An ideal diversions for a very natural retreat in the Walserhuus, a hotel with a rather rustic mountain décor, offering 40 beds - plus 25 in dormitories - and a seminar room for 20 participants. This establishment is also renowned for its generous cuisine, with groups able to lunch in fine weather on the wooden tables in its garden, enjoying grilled meats, salads and fondues washed down with Swiss wines. With the peaks of the Mittagshorn, Plattenflueh and Hochducan in the background.
For a gala dinner, on the other hand, groups can turn to the Berghotel Schatzalp, which is certainly an experience. You have to take the funicular up from Davos town centre to reach the Berghotel Schatzalp. huge hotel perched on a mountainsideat an altitude of over 1,800 metres. Formerly a sanatorium during the Belle Epoque, the imposing building was later transformed into a hotel, mentioned by Thomas Mann in one of his finest novels, The Magic Mountain.
The hotel, rated only 3* because it looks like a faded palace today, nevertheless plays the vintage card to the full in its décor and its 93 rooms with plunging views over Davos. After a guided tour of the hotel, a cocktail awaits guests on its grassy terrace, before a gourmet meal in its reception rooms. These and other surrounding buildings are also available for conferences and meetings for 15 to 180 people. In winter, the Schatzalp opens its doors to the public. its own ski area on its slopes and offer the chance to toboggan back down to the valley.
Perched at the top of the Hotel Alpengold, the ultra-modern La Muña restaurant also boasts spectacular views of the resort and the Alps. With its menu featuring lively Japanese-Peruvian cuisine, the restaurant is open in the evenings during the winter season, but is also open in the evenings during the summer. can be privatised for companies during the rest of the year. Davos has many other gourmet restaurants, to choose from among the 75 listed by the Alpine town.
Mountain activities 100% nature
Located in the heart of the Alps, between 1124 and 2844 metres above sea level, Davos is a popular winter tourist destination, with seven ski areas, led by Parsenn with the summit of the Weissfluhjoch at 2844 metres. Visitors can enjoy downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. When the weather is fine, you can hike, mountain bike or e-bike along the paths that run deep into the neighbouring Sertig and Dischma valleys, as well as the mountain trails accessible by ski lift. There are 700km of signposted paths! -or on mountain bikes or e-bikes.
For example, a group can take a chairlift up to the Rinerhorn, at 2490 metres, to have lunch in its high-altitude restaurant with its unique panoramic view of the mountains of Grisons, before returning to the chalet.ejoin the valley on an all-terrain scooter with wide tyres. The winding mountain road takes around forty minutes to climb, zigzagging through forests and green mountain pastures with wooden chalets and the sound of cowbells.
The range of activities also includes golf, outdoor yoga, paragliding and hang-gliding, as well as water sports on the lake. Lake DavosYou can also try your hand at a variety of water sports, such as canoeing, sailing and paddle-boarding. And don't forget the Davos Adventure Park, where you can try your hand at tree-climbing and zip-lining. There's also sport, with ice hockey evenings depending on the local league calendar. If your company is looking for something meaningful to do with its staff not far from Davos, the teams at the Ela Park, the Switzerland's largest nature parkIn addition to these activities, a number of voluntary initiatives are on offer, such as reforestation and the restoration of old stone walls.
Finally, in terms of culture, a short diversions is in order at the Kirchner Museum which brings together, in a building made up of four cubes designed by Zurich architects Anette Gigon and Mike Guyer, the impressive collection of works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, a German expressionist painter whose colourful canvases died in 1938 at the age of 58. The artist spent the last twenty years of his life in the mountains around Davos, where it is still easy to fall under the spell of the wilderness.
