The Alps are home to most of the world’s major ski resorts.
Real estate companies say ski quality isn’t the only criterion for some alpine buyers.
For many people seeking an alpine chalet, wellness is a priority over winter sports.
Powder, wide slopes, spectacular mountain views, and a vast network of interconnected trails weaving through snow-capped forests are hallmarks of skiing in the Alps, home to many winter resorts.
Approximately 120 million people visit the Alps to ski and snowboard between December and April.
But skiing is no longer the only attraction for some wealthy mountain home buyers in upmarket cities like Gstaad and Courchevel.
In its 2024 Alpine Market Review published in November, real estate firm Knight Frank found that buyers are as interested in “après-ski” health and wellness activities after hitting the slopes as they are in putting on their skis. They have reported that they are interested.
Wealth property buyers in the Alps are looking for wellness facilities.Fani Kurti/Getty Images
Knight Frank surveyed around 730 high-net-worth individuals from more than a dozen countries for the report and found that when asked about the Alpine lifestyle they were most interested in, health and wellness was ranked first by skiing and snowboarding. It turned out to be a higher priority.
And when affluent respondents were asked which amenities were most important to them in their purchasing decisions, wellness products ranked higher than ski-in/ski-out access or proximity to village centers.
The realignment of priorities is consistent with Bain & Company and Altagamma’s 2024 Luxury Monitor findings. They found that consumer spending is shifting away from tangible goods and toward luxury experiences, especially those related to wellness and personal treatments.
In response to growing demand for wellness products, Alpine resorts are repositioning themselves as “top rejuvenation destinations” with luxury spas, thermal baths and specialist health resorts, says Knight Frank. points out.
Kate Everett-Allen, head of European housing research at Knight Frank, said: “The Alps are increasingly emerging as a year-round destination, with health and wellness now overtaking skiing as a buyer’s lifestyle choice. “It has become a major driving force.”
It’s not just the pristine slopes that appeal to Alpine chalet buyers.Pelleten/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Knight Frank’s results mirror a similar ski market report from Savills, highlighting the emergence of ‘wellness/medical retreats’ in luxury winter resorts.
Jeremy Rollazon, head of ski at Savills and author of the report, told Business Insider that providing health and wellness is not an entirely new concept. He said that in the mid-1900s, there were sanatoriums in the Swiss Alps for people with physical and mental health problems.
But interest among Alpine buyers in modern health and wellness equipment, such as saunas, steam rooms and heated outdoor pools, is now accelerating, Rollazon said.
“People shop at ski resorts because they love the mountains, and maybe because they love skiing and winter sports,” he says. “There is now more than that, and ski resort developers and hospitality providers are being asked to deliver even more.”
Rollason added that if the ultra-wealthy are buying a chalet, “it’s not just a chalet, it’s a complete leisure facility.”
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