For four days each January, the Alpine town of Davos transforms from a distinct mountain resort favored by Swiss and German skiers into a gathering spot for the global elite. Davos, which has hosted the World Economic Forum (WEF) every winter since 1971, took its name from the event where its bold mission declared its determination to “improve the state of the world.”
The invitation-only forum has been open since its inception, from Donald Trump, Bill Gates and Greta Thunberg to King George III. Charles has hosted an eclectic mix of world leaders, philanthropists, entrepreneurs and celebrities, from Mick Jagger to the Archbishop of Canterbury. This year’s power summit will be attended by 2,800 VIP attendees, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Even though Davos is at the heart of one of Switzerland’s biggest ski areas, WEF attendees don’t ski because there’s too much to do. The resort, along with neighboring Klosters, has unlimited off-piste terrain spanning 300 kilometers of pistes and six spectacular mountains. Keen skiers would be right to conclude that WEF is the perfect time to ski this vast area without crowds, but there is one caveat: accommodation.
Unsurprisingly, when the population of a modest Alpine town nearly triples (Bloomberg reports 116 billionaires have signed up to attend Davos 2023), its bedrooms turn to gold dust.
In what is known as “orchestrated chaos,” hotel prices are soaring, and properties like the magnificent Steigenberger Icon Grandhotel Belvédère Davos, which hosted the WEF’s opening ceremony 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 pop in to the bartender for a Belvédère cocktail and infamous nightcap lockdown tales; You will not regret.
Ordinary Davos locals are also profiting from the chaos by renting out their private homes and spare rooms. For example, an existing Airbnb listing currently offers a double room in a two-bed flat on the Promenade, Davos’ central strip, for £7,818 per night plus a £1,324 service fee. It is even known that the hospital sells beds to guards who require overnight accommodation.
As Rupert Longsdon, founder of luxury operator The Oxford Ski Company, says: “WEF is turning Davos into the ultimate pop-up Airbnb. We know that clients pay to have their chalets redecorated to their liking; “We hope it is in a style that the owners will like.”
One of the very few catered chalets in Davos, Tivoli Lodge is a perennial favorite with WEF-goers for its magnificent architecture, secluded location and impressive wine cellar. For something even more different, there’s Chalet Eugenia, a spacious 11-bedroom property in the secluded hamlet of Wolfgang near Davos. Known for hosting celebrity guests including various members of the British Royal family, the chalet offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, which are believed to have inspired the then Prince of Wales to paint the watercolor that adorned the 1992/93 Davos-Klosters season pass.
King III. Charles has been a devoted fan of Klosters since he first visited the chocolate box antidote of metropolitan Davos in 1978. Klosters, an elegant village accustomed to being home to blue-blooded and white-skinned nobles, is separated from its neighbor by just 5.5 points. Many kilometers as the crow flies, a distance easily covered by train or skis on the Parsenn mountain.
Home to popular hotels such as the rustic Chesa Grischuna and Hotel Wynegg, and tasteful chalets such as Chalet Bear and Haus Alpina, Klosters offers a tranquil alternative to famous Davos. But time is money for the “Davos Man” (one in ten of 2022 WEF attendees traveled to the event by private jet) and the 25-minute drive between the two resorts has always deterred him.
Just like beds became a scarce commodity during the WEF, so did restaurant tables; Many of the town’s prized venues (Stall Valär, Extrablatt, Gasthaus Höhwald and Golden Dragon) have booked events exclusively for holders of the coveted all-access white badge. Mere mortals can listen to gossip over Birchermüesli and crepes at KaffeeKlatsch last night, or tuck into homemade kombucha and fragrant chickpea masala at Lokal Davos, which cemented its position as a locals’ favorite by implementing a no-entry-only policy during the forum.
After long days, WEF delegates unwind at Davos’ best nightclubs Pöstli Club and Platzhirsch, to the great works of Perrier-Jouët or at intimate private concerts headlined by the likes of Sting, Lenny Kravitz and Coldplay’s Chris Martin (read: continue networking) .
Hotel Europe’s stylish Tonic Piano Bar hosts some of the WEF’s hottest gatherings, including this year’s wine party Hosted by Anthony Scaramucci, founder and chairman of Skybridge Capital. With previous guests including Matt Damon, Richard Branson and Andrea Bocelli, Scaramucci offers the 2003 Chateau Latour pauillac (£785 a bottle) on cask, although the bar’s signature espresso martini may help keep guests from pushing on until dawn.
How to visit
Steigenberger Icon Grandhotel Belvédère Davos (0041 81 415 6000; hrewards.com) offers double rooms from CHF 267 (£245) including breakfast.
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 gratuity.
Fly from London airports to Zurich with SWISS (swiss.com), return from £128, and travel to Davos by train in two hours and 40 minutes (sbb.ch).