Tour St Moritz hotel Badrutt’s Palace’s plush new wing with architect Antonio Citterio

For the last 40 years, Italian architect Antonio Citterio has been driving north out of his native Milan, bound for Switzerland’s Engadin Valley and St Moritz. The classic winter resort, beloved by British aristocracy and film stars, is where he owns a traditional Alpine farmhouse and where both his son and daughter were born. As such, Citterio’s studio (ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel) was a natural choice to design the new wing of Badrutt’s Palace, St Moritz’s landmark hotel.

Badrutt’s Palace introduces the new Serlas Wing

‘I have a beautiful, very personal relationship with St Moritz, and the Palace,’ Citterio smiles, as we walk through its revolving wooden doors, which were first opened in 1896 by Caspar Badrutt. ‘It was always my place to drink something – a margarita with my family – in the afternoon.’ The new Serlas Wing heralds a new contemporary chapter for the historic hotel. ‘It’s not just a new building,’ notes Citterio, ‘it’s an opportunity to create a connection with the Palace and the centre of the village. It’s something to create life.’

The architecture studio’s chief inspiration for the project came from the surrounding peaks and the locality. ‘You have to feel the mountains, and you have to feel the materials,’ says Citterio, who has thoughtfully translated the simplicity of the traditional Engadin farmhouse, much like his own, to the Serlas Wing’s façade. ‘The buildings in this village are not palazzi. The logic of many mountain houses,’ he explains, ‘was to create windows where you need it, for the sun or the view. One of our references was the carved-in window openings of the traditional Chesa Planta house from the 16th century.’ As a result, there is an asymmetry and a casual nature to the exterior of the new wing, that belies the precise interior symmetry of its bedrooms.

The façade is built from the handsome Alpine stone, Dorato Valmalenco, which has been intelligently layered to create archways that reflect the existing arcades of the village. Inside, the Wing’s soothing spaces are softened by a mountain-inspired palette and heat-treated oak, in order to quietly prioritise the framing of their varied views. The architecture studio collaborated with Loro Piana Interiors to create bespoke fabrics for the bedrooms, including tactile felts and wool cloths, while marbles dominate the serene bathrooms.

The result is an architectural dialogue between the Serlas Wing and the original Palace; between old and new, historical and contemporary, united by the common thread of timeless luxury. Guests of both will come together to enjoy the trappings of Badrutt’s, from its cathedral-esque grand hall with views over the lake and the Wes Anderson-style breakfast room – complete with harpist – to the cavernous subterranean spa with its outdoor thermal pool and sauna cabins.

During the ski season, you are whisked off by the seamless shuttle service to the nearby Suvretta chairlift, for a leisurely few pistes in the morning – ideally under bluebird skies – before settling into a long alfresco lunch, and potentially a dance, outside at Paradiso, Badrutt’s mountain restaurant and club. Back at the hotel, you are spoilt for choice for where to dine, but the cosiest has to be Chesa Veglia. Nestled in the heart of the village, and accessed from the Serlas Wing and the Palace by a secret passage, it is a traditional mountain inn with a roaring pizza oven and a stove for fondues. Afterwards, head back to the palace for a disco in the basement at the King Social Club, where the great and good of St Moritz gather to dance til the very small hours, fuelled by Moritzinos – Badrutt’s signature cocktail made with Cointreau, fresh line and orgeat syrup.

And, although its seasoned guests may flock to St Moritz by private jet, whether for the infamous Cresta Run or its burgeoning arts scene and festivals such as Nomad, there is nothing lovelier than arriving by train through the Unesco-rated landscape. Just remember to pack some Champagne.

Badrutt’s Palace is located at Via Serlas 27, 7500 St. Moritz, Switzerland; badruttspalace.com