Daily Mail: The 2020 World Ski Awards names the best chalets, hotels and resorts, from a £50,000-a-week lodge to the French destination that's seemingly unstoppable

Mon 23 November 2020

Val Thorens in France was named the 'World's Best Ski Resort' for the seventh time in eight years.

The ski resort, which is the highest in Europe at 10,560 feet, was handed the gong at the 2020 World Ski Awards, which are voted for by industry experts and members of the public in a range of categories, including best resorts, hotels, chalets and tour operators.

Other big-ticket winners at last week's online awards ceremony included the five-star W Verbier in Switzerland, which was ranked as the 'World's Best Ski Hotel' for the fifth consecutive year; Chalet Zermatt Peak, which starts from £50,000 a week in the winter and was the winner of the 'World's Best Ski Chalet' award and Austria's sumptuous Aurelio Lech, which collected the 'World's Best Ski Boutique Hotel' gong. Deer Valley was again named as America's best ski resort while Thredbo took the 'Australia's best ski resort' crown.

According to the awards, which are now in their eighth year, Val Thorens scooped the top prize thanks to its 'snowsure pistes and extensive slopeside accommodation'.

Since the launch of the awards, only Kitzbühel has managed to once snatch the main title away from the French resort, which is based in the famous Les 3 Vallées area.

To add to the resort's allure, the four-star Fahrenheit Seven hotel in Val Thorens was named 'Best Ski Hotel in France' for 2020.

It has a hip 1970s retro design and is described as 'mixing both industrial and cosy elements, with an unmissable fireplace lodge atmosphere'.

Vincent Lalanne, director of the Val Thorens Tourism Office, said: 'The fact that we're selected again as World's Best Ski Resort is both an honour and responsibility to meet the needs of our clients and our local community who are the driving force behind the resort's success.

'We remain focused on our pursuit to reinvent ourselves each season and impatiently await the return of holidaymakers as soon as the situation allows it.'

In the newcomer categories, Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono took the 'World's Best New Ski Hotel' award and the 'divine opulence' of Verbier's Chalet Marmottière was acknowledged by the 'World's Best New Ski Chalet' accolade.

Winners also included Switzerland's Laax - home of the world's biggest halfpipe ('World's Best Freestyle Resort'); Ski Dubai ('World's Best Indoor Ski Resort'); Bergbahn AG Kitzbühel ('World's Best Ski Resort Company'); Bella Coola Heli Sports, Canada ('World's Best Heli-Ski Operator'); Valsana Hotel & Appartements, Switzerland ('World's Best Green Ski Hotel'); Schneebeben ('World's Best Ski Transfer Operator'); Leo Trippi ('World's Best Ski Travel Agent') and Tui ('World's Best Ski Tour Operator').

Awards were also announced on a country level, with the best resorts and hospitality providers from the world's leading ski tourism destinations honoured.

Among the country-level winners were Grandvalira, which was named Andorra's best ski resort; the Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko, which scooped the title of Bulgaria's best ski hotel; Country Home Pitzner, which took home the award of best ski chalet in Germany and Dolomites Val Gardena, the recipient of the best ski resort in Italy award.

Sion Rapson, managing director of the World Ski Awards, said: 'Our winners represent the very best of the global ski travel and tourism sector and my congratulations to each of them. 

'They have all demonstrated remarkable resilience in a year of unprecedented challenges.

'The World Ski Awards 2020 programme received a record number of votes cast by the public. This shows that the appetite for booking a ski holiday has never been stronger and bodes well for the industry as the global recovery begins.'