This Review of The Chedi Andermatt is part of our 2019 Switzerland trip report. The Chedi Andermatt opened in December 2013, amazing both residents in tiny Andermatt (population of ~1400) and avid skiers, since then as now there was nothing remotely comparable in Andermatt and environs. The owner, Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris, had ambitious plans to develop Andermatt, which struggled economically after the Swiss military left in the 1990s. There's a new sleek two-stage ski lift with gondolas that ascend nearly 2000 feet in six minutes that now connects Andermatt with Sedrun, a golf course, and, for those who can't afford the 5-star luxury of The Chedi Andermatt, a Radisson Blu about a 12 minute walk away.
For prior reviews, please see:
Review: Restaurant Focus Vitznau, 2 Michelin Stars
The Chedi Andermatt Location and Check-in
The Chedi Andermatt is located in the tiny town of Andermatt, with roughly 1400 in population, a popular ski resort town–in fact, SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun is the largest ski resort in Central Switzerland. Andermatt is 90 minutes-2 hours by car from Zurich, or ~2.5 hours by train, although a couple of changes are needed.
Pascal Rast of Swisspecial dropped us off, after our private tour with him (many of his guests stay at The Chedi Andermatt) and we attempted to check in. While initially there was a problem finding our reservation, the hotel was apologetic for the trouble and kindly upgraded us to a Deluxe Suite.
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TravelSort Clients enjoy these Virtuoso benefits at The Chedi Andermatt:
- Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability (No upgrades from Deluxe Suites to Grand Deluxe Suites / Grand Deluxe Suites to Gemsstock Suite / Gemsstock Suite to Furka Suite)
- Full Breakfast daily served in The Restaurant (included in the room rate)
- $100 USD equivalent Spa Services credit to be utilized during stay (not combinable, no cash value if not redeemed in full, only applicable towards treatments)
- Authentic Swiss Chocolate Platter served with a bottle of Champagne
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
Deluxe Suite, The Chedi Andermatt
We were in a Deluxe Suite on the 2nd floor of the main building, accessed by elevator near The Restaurant. 51 of the hotel's 123 rooms and suites are Deluxe Suites, making it the largest single category. By comparison, there are just 31 Deluxe Rooms, 13 Grand Deluxe Rooms and 4 Junior Deluxe Suites.
The table held welcome amenities for us: some fresh fruit, a bottle of Pinot Noir, and some chocolates for our son.
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Deluxe Suites are large, at 1130 square feet (110 square meters). The space is handsome, if a little dark with all the wood, as you'd expect for ski chalets. Unfortunately, although called a suite, and despite the size, there are no doors separating the living area from the bedroom. Instead, it's entirely open plan, just with a fireplace and flat screen in the middle. That's great for a couple who wants plenty of space, but not good for families, who generally want to be able to put the kids to bed and read or watch a movie in the bedroom–impossible here, given the lack of doors.
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The King bed had a high quality Swedish Hastens mattress, however it was too firm for us, so we asked for an additional mattress pad, which made it more comfortable.
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The bathroom similarly doesn't have a door to it, and the light could disturb a sleeping partner. There are, however, glass doors to the large rain shower and to the toilet chamber.
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When entering the bathroom, on the right hand side was a large walk-in closet. It had plenty of space to hang and store clothes, great for guests staying for a week or more of skiing or cycling.
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Here's our The Chedi Andermatt YouTube Video Review:
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Pools and Spa at The Chedi Andermatt
In addition to the outdoor pool in the courtyard pictured above, which is better to sunbathe next to than swim in, there's a heated indoor lap pool that extends to the outside. See the above video for photos of the spa and fitness center.
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Breakfast at The Chedi Andermatt
Breakfast is served in The Restaurant, the hotel's all-day dining restaurant, from 7-11am daily.
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The buffet had a good selection of juices, pastries, and fresh fruit, including fresh blueberries, although not nearly the array of the much smaller but more luxe The Park Hotel Vitznau, which had offered more types of berries, red currants, and even mango and fresh passion fruit.
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There was smoked salmon, cold cuts, and a small hot buffet of scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, mushrooms and the like, although unfortunately eggs cooked to order is *not* included, and only available at additional cost, unlike at the other three Swiss luxury hotels we had just come from.
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On the other hand, a highlight is the 16 foot tall cheese room. There's a changing selection of alpine cheeses available for breakfast on the cheese board, which we greatly enjoyed sampling.
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The Verdict
The Chedi Andermatt is architecturally striking, with its blend of ski chalet chic and Asian touches, due to GHM Hotels' Asian heritage (Chedi is the Thai word for stupa, a Buddhist dome shaped temple). Rooms and suites are very spacious and beautifully appointed, although a key thing to know is that Deluxe Suites, as large as they are, are open plan, with no doors separating the bedroom from the living area. For this reason, we strongly recommend Grand Deluxe Suites, with 2 bedrooms that have closing doors, to families or anyone who wants full separation between bedrooms and the living area. In the Deluxe Suites, there's no door to the bathroom either, and only a semi-transparent door on the toilet chamber.
Service was very good; a room service dinner for our son came promptly, as did Housekeeping when we requested an extra mattress pad for our bed to make it softer. And we were very appreciative of the staff who took us in the hotel's courtesy car all the way to Sasso San Gottardo (and picked us up there) where we were able to view underground military bunkers developed to protect against a potential attack during World War II.
Dining was good, although not as sublime as at the Park Hotel Vitznau. The breakfast buffet was fine, but unlike at the Park Hotel Vitznau, Dolder Grand, and Park Hyatt Zurich, only the pre-cooked eggs on the buffet were included; eggs cooked to order incurred an additional charge. Our dinner at The Japanese Restaurant was very good; see our separate review.
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