The big news from Les Arcs this season is the opening of the resort's first five star hotel.
The news is most telling perhaps as it epitomises the move of the French ski resort model from the cheep-and-cheerful apartments for 4, 6 or 8 guests which resorts like Les Arcs grew world famous with from the 1960s to 1980s, with little or no hotel accommodation offered to increasingly luxurious hotel and 'residence' (semi-hotel) accommodation created in the past 5-10 years.
The new Taj-I Mah hotel from the Chalet des Neiges group is opening in Arc 2000, the highest and one the most Spartan of the four Les Arcs base villages.
The resort reports that the Taj-I Mah, named after a 115 carat diamond known as the 'moon crown' is in a 'dream location' between the ski slopes, the top of the gondola (Le cabriolet), the snow front and the shops.
The hotel will have 48 rooms and suites measuring up to 70 square metres, all with a large balcony, bath and shower.
For families with young children a baby pack for guests with under three's comprising a cot, baby sleeping bag, bath, bath thermometer, changing mat and bottle warmer will be delivered and snow pushchairs are also available at reception.
The hotel has two restaurants run by Michelin starred chef, Eric Samson, with top quality dishes promised such as the Perigord black truffle, accompanied by great wines and 'grands crus classés' for special culinary moments. There are tarraces opening out on to the piste and there's also a lounge-bar area with a big south-facing terrace offering a panoramic view over the ski area.
There's also a Cinq Môndes spa spread over 400m2 of wellness and incorporating swimming pool, sauna, hammam, jacuzzi, salt wall, sometghing called 'experience showers', relaxation area and solarium with a view over the ski area. Wide ranging wellness treatments will be offered including children's + massages suitable for the littlest ones.
Although the first five star in Les Arcs other French resorts have opened large numbers of five star hotels since the category was introduced in 2009 (Previously French hotels had a maximum four star category) . The most are in Val d'Isere with seven and Courchevel with 21 – second only to Paris and almost four times as many as up-market Austrian and Swiss resorts like Crans Montana, Seefeld and St Moritz which have had five star category hotels for far longer.
The hotel Taj I Mah opens on 16 December 2016.
www.hotel-tajimah.com