These 5 alpine towns are perfect for corporate groups!
More and more companies want to combine professional content with social gatherings. What is better than rounding up your employees in an alpine village at several thousand meters altitude? But here lies also some challenges - alpine villages are small and do not always have the facilities available to accommodate larger company groups. Hotels must have enough rooms, there must be nice conference facilities, the village must be close to the airport with direct routes to Scandinavia, restaurants must be large enough, ski rentals must be efficient, etc. These are just some of the challenges you can face when planning a company trip to the Alps. Fortunately, there is help. Here is a selection of our favorite villages for business groups in the Alps:
Historic Kitzbühel is located in the heart of Tyrol and is one of our absolute favorites of the Alps. This Alpine town is perhaps best known for their annual Hahnenkamm race, which can offer Alpine sports' Formula 1 - the downhill "Die Streif" - where legends are created and careers end. The city is full of charm, with quaint shops, good après ski, fabulous restaurants and a great congress center. Kitzbühel is just a two-hour drive from the Munich Airport. It has been named the world's best ski resort several times and offers slopes of all levels of difficulty. This ski resort is well suited for both large and small company groups.
In this car-free city at the foot of the Matterhorn, it is almost impossible not to enjoy yourself. With fantastic, endless trails, world-class restaurants and great shopping, Zermatt pampers most people. From Zermatt you can actually ski across the border to Cervinia in Italy, but there are enough trails to explore on the Swiss side. We recommend taking a train from Geneva Airport to Zermatt - an experience in itself. Zermatt is suitable for company groups that want particularly high quality. The pricing also reflects this.
The Olympic city from 1924 is located on Europe's tallest mountain, Mont Blanc, and is the mecca of free-riders. Unlike many other ski resorts, it is a vibrant city, filled with magnificent old buildings in glamorous Alpine style. Here you can take the gondola up to the Aiguille du Midi (3842 meters above sea level) and experience breath-taking views. Car enthusiasts can combine an alpine trip to Chamonix with a visit to the annual Geneva Motor Show in early March. Chamonix has a favorable price level compared to many other alpine villages. The city is also easily accessible, just an hour drive from the Geneva Airport.
Verbier is often referred to as the winter playground of the rich. Nevertheless, Verbier appears to be a “fairly normal“ ski resort for travelers, as visitors often choose to stay in chalets in the mountains, over hotels in the city center. The city has a good mix of visiting ski enthusiasts. Here you will find everything from expensive restaurants to classic "heel-in-the-roof" après ski. The trail system is very well laid out and offers something for every skier. Verbier also boasts the famous W Hotel concept - Hotel W Verbier has been named the world's best ski hotel for two years in a row! Verbier is just over two hours from the Geneva Airport. Fun fact: The legendary "Selskapsreisen 2 (Company Adventure 2)" has been recorded here.
Val d’Isere is considered by many to be the most complete-package ski destination in the world, with beautiful slopes, good powder, and a delightful village with many great restaurants and wonderful après ski.
The location of Val d’Isere is connected to Tignes, but we recommend adding accommodation in Val d’Isere which is a much more pleasant city. Alpine legend Jean Claude Killy (won all alpine exercises during the Olympics in Grenoble) is the big hero of this city. Hence the ski resort that is called "Escape Killy". Val d’Isere is just over three hours from the Geneva Airport and is easily accessible for groups from Norway.
Alpine villages are usually small and do not always have the facilities to accommodate larger company groups. In this article, we have presented a selection of alpine villages that we, after many years of experience, can safely recommend traveling to with company groups. Ready to prep your skis and take a corprate trip to the Alps next year? Feel free to challenge us in creating a proposal plan for your company. You can contact us for a non-binding proposal at thoger@motelagency.no, or submit a request here.
