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SWITZERLAND
To highlight a few examples,
Crans Montana
, which for decades has traded on past glories,
is actively promoting itself as a “city in the mountains”. Alongside established dual season
activities such as PGA European tour golf and horse and music festivals; the resort is
investing heavily in new ski infrastructure, a new ice rink, new restaurants, a medical centre
and a recently opened British International boarding school. An oversupply of property
in recent years should slowly work its way through the system as demand catches up. It
remains for the meantime a buyer’s market.
In
Verbier
, the commune of Bagnes is busy redeveloping the sports centre, as well as
the train and lift station at the foot of the resort in
La Chable
. A new gondola is installed
this season that will take 400 skiers/hour to the top of Mont Gelé. Apart from the recent
addition of the prestigious W Hotel, which has significantly smartened the departure and
arrival area of Medran lift station, plans are rumoured for a new Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
This would be welcome in a resort top heavy with private chalets and lacking, at least