Travel & Leisure


La Folie Douce sets up in Chamonix

It's a new concept! Between sport and party, between day and night. It is also a former grand hotel (Le Savoy), a magnificent building dating from the 1900's, which has become a majestic hotel that can be discovered after an hour's drive in a Cupra limousine. The VIP transfer is organised by Samuel Berne, the communication director of "La Folie Douce Hotels" who is committed to giving us a totally new experience... A successful bet!

Welcome to Chamonix

The Entrance - © La Folie Douce
The Atrium - © La Folie Douce

As soon as you walk through the doors, the effect is immediate. Casual chic luxury resplendent with modernity. Interior design, combining classic and traditional, avant-garde and family-friendly, raw materials such as stone, concrete and wood and soft, shiny, plush surfaces such as velvet and brass.

Lounge Janssen Club - © La Folie Douce

Many generous and varied spaces and multiple terraces on different levels offering snowy or green landscapes depending on the season. In short, the assurance of an indoor and outdoor life! With the undeniable beauty and fascination of the 3D view of Mont Blanc, which rises to over 4,800 meters, as its main feature.

Place to be wild

Janssen Cocktail Bar - © La Folie Douce
Outdoor Heated Pool - © La Folie Douce

Luxe Magazine takes you to a place that is "open to those with an open mind"! This is the slogan of the founders of La Folie Douce. Here, nothing is imposed. You choose your perfect mix for a personalised stay. What's on the agenda? Sharing warm and friendly moments as a couple or as a family, as well as totally crazy and original moments with a group of friends.

007 Show - © La Folie Douce

Added value? An alpine hotel refuge (in a historic setting) bustling with a thousand events and activities, summer and winter alike: from skiing to hiking between forests and mountains, to crazy dancefloor nights with festive cabaret-style shows.

Sensations and emotions

Vallée Blanche - © La Folie Douce
Paragliding - © La Folie Douce

In the end, this new, totally innovative and unifying concept never ceases to seduce. A little paragliding tour, just to fly over the Vallée Blanche? And why not... We are waiting for the weather forecast from the Chamonix Guides, no headwinds, here we go! The best? Getting up at dawn to climb the Aiguille du Midi (3,842 metres), and experiencing the adrenaline rush of the thrills and chills before having your breath taken away by the Dantesque and magnificent 360° landscape. The French Alps mixed with the Swiss and Italian ones will mesmerize you. An incredible and fantastic experience.

Breaking the codes!

By Night - © La Folie Douce

The magic? Apart from its enchanting surroundings, the complex, inaugurated in the mythical Savoyard resort, is an event in itself. This first hotel by "La Folie Douce" breaks the codes of the genre. Here, everything is possible! Everyone can create their own experience in an establishment with a mountain lifestyle, certainly, but which waltzes with a functional elegance between luxury and materiality.

Premium Room - © La Folie Douce
Bathroom Premium Room - © La Folie Douce
Arty corridors - © La Folie Douce


The location? Right in the heart of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, the capital of mountaineering, the architectural nugget consists of three buildings: Le Savoy, Le Brévent and Le Mont-Blanc. The accommodation? Three ranges to choose from, from Premium (4*) to Access (3*) and Hostel (bunk beds) to suit all tastes and budgets. A total of 250 rooms (with prices ranging from 45 euros for the dormitory version to 270 euros for a contemporary suite with a view), define this masterful mini-resort, formerly Club Med, born from the association of Luc Reversade, head of the La Folie Douce firm which has already conquered the French Alps (Val Thorens, Saint-Gervais-Megève, Méribel-Courchevel, l'Alpe d'Huez), and Matthieu Evrard, president of the group "Les Hôtels (très) Particuliers".

Once upon a time... Cham'

Hotel with a view - © La Folie Douce

It was the opening of the Saint-Gervais-Chamonix railway line in 1901 that enabled many visitors to come and admire its sumptuous landscapes. This was the era of the great palaces: the Chamonix Palace, the Majestic and the Savoy made Chamonix "the place to be"! After outdoor activities, often organised by prestigious sports clubs, people played at the casino, danced and had fun. The first Winter Olympic Games in 1924 reinforced the town's international reputation...

Fashion Boutique - © La Folie Douce

Since its creation at the beginning of the 1980s, La Folie Douce has revived the spirit of sport and festivity that has made the reputation of the finest mountain resorts. By choosing Chamonix and the Savoy to set up the first of the "La Folie Douce Hotels" it is reviving this unique art of living by modernising it and making it accessible to all.

An emblematic formula

Welcome in Style - © La Folie Douce
The Lobby - © La Folie Douce

The objective? To take full advantage of the hotel as well as the mountains. Whether you are a good skier or not, it doesn't matter! The hotel has so many facets (between pleasure and well-being) and offers conviviality on every floor.

Janssen Bar - © La Folie Douce
DJ Set - © La Folie Douce
Spa - © La Folie Douce
Yoga - © La Folie Douce
Restaurant - © La Folie Douce


On the programme: a cocktail bar adorned with hypnotic mirrors, 5 restaurants orchestrated by Franck Mischler, the group's executive chef, an experienced, cosmopolitan and well-travelled chef, a "nightclub" bar, shows with an electric DJ set. But also a sports club, a Spa with a YUJ yoga studio. An excellent Kids' Palace for families! With this generous hotel, both literally and figuratively, the Group has gone off-piste without forgetting the DNA that has established its reputation. Enough to enchant you, winter and summer alike.

Not to be missed

L'Aiguille du Midi - © La Folie Douce

-The Aiguille du Midi museum (the highest in the world) created in a tunnel at altitude. An educational and historical marvel which tells the story of the key moments of mountaineering with photos and videos. The Espace Mont-Blanc (vertiginous) which allows you to observe the massif in detail behind large windows. On the way down from the cable car: "the souvenir shop" adjoining a small theatre where a 3D film of the altitude is projected (with special glasses), magnificent and moving!

-A Savoyard lunch in the heart of the village.

The Extras

The location: ideally situated at the edge of the slopes, accessible on skis.

The Feel Good Club: outdoor pool heated to 30°, fitness, spa and signature treatments.
Feel Good Club and Spa - © La Folie Douce

Gastronomy: One of the flagship elements, reinforced by the arrival of chef Emmanuel Horclois, a renowned chef who orchestrates the indoor and outdoor culinary creations!
Lunch on the Terrace - © La Folie Douce

The Saint Germain corner: this liqueur made from fresh, hand-picked elderflowers is perfectly delicious for spritz cocktails!
The Kids Palace: children enjoy a wide range of activities in a fun, sporty and educational atmosphere.
The partnership with the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix: professional and reassuring supervision for all excursions.

Marjo Loves
Février 2022
By Monique Delanoue
My opinion:
Outdoor - © La Folie Douce

It is a real space of freedom and conviviality where the sense of celebration prevails while allowing each person to live their own experience according to their needs and desires. The XXL volumes within the hotel bring people together or isolate them according to the desire for encounters or inner balance. People come here for the decor, the atmosphere, the novelty of the concept which gives pride of place to leisure and sports and to a shared gastronomy. Ideal for a young clientele that appreciates combining the pleasures and sports of the mountains at affordable prices while enjoying the services of an atypical hotel establishment. There is something for everyone!

I appreciated the modern and warm design of the common areas and the Premium rooms, the comfort of the bedding and linen, the view of Mont Blanc, the charm of the traditional village so picturesque, between mountains and rivers. And the ascent by cable car (two are necessary with a stop on the platform) to reach the ultimate peak of the Aiguille du Midi, an unforgettable memory.

La Folie Douce Hotel Chamonix
823 Allée Recteur Payot, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.
Tel: +33 (04) 50 55 10 00
www.lafoliedoucehotels.com