As climates shift, these hotels are turning ski towns into autumn retreats

One travel hack we’ve long supported is visiting ski destinations out of season. While others are crammed on Capri during European summer, the Dolomites offer crowd-free rolling hills and farmhouse kitchens serving hearty Tyrolean cuisine. In Japan, Niseko’s lush green landscapes, natural onsens and pleasantly warm climes make it a serene escape.

Ski resorts and hotels in the northern hemisphere traditionally closed during autumn. Now a vanguard of properties is reimagining the shoulder season with travel centred on hiking, wellness and farm-to-table menus rooted in the local harvest, against a backdrop of russet and gold.

“We call it the unexpected season,” says Claudio Laager of Grand Hotel Kronenhof in Pontresina, a mountainside village in the Engadine Valley where the larch trees glow beneath snow-dusted peaks during October. “The Alps are known for snow sports in winter and wildflower meadows in summer, but autumn here takes you by surprise.” From the hotel, you can walk to St Moritz via Lake Staz in just over an hour – or take a ten minute shuttle – and explore the Segantini Museum, featuring paintings by the alpine artist Giovanni Segantini. Cable cars and funiculars abound, whisking visitors to high-altitude viewpoints and hiking trails.

Grand Hotel Kronenhof is one of few luxury properties in the region to open during the autumn months, a move largely in response to unpredictable snow fall and shifting seasons. These changes are shortening traditional ski windows and putting pressure on resorts to diversify their programming.

A 2023 report in Environmental Sciences Proceedings predicts that the European ski season will significantly shorten as early as the 2030s, with major implications for the winter tourism industry. In 2024, Mount Fuji in Japan experienced its latest snowfall in 130 years, receiving its trademark snowcap significantly later than usual. Meanwhile, the Bank of America Institute reported that the US has lost an estimated 11 to 17 inches of snowfall over the past three decades, causing seasons starting later and further compressing the ski period.

In Aspen, Colorado’s ritziest ski town, private jets ferry affluent skiers from New York and LA in winter for hallowed peaks and a glitzy après scene. Off-season, however, you’re more likely to find a low-key, local crowd hiking, biking and fly fishing, cradled by a wilderness of vibrant foliage. You can visit the prestigious Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies – dedicated to the work of Bauhaus artist Herbert Bayer – and Aspen Art Museum without the crowds. “In my opinion, it is the best time to visit,” says local writer Sarah Chase Shaw. “You can enjoy Aspen at its quietest, in a landscape defined by rapidly changing colour and light.”

For a more laidback vibe, Telluride offers dramatic canyon views and bohemian charm, with independently owned shops along Colorado Avenue. The Original Thinkers festival in early October brings together speakers, films, and performances covering themes such as environmental change and creative activism.

Meanwhile Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, is cloaked in saffron and amber from the end of September to early November, when the snow begins to fall. Hiking trails are followed by onsen soaks, steaming bowls of ramen and elegant sushi platters.

For those seeking staggering views, lungfuls of fresh air, nature-driven wellness and cultural experiences to rival any après scene, these hotels offer a restorative shoulder season break, with admirable sustainability credentials to boot.

Grace La Margna, St Moritz, Switzerland

Why we rate it: An Art Nouveau stay with a sharp sense of style
Address: Via Serlas 5, 7500 St. Moritz, Switzerland
Price: 493 EUR / 582 USD per night

When Grace La Margna opened in 2023, it was the first new luxury hotel in St Moritz in 20 years. It was also the town’s first continuous year-round hotel, shining a spotlight on the region’s autumn allure. Overlooking St Moritz’s famed mountain-fringed lake, the hotel is ideally positioned for alpine hikes, wild swimming and leisurely strolls to local galleries and cafes. Guests can try open-air yoga and paragliding, while the hotel hosts chef residencies and pop-up dining events throughout the season. Housed in a restored Art Nouveau landmark, interiors unfold in granite, brass and Carrara marble, while each of the 74 rooms has floor-to-ceiling views of the surrounding landscape.

Forestis Dolomites, Brixen, Italy

Why we rate it: Nature-driven luxury and giddy views in the depths of the Dolomite mountains
Address: Palmschoß 22, 39042 Bressanone BZ, Italy
Price: 786 EUR / 929 USD

Forestis rises from the slopes of Mount Plose in South Tyrol, hovering 1,800 metres above sea level. Minimalist cool grey interiors give way to astounding views of the jagged Geisler peaks and glowing larch trees. The spa draws on the alpine landscape’s healing benefits, with spruce body scrubs and stone pine inhalations. Sustainability is at the core: the property runs largely on renewable energy, interiors are crafted from local wood and the zero-waste kitchen repurposes every scrap. The hotel’s new restaurant, YERA – the Rhaetian Celtic word for harvest – is a subterranean, phone-free fine dining concept carved into the rockface. Guests gather around a firepit where dishes are theatrically prepared, reinforcing Forestis’s philosophy of nature, ritual, and seasonality. Away from the hotel, pick up chestnuts and freshly fallen apples at the weekly farmer’s market in Brixen, accessible by cable car from the mountains.

Hotel Bohinj and Vila Muhr, Slovenia

Why we rate it: Lakeside charm beneath Slovenia’s soaring Alps
Address: Ribcev Laz 45, 4265 Bohinjsko jezero, Slovenia
Price: From 168 EUR / 198 USD per night

Hotel Bohinj sits on the edge of expansive Lake Bohinj in Triglav National Park. The Julian Alps soar high above while conifers encircle the hotel. Larchwood furnishes the rooms, and slippers are crafted with felt made from recycled plastic bottles. Days can be spent hiking and biking scenic trails and visiting the renowned Savica Waterfall, where the viewing platform is refreshingly free of tourists during autumn.

A discreet underground passage connects Hotel Bohinj to Vila Muhr, comprising four luxurious suites with wraparound balconies. Traditional alpine furnishings blend with modern tech: a fireplace ignites at the press of a button and an integrated sound system runs throughout. In the fine dining restaurant, dine on local trout, cured meats and foraged mushrooms, matched with Slovenian wine.

Zaborin, Hokkaido, Japan

Why we rate it: Intimate, quiet luxury with kaiseki dining
Address: 76-4 Hanazono, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0084, Japan
Price: 154,668 JPY / 1048 USD per night

Understated luxury permeates Zaborin, a ryokan hidden in the forests of Niseko, Hokkaido’s renowned ski region. Fifteen exquisitely designed villas each feature a private indoor and outdoor onsen bath fed by volcanic spring water. Interiors follow the Japanese tradition of Yakisugi, using charred wood from felled trees for natural waterproofing. In autumn, before snow blankets the mountains and meadows, guests can wander along leafy trails lined with fiery maples and golden ginkgo. In the evening, multi-course kaiseki dinners spotlight locally sourced fresh ingredients, paired with crisp Hokkaido wines.

Mollie, Aspen, Colorado

Why we rate it: A cool boutique base in culture-rich Aspen
Address: 111 S Garmisch Street, Aspen, CO 81611
Price: 365 USD per night

Mollie is a relative newcomer to Aspen, having opened in 2023. The contemporary facade stands in striking contrast to the area’s Victorian mansions, while interiors draw on the town’s Bauhaus heritage. In the open-plan lobby and bar, clean lines, natural materials and handwoven textiles sit alongside crackling fires and modular leather sofas. Solar-powered heat pumps provide 100 per cent renewable energy, and guests can borrow Rivian electric cars to explore the local landscape, with a picnic prepped by the hotel waiting in the boot.

Grand Vail Colorado, Vail, Colorado

Why we rate it: Locally-rooted experiences on the edge of Gore Creek
Address: 1300 Westhaven Drive, Vail, CO 81657, United States
Price: 310 USD per night

Grand Hyatt Vail immerses guests in the great outdoors of Vail Valley in the Rocky Mountains, when aspen trees blaze amber in autumn. Guests can fly fish in Gore Creek just steps from the hotel, or hike scenic trails along Booth Falls and Pitkin Lake. In the evening, dine on grilled tenderloin and loaded burgers at Gessner Colorado Mountain Grill, then toast decadent s’mores around the firepit with guidance from the hotel’s dedicated s’morelier. At the new Makoto Vail sushi restaurant, chefs hand roll with swift precision in the theatrical open kitchen, against panoramic views of the honeyed alpine peaks.

Hotel Willa, Taos, New Mexico

Why we rate it: Creative calm in a groovy mountain town
Address: 233 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos, NM 87571, United States
Price: 172 USD per night

Hotel Willa is located in downtown Taos, a short drive from Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico’s largest ski area. The converted motel brings fresh reasons to visit the ski town during autumn, when the Sangre de Cristo Mountains shimmer crimson and gold, and mild weather is perfect for horseback riding, hiking and fishing. Local art hangs on earthy terracotta walls in the guestrooms and the hotel also features a gallery space with rotating exhibitions.

At the new farm-to-table restaurant, Juliana, produce is sourced from chef and artist Johnny Ortiz-Concha’s farm and served on ceramics made by Taos-based Logan Wannamaker. Beyond the hotel, visitors can explore additional galleries or pick up loaded blue corn tortillas and handcrafted wares at the weekly farmer’s market. Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage Site, is a five to ten-minute drive away.