Organised by World Ski Awards, the programme recognises achievements across ski tourism, hospitality and related travel services. Winners emerged from a year-long voting process involving ski industry professionals and consumers.
In each category, the nominee receiving the highest number of votes secured the award.
Val Thorens and W Verbier secure top global ski tourism awards
France’s Val Thorens, Europe’s highest ski resort, received the title of World’s Best Ski Resort. The destination continues to invest in infrastructure improvements and smart-resort innovations to enhance the visitor experience. These initiatives form part of its wider approach to developing modern ski tourism facilities and services.
In Switzerland, W Verbier claimed the World’s Best Ski Hotel award. The property represents W Hotels’ first alpine ski destination, combining the brand’s hospitality concept with a mountain resort setting.
Another Swiss property, Chalet Zermatt Peak, received the World’s Best Ski Chalet distinction.
Meanwhile, Pashmina Le Refuge secured the World’s Best Ski Boutique Hotel award. The French property combines contemporary luxury design with direct access to the Les 3 Vallées ski area.
The results highlight the continued representation of established Alpine destinations among the programme’s leading hospitality categories.
Swiss properties lead the new hotel and chalet categories
Switzerland also secured both major awards recognising new ski accommodation developments. Grand Hotel Belvedere, a Beaumier Hotel, received the World’s Best New Ski Hotel title.
The property combines a restored Belle Époque alpine chalet dating from 1912 with contemporary interior design. It also offers panoramic views of the Jungfrau mountains within a car-free mountain setting.
In the new chalet category, Chez Madeleine received the World’s Best New Ski Chalet award. The property forms part of the first development phase of Le Rucher d’Evolène, a hospitality project in Switzerland.
These distinctions recognise accommodation projects combining traditional alpine architecture with contemporary hospitality facilities. They also reflect the range of luxury accommodation concepts represented within the international ski tourism market.
LAAX recognised for freestyle skiing and sustainable hospitality
Switzerland’s LAAX received the World’s Best Freestyle Resort award. The destination offers extensive freestyle park infrastructure, indoor training facilities and an established community of riders. Its facilities support specialist skiing and snowboarding activities, alongside the wider resort’s winter tourism offering.
Meanwhile, LAAX’s rocksresort claimed the World’s Best Green Ski Hotel distinction. The award recognises the property within the programme’s sustainable ski hospitality category. Together, the two distinctions highlight different aspects of LAAX’s tourism offer, from specialist sporting infrastructure to accommodation. The awards also demonstrate the programme’s recognition of sustainability and specialist winter sports within the wider ski industry.
Leading ski travel operators and resort companies recognised
The World Ski Awards 2026 also recognised companies providing specialist travel services and operating ski destinations worldwide. Leo Trippi received the World’s Best Ski Travel Agent award. Meanwhile, Sunweb claimed the World’s Best Ski Tour Operator title, recognising its position within the organised ski holiday market. Canada’s Northern Escape Heli-Skiing secured the World’s Best Heli-Ski Operator distinction.
In the transport category, Japan’s SkyExpress received the World’s Best Ski Transfer Operator award. The programme also recognised companies responsible for managing and developing ski resort infrastructure.
Compagnie des Alpes won World’s Best Ski Resort Group for the fifth consecutive year. Separately, Bergbahn AG Kitzbühel secured the World’s Best Ski Resort Company title. Beyond traditional mountain destinations, Ski Dubai received the World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort distinction.
The award recognises an indoor skiing facility operating outside the conventional alpine resort environment.
World Ski Awards highlights innovation, sustainability and luxury
Sion Rapson, Managing Director of World Ski Awards, commented on the achievements of this year’s winners. He said: “We are excited to reveal the very best ski organisations of 2026 – the resorts, chalets, hotels, agents and travel providers that are helping to define the next chapter in the global ski sector. Winning a World Ski Award represents reaching the summit in our industry and is testament to the ambition and tireless hard work that goes into making it to the top. This year’s winners demonstrate the dynamic nature of our industry, showcasing a finely crafted blend of sustainability, innovation and luxury.”
The 2026 programme covers several segments of the international ski tourism industry, including accommodation, transport, travel distribution and resort operations.
Its award categories also reflect growing attention to specialist skiing experiences, luxury hospitality and environmental considerations. However, the results come from votes by industry professionals and consumers rather than a standardised assessment of environmental performance.
World Ski Awards 2026: World Winners
• World’s Best Ski Resort 2026 – Val Thorens, France
• World’s Best Freestyle Resort 2026 – LAAX, Switzerland
• World’s Best Ski Hotel 2026 – W Verbier, Switzerland
• World’s Best New Ski Hotel 2026 – Grand Hotel Belvedere, a Beaumier Hotel, Switzerland
• World’s Best Ski Boutique Hotel 2026 – Pashmina Le Refuge, Val Thorens
• World’s Best Green Ski Hotel 2026 – rocksresort, LAAX, Switzerland
• World’s Best Ski Chalet 2026 – Chalet Zermatt Peak, Switzerland
• World’s Best New Ski Chalet 2026 – Chez Madeleine, Switzerland
• World’s Best Ski Resort Company 2026 – Bergbahn AG Kitzbühel, Austria
• World’s Best Ski Resort Group 2026 – Compagnie des Alpes, France
• World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort 2026 – Ski Dubai, UAE
• World’s Best Ski Tour Operator 2026 – Sunweb
• World’s Best Ski Travel Agent 2026 – Leo Trippi
• World’s Best Heli-Ski Operator 2026 – Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, Canada
• World’s Best Ski Transfer Operator 2026 – SkyExpress
• World’s Best Ski Tour Operator to Austria 2026 – Bramble Ski
• World’s Best Ski Tour Operator to Canada 2026 – Frontier Ski
• World’s Best Ski Tour Operator to France 2026 – TUI
• World’s Best Ski Tour Operator to Italy 2026 – Ski Solutions
• World’s Best Ski Tour Operator to Japan 2026 – Alpine Backcountry Guides
• World’s Best Ski Tour Operator to Switzerland 2026 – Bramble Ski
• World’s Best Ski Tour Operator to United States 2026 – Club Reisen Stumböck
• World’s Best Ski Travel Agent to Austria 2026 – Ski Line
• World’s Best Ski Travel Agent to Canada 2026 – Ski Solutions
• World’s Best Ski Travel Agent to France 2026 – Ski In Luxury
• World’s Best Ski Travel Agent to Italy 2026 – Ski In Luxury
• World’s Best Ski Travel Agent to Japan 2026 – Japan Ski Experience
• World’s Best Ski Travel Agent to Switzerland 2026 – Firefly Collection
• World’s Best Ski Travel Agent to United States 2026 – Oxford Ski Company
What the awards reveal about international winter tourism?
The World Ski Awards 2026 results highlight different business models operating across the global winter tourism sector. Luxury hotels and chalets feature prominently, particularly in established Alpine destinations offering access to extensive ski infrastructure.
Properties such as W Verbier and Chalet Zermatt Peak represent the premium accommodation segment of the industry. Meanwhile, destinations such as LAAX demonstrate the importance of specialist facilities and established sporting communities.
The recognition of Ski Dubai also highlights indoor skiing as another segment of the wider winter sports market. For ski resort operators and hospitality businesses, these categories provide examples of different approaches to destination positioning and service development.
Investment in infrastructure, specialist experiences and accommodation quality remains central to the business models represented among the winners. Nevertheless, the awards do not provide direct evidence of visitor growth, profitability or changes in international tourism demand.
For European mountain destinations, the results offer insight into the accommodation concepts and resort services attracting industry recognition. With the conclusion of its 14th edition, World Ski Awards has recognised businesses across several international winter tourism markets. The 2026 winners include established ski resorts, new hospitality developments, specialist tour operators and companies supporting the global ski industry.
Tags: Sion Rapson, World Ski Awards
