Had Sion been designated to host the Olympic Games, the Hotel Alpina and Savoy would have been high priority for housing of Olympic officials and spectators alike.
Family-owned and operated hotels in Europe generally have qualities of properness and elegance, and the Hotel Alpina and Savoy in Crans-Montana is very much a European family-operated hotel.
At 63 years old, and master of the property for 26 years, Jean Mudry meticulously continues the tradition.
Mudry had mixed feelings about the Olympics.
“I think it would have been interesting for us to have the Olympics,” Mudry said. “It especially would have been good for the promotion of our region. I was sorry when we didn’t get them.”
But there was another side of the issue for Mudry.
“But I didn’t take the loss of the Olympics too badly,” he said. “We would have lost one season for all of our regular guests who come here year after year. If we could not take them, they say ‘He doesn’t want me,’ and they get used to going somewhere else.”
But having the Olympics might also have slowed a trend that is diminishing hotel rooms in the area and reducing space for visitors.
“The need for hotel space for the Olympics would have allowed us to keep our hotels,” said Jorg Romang, an official in the Montana tourist office. “We have lost many hotel rooms because they have been turned into condominiums or apartments. Eventually we may have to build more hotels.”
Family-run, family feel
Mudry’s attention is focused on maintaining the exquisite quality and elegance that have become trademarks of his property. He quips that if the Olympics ever do come to Sion, he won’t still be on duty. But he faithfully fulfills the duty of making his guests feel as if they have become part of his family. His touch is everywhere, whether he’s at the front desk, circulating among guests on the outdoor patio at lunchtime, or stopping for conversation at every table in the main dining room.
The Alpina and Savoy’s kitchen is well known throughout the area, and needless to say, Mudry’s staff only complements the effect.
“People come here because they like the area, like the scenery and like the sun,” Mudry said. “They buy apartments or condominiums for summer or vacation homes.”
Mudry estimated that his hotel does two-thirds of its business during the winter months for skiing and one-third in the summer when guests arrive to relax in the sun and the clean mountain air. His clientele includes only a few Americans each year.
“The Americans go to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn,” Mudry said. “I’m sure that’s nice for them, but we offer something else.”
The Alpina and Savoy is located on high ground above Route du Rawyl, the main road connecting Crans and Montana. A lane that rises gently up from the main road takes visitors right to the front door. The location is ideal and within easy walking distance of the center of Crans and the Ballesteros and Nicklaus golf courses, Lake Grenon and the village of Montana. It’s also just a few steps to a station that leads to a spectacular gondola ski lift ride that takes passengers high above the two villages below. Or for a different view, hire Mudry, a commercial pilot, for a bird’s-eye view of the panorama that surrounds Sion and all of the Valais Valley. Whether on the gondola ride, walking the shores of Lake Grenon or exploring the golf courses, don’t leave the camera in the room.
