WFH made second homes a must-have Covid-19 escape – now luxury ski resorts in France, Switzerland and US are becoming health and wellness mountain retreats all year round
Buyers in idyllic alpine spots like Verbier, Courchevel, Val-d’Isère and Aspen want a more permanent base post-pandemic to max out the benefits of the ski lifestyle
“The Alps offer freedom, space, fresh air, nature, exercise, adventures with family and friends, escapism – all the things lockdown did not provide,” said Kate Everett-Allen, partner, International Residential Research, Knight Frank. “This chimes with a key theme in our “2020 Wealth Report”, that of wellness and well-being. According to the report’s attitudes survey, 80 per cent of respondents said clients were dedicating more of their time to personal wellness and fitness, a theme that has become more important since the pandemic.”
This focus on wellness, combined with the fact that alpine locations in Knight Frank’s report (France, Switzerland and the United States) offer some of the best health care facilities worldwide and fast broadband speeds, “means we are seeing the birth of a new trend – the blurring of the lines between primary and secondary residences”, said Everett-Allen.
“Across all our ski markets, the last six months have seen second homes reclassified as ‘semi-permanent’, and with this comes higher expectations. Whether a home office, outdoor space, faster broadband, a cinema room or smart technology – these homes now need to have as high a specification as the owner’s primary residence.”
Russell Collins, head of Real Estate at Andermatt Swiss Alps, a Switzerland-based real estate development company, said the trend has benefited Andermatt, a year-round alpine destination where foreigners can buy property without any restrictions. “Buyers are opting for the relative safe haven from the pandemic and are drawn by the appealing prospect of spending extended periods in the Alps, particularly in light of the shift to remote working,” he said.