Switzerland, October 2016: If only we could put down our electronic gadgets for a day or two, the benefits would be manifold. Research proves we become more peaceful, breathe more deeply and slow down when we're prised away from our precious phone. Not just that, we are more present, having deeper, more connected conversations with friends and family, and become more reflective, finding solutions for problems when we go for a walk, say, rather than staying glued to our social media channels. But it's easier said than done, which is why Grand Hotel Kronenhof (www.kronenhof.com) is helping to make it happen on holiday.

Book onto one of its new Digital Detox weekends and all of your electronic devices will be taken from you at check-in to be stored in the hotel's main safe, well away from temptation. The Kronenhof then has a relaxing but well planned schedule to keep guests busy enough that they will hardly have time to miss their phones, tablets and/or laptops.

One morning will be spent learning ski yoga up on the slopes, followed by an afternoon of a detox bath, a 50-minute massage and a Pilates class in the Kronenhof Spa studio. The second day will start with an early (7:30am) sunrise hike, breakfast and a leisurely morning in the Spa (reading an old-fashioned book perhaps), with an energy-inducing massage to look forward to in the afternoon. The hotel's Vitality Menu (a light alternative with a strong vegetarian element) is on offer at the Grand Restaurant for the first two evenings, but gourmet treats await at Restaurant Kronenstübli on the third and final night.

The package is only bookable on certain weekends during the winter season: 8 to 11 December 2016, 15 to 18 December 2016, 12 to 15 January 2017 and 16 to 19 March 2017. Prices start from CHF1455 per person sharing a double room and include half-board, plus all the activities and spa treatments mentioned previously. To book, visit www.kronenhof.com.

You can rest assured that 72 hours not looking at any blue light will help to de-frazzle the brain and leave you feeling less anxious, more connected and completely recharged.

Ends

Notes for editors

Grand Hotel Kronenhof, located in Pontresina, four miles from St. Moritz, offers the best of both worlds: the chance to enjoy the glitz of St. Moritz, while staying in a peaceful mountain village. 

Grand Hotel Kronenhof has a rich and interesting history, having first opened its doors in the first half of the 19th century as a guesthouse. However, the main part of the current building, which is a registered historical landmark, was built at the very end of the 19th century in Neo-Baroque style. The latest addition, completed in November 2007 and costing CHF 35 million (approximately £24 million), consists of 28 new guest rooms and a stunning spa complex covering more than 2000 square metres.

The spa is certainly one of the hotel's highlights and has been named “the best Alpine spa” (according to Tyler Brule writing in the FT, November 2009). Facilities include a 20m indoor infinity pool with counter-current system, a flotation pool with underwater music, a wide range of saunas and steam rooms, a luxurious private suite for couples to enjoy wraps and massages together, and – for the perfect final touch – a crackling log fire in the relaxation room.

Gourmet cuisine is also a specialty at the Grand Hotel Kronenhof. Awarded the title of GaultMillau Hotel of the Year in 2009, it has three restaurants (the formal Grand Restaurant in an elegant Neo-Baroque vaulted room, Gourmet Restaurant Kronenstübli serving Italian-Mediterranean cuisine with 16 GaultMillau points and the informal Le Pavillon for light lunches). In addition, the hotel features a 19th-century original bowling alley where Swiss raclette is served. In 2016, Adriana Novotná of the Gourmet Restaurant Kronenstübli  was named “Sommelier of the year 2017” by GaultMillau.

Finally, Grand Hotel Kronenhof is renowned for its extensive children's activities and facilities (a kids' playroom and Rondelle, a restaurant just for younger members of the family).

Grand Hotel Kronenhof was the Top Luxury Hotel in Switzerland in the 2016 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice® awards and placed sixth in the top hotels for service category; in 2014, it was named the Top Hotel in Switzerland, Europe and the World in the same awards. This year, Bilanz Hotel-Rating 2016 named Nadine Böning Soares “Spa Manager of the year” and ranked the Kronenhof 15th out of the 50 best holiday hotels in Switzerland. In 2015, the hotel won the title of World Luxury Ski Resort and Europe's Luxury Family Hotel, as well as a place in a list of the top 35 best holiday hotels in Switzerland compiled by renowned Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung, was named the best five-star hotel in Pontresina for wellness, active holidays and luxury travel by HolidayCheck and was named one of the top ten “Luxury Hotels” at the 2015 Switzerland Tourism PRIX BIENVENU awards; it also entered the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame for excellence in hospitality for consistently achieving great traveller reviews on TripAdvisor. In 2014, Grand Hotel Kronenhof also won the Switzerland Tourism PRIX BIENVENU award as the most welcoming luxury hotel in Switzerland in 2014.

Both the Grand Hotel Kronenhof and its sister property Kulm Hotel St. Moritz are owned by the Niarchos family.

For more information, please contact:
Sue Heady
Heady Communications
T: 01608 651 692 / 078 5595 0705
E: sue@headycommunications.com