This winter season, the Kulm Hotel St Moritz (www.kulm.com), the resort of St Moritz and Switzerland as a country are celebrating 150 years of winter tourism – and the Kulm Hotel is set to take centre stage as it played such a key role in its development.

It was just over 150 years ago, in September 1864, that the then owner of the Kulm Hotel St Moritz, Johannes Badrutt, made a bold bet: he promised the last departing summer guests, who were British, a free stay from December to the following spring, if their winter holiday in St Moritz was not as sunny and as pleasant as it had been over the summer. Tanned and full of enthusiasm, the guests returned to England the following spring (1865) and spread the word about their fantastic mountain winter at (what was then called) the Hotel Engadiner Kulm in St Moritz.

Previously, St. Moritz had only been a popular summer holiday destination: a place to which people, mainly British who comprised about 75% of the guests, flocked for relaxing spa, gentle walking and inspirational painting holidays. Badrutt, however, could see the potential to extend the holiday season through the winter and this he did with his wager, laying the foundations for the creation of Alpine winter tourism. The Brits returned year after year and soon found ways to entertain themselves in the snow: sledding from the Kulm Hotel onto the frozen Lake St Moritz (leading to the creation of the world-famous Cresta Run) and sliding down the mountain slopes on planks (the birth of downhill skiing).

This press trip will give you a taste of those first winter holidays, as it revolves around the Kulm Hotel St Moritz's “150 years of winter tourism” package that includes an atmospheric candle-lit gourmet dinner in the wood-panelled Stüva (the former living room and office of Johannes Badrutt that remains today very much as it was in his day), a behind the scenes tour of the property to visit all the historic parts, a traditional horse-drawn sleigh ride through the winter landscape and the chance for one journalist to sleep in the bedroom once used by Mr and Mrs Badrutt.

In addition, there'll be a chance to enjoy some of the events that St Moritz has planned to mark the 15o years of winter tourism.  On the first weekend in December, there will be a fashion show organised by Bogner, a light show created by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter and German pop superstar Xavier Naidoo (www.xaviernaidoo.de) will play a concert right in the heart of the resort. You'll also get a chance to witness the annual City Race, when competitors ski through the streets of St Moritz, in homage to the first snowsports, when the original winter guests amused themselves by sledding and sliding down the village's snowy slopes.

The press trip takes place from Friday 5th to Monday 8th December – the client is looking for coverage within the winter season, as the 150 years of winter tourism package, will only be available till the end of the 2014/15 season, which ends on 5 April. Therefore, journalists with commissions from daily, weekly and online (websites/enewsletters) outlets, with a high-end readership, will all be considered.

If you would like to join the trip, please contact me, in the first instance, by Friday 14th November.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Heady

Heady Communications

T: 01608 651 692

E: sue@headycommunications.com