Switzerland, June 2015: Three top chefs with a total of 44 GaultMillau points between them will be cooking up a storm in the Alps this summer. The executive chefs from the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz (Hans Nussbaumer), Grand Hotel Kronenhof (Fabrizio Piantanida) and Panorama restaurant (Erwin Koch) will create a four-course meal at 3,057 metres above sea level atop Piz Nair – the highest point in the St. Moritz region.

The “Gourmet Summit” lunch will be served up from 12 noon on 1, 2, 15 and 16 August, giving guests the opportunity to work up an appetite on the challenging 9.5km walk from the resort at 1856m to Piz Nair at 3,057m, which takes between four and five hours to complete. Alternatively, guests can take a mountain bike up in the cable car and then gently roll back down the hill on the dedicated bike route in the afternoon. Or, for the easiest option, take the cable car up and down.

Whichever method guests choose, it's going to be worth it for the stunning panoramic views, not to mention the Engadine food with Mediterranean influences that the chefs are preparing (four courses will be served, with two options per course) and the unique opportunity to sample 44 GaultMillau points in one sitting!

To mark the occasion, both the Kulm Hotel (www.kulm.com) and Grand Hotel Kronenhof, Pontresina (www.kronenhof.com) have put together a package so that guests can make the most of this exciting culinary experience.

The Kulm Hotel's “Gourmet Summit” package includes two nights on a half-board basis, the special lunch on Piz Nair, a 50-minute Kulm Signature massage, a railway pass offering unlimited use of the mountain railways, free wifi, complimentary use of the hotel's electric bikes, free green fees on the Kulm Golf St. Moritz course, free use of the tennis courts and complimentary access to the Kulm Spa St. Moritz. Rates start from CHF670 (approx £475) per person for two nights, sharing a double room.

To book, please call +41(0)81 836 8236, email reservations@kulm.com or book online at www.kulm.com.

Grand Hotel Kronenhof's “Gourmet Summit” package includes two nights on a half-board basis, the special lunch on Piz Nair, a 50-minute Kronenhof energy massage, a railway pass offering unlimited use of the mountain railways, free wifi, complimentary use of the hotel's electric bikes, free green fees on the Kulm Golf St. Moritz course, free use of the Kulm tennis courts and complimentary access to the Kronenhof Spa. Rates start from CHF630 (approx £450) per person for two nights, sharing a double room.

To book, please call +41(0)81 830 3030, email reservations@kronenhof.com or book online at www.kronenhof.com.

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 NOTES TO EDITORS

Kulm Hotel St. Moritz (www.kulm.com) was the first hotel to be built in St. Moritz. The Kulm Hotel opened its doors in 1856 and immediately became popular for summer spa and painting holidays, particularly among the British who comprised around 75% of the hotel guests. The owner of the Kulm Hotel, Johannes Badrutt, initiated winter holidays to St. Moritz from 1864 and, as a result, the hotel, resort and Switzerland itself celebrates 150 years of winter tourism in the 2014/15 season.

Since the 19th century, the Kulm Hotel has changed considerably through expansion and renovation, but the fabulous location at the heart of St. Moritz with views over the Lake remains the same. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, Kulm Hotel St. Moritz has 172 rooms, five restaurants (offering formal dining, French fine dining – the Gourmet-Restaurant the K awarded 16 points by GaultMillau, Italian, local Engadine specialities and Japanese with 13 GaultMillau points), the extensive  Kulm Spa St. Moritz (with a 20 m indoor pool with underwater music, various saunas and steam room, a Jacuzzi, a fully-equipped gym and treatment rooms, all with stunning views over Lake St. Moritz) and six conference rooms, with capacities ranging from 50 to 500 people.

Entertainment and sports facilities include the 9-hole Kulm Golf Course St. Moritz, three tennis courts, a natural ice rink, a curling field and the Marmotta Kids' Club. The Kulm Hotel St. Moritz is inextricably linked to the Cresta Run, which was built within the hotel's grounds in 1891. To this day, tobogganing pilots congregate in the Kulm's Sunny Bar, which is Switzerland's oldest sports bar; the walls of the bar are lined with trophies and images of famous people who have hurled themselves down the infamous ice track.

Recent awards for the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz include being crowned Switzerland's Top Hotel in the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice® awards, being named the best five-star hotel in St. Moritz for wellness, active holidays and luxury travel by HolidayCheck, coming in the top ten “Friendliest Luxury Hotel” category at the Switzerland Tourism PRIX BIENVENU awards, entering the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame for excellence in hospitality for consistently achieving great traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, being named 5th best hotel in Switzerland by SonntagsZeitung's hotel critic Karl Wild and winning 16 GaultMillau points for the hotel's gourmet restaurant the K – all in 2015. In 2014, the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz was included in a list of the top ten best holiday hotels in Switzerland compiled by renowned Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung and the top ten most welcoming luxury hotels in the country list put together by Switzerland Tourism.

Grand Hotel Kronenhof (www.kronenhof.com), located in Pontresina, six 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 and the informal Le Pavillon for light lunches). In addition, the hotel features a 19th-century original bowling alley where Swiss raclette is served.

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 third Top Hotel in Switzerland in the 2015 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice® awards, having been named the Top Hotel in Switzerland, Europe and the World, the second most Romantic hotel in Switzerland and the fifth best Luxury hotel in Europe in 2014. Also in 2015, the hotel won 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, as well as entering 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 further information and/or images, please contact:
Sue Heady

Heady Communications
Tel: +44 (0)1608 651 692 or +44 (0)78 5595 0705

Email: sue@headycommunications.com