A sleek, bustling hotel in the Vaud Alps, Chalet RoyAlp also honors traditional Swiss architecture with its fir walls and intricately carved balconies. The mountain railway adjacent to the chalet offers easy access to the slopes.

Chalet RoyAlp Hôtel & Spa, Villars-sur-Ollon, Vaud, Switzerland. 41/(0) 24-495-9090, royalp.ch. From $533. Photo courtesy of the hotel. This appeared in the November/December 2010 issue. See other timber lodges.