Hotel Waldhaus Sils

A family hotel since 1908

The Waldhaus, the "house in the woods", is the grand hotel of Sils Maria, in the Upper Engadine, about 10 km south-west of St. Moritz. It stands on a wooded rise above the village, with Lake Silvaplana to the east, Lake Sils and Maloja to the west and the entrance to the Val Fex to the south. It was opened on 15 June 1908 by Josef Giger and Amalia Giger-Nigg, who had previously managed grand hotels for others, and it has not changed hands since: today it is run by Claudio and Patrick Dietrich, the fifth generation, without partners or outside managers. The family invests in the building every year, but has decided not to extend it.

It belongs to Swiss Historic Hotels and Historic Hotels of Europe. It is not a new design hotel: it is a period hotel with a lobby, lounges, reading room, smoking room and bar, where many guests have returned every summer since childhood, and where music and culture are programmed through its foundation, created in 2015.

Rooms, spa and children

It has 140 rooms and suites, each different, from practical to luxurious, from historic to modern. As a century ago, rooms can be joined together for families.

The spa covers 1,500 m² over three floors: a 20 m indoor pool, a children's pool, an outdoor jacuzzi, saunas, relaxation baths of Swiss stone pine and larch, hot stones, a relaxation room, a Kneipp circuit and six treatment rooms, also for children and teenagers. If you are not staying there, you can book a day ticket for the pool or spa. Guests have a free gym.

For children there is a supervised club for ages 3 to 12, open until 21:00 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, a children's cinema every day and a weekly party. In summer, the playground and minigolf are free for guests, and there are two outdoor tennis courts and one indoor. In winter, resident children up to 12 ski free. The main restaurant is called GIGERs, after the founders.

Getting there and when it opens

It opens seasonally: it is closed between seasons and returns on 11 December 2026, until 4 April 2027. Without a car, take the train to St. Moritz: the hotel's chauffeur picks you up free if you tell them the time. From Sils start the flat walks along the lakeshore and the climb to the Val Fex.