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Nestled deep in Switzerland’s Graubünden Alps, the 7132 Hotel emerges each winter like a minimalist chalet of stone and glass, glowing warmly against the snow-dusted peaks. In the lobby, amber lamplight falls on honeyed oak walls, while broad windows frame a panorama of moonlit pines and glacier fields. One traveler even likened stepping out of a chauffeured limousine at 7132’s sleek, low-lit entrance to a scene from a James Bond movie. Vals itself, a hamlet of under a thousand souls built around a famed thermal spring, is a quiet retreat in winter, and the hush of fresh snow outside only heightens the hotel’s hushed sophistication.Nestled deep in Switzerland’s Graubünden Alps, the 7132 Hotel emerges each winter like a minimalist chalet of stone and glass, glowing warmly against the snow-dusted peaks. In the lobby, amber lamplight falls on honeyed oak walls, while broad windows frame a panorama of moonlit pines and glacier fields. One traveler even likened stepping out of a chauffeured limousine at 7132’s sleek, low-lit entrance to a scene from a James Bond movie. Vals itself, a hamlet of under a thousand souls built around a famed thermal spring, is a quiet retreat in winter, and the hush of fresh snow outside only heightens the hotel’s hushed sophistication.
7132’s very bones are haute architecture. Switzerland Tourism calls the hotel
“top-level architecture and gastronomy,”
noting that Zumthor’s famed thermal baths are part of the complex. Indeed, the adjacent Therme Vals, designed by Pritzker laureate Peter Zumthor, is carved entirely from 60,000 slabs of local Valser quartzite. This underground spa, now a protected monument, feels like emerging from a crystal cavern: muted concrete vaults spill mineral-rich 30 °C spring water into dim pools and a glowing outdoor bath. Guests can float amid drifting petals or watch snowfall through floor-to-ceiling windows, the ultimate meeting of brutalist minimalism and Alpine serenity.
7132’s guest rooms continue this celebration of design. The hotel even built a special House of Architects with 73 ultra-intimate suites, each just 20 m². Four Pritzker Prize, winning architects were given free rein: Zumthor, Japanese masters Tadao Ando and Kengo Kuma, and New Yorker Thom Mayne. Each brought a distinct sensibility. Ando’s 18 rooms pay homage to the Japanese tea house, stark concrete softened by subtle timber and light, radiating a soothing tranquility with views framed like living paintings. Kuma created 23 oak-lined cocoon suites inspired by traditional Japanese carpentry; these snug retreats seem to embrace you with their warm oak paneling, and even include three glazed Penthouse suites with private dining. In Mayne’s 22 rooms, panels of local timber or dark quartzite enclose a sculptural shower column at the center of each suite. Zumthor himself contributed ten rooms paneled with hand-troweled stucco lustro in deep reds, blacks and golds, with silk-habotai curtains lending Renaissance warmth. Throughout, the effect is unified: all guest rooms use Valser stone and natural woods so that the line between interior and mountain panorama blurs.
The village of Vals reinforces the hotel’s serenity. Perched at 1,250 m amid silent peaks, the Walser community lives much as it has for centuries. Traditional houses still wear thick quartzite-flagstone roofs and wood facades, hardy against wind and frost. The region boasts a rich tapestry of history, traditions, customs, and distinctive architecture, with folk museums and annual festivals celebrating local crafts. One can stroll from 7132 into Vals’s sloping village square, perhaps pausing to admire a barn or chapel roofed in the same Valser stone used on Zumthor’s spa, and feel the continuity of place. In winter, a hush falls on the narrow streets, broken only by sleigh bells or snow crunching underfoot. This cultural backdrop gives 7132 even more cachet: it feels like a private palace in a secret alpine village, where a single lift from the hotel can deposit you back into timeless Swiss tradition.
Gastronomy at 7132 is equally refined. The jewel in its crown is 7132 Silver, a 2-Michelin-starred restaurant that has become famous in its own right. Chef Marcel Koolen’s young team treats the Alps as a pantry: in summer and fall they forage chanterelles, wild herbs and berries from the forests around Vals, then pair them with exotic ingredients on plate.
The hotel explains that at Silver
“things that seem incompatible at first glance playfully interact”,
dishes are staged with the freshest local components alongside rare imports. The result is playful haute cuisine: think asparagus from Graubünden with Japanese dashi, or birch-scented sorbet from spruce tips. For really special occasions, 7132 will even land a helicopter on a nearby glacier for an 8-course dinner at Silver by candlelight, Louis Roederer Cristal in hand, of course.
Just below Silver is 7132 Red, a statelier Alpine grill and classic-dining venue. Here Chef Matthias Schmidberger serves timeless classics using only the best ingredients. Fresh alpine trout or branzino from regional lakes appear alongside roasts and gilded Crêpes Suzette flambéed at the table. The emphasis is on authenticity: diners frequently mention the buttery Valser rye bread, homemade jams and local cheeses served at breakfast. A rich Alpine breakfast designed to ground you in place. In short, 7132’s dining is both innovative and rooted: two Michelin stars for Silver, 15 Gault-Millau points for Red, and a warm après-ski-bar (Blue Bar) where jazz and cocktails lend a snug counterpoint to the high cuisine. Every sip and bite here tastes of the season and the setting, reinforcing the hotel’s ethos of refined, purposeful luxury.
In the roaring Alps, 7132 stands apart for its quiet confidence. Every detail, from the austere stone facades to the sumptuous featherbeds, from hushed corridors to crackling fireplaces, is imbued with a restrained elegance. In its winter incarnation, 7132 feels like a meditation on snow itself: minimalistic, yet singularly rich in texture and experience. Here, winter luxury is not about ostentation but about harmony, with nature, with art, and with oneself. To sip Champagne beneath the Alps’ midnight sky, to dine by candlelight on a frozen peak, or to float in 32°C pools while the world sleeps, these are the moments CINCH invites the world to remember. In Vals, far from crowds, 7132 Hotel proves that true luxury is as serene and enduring as the silent snowfall on the craggy horizon.
© All imagery courtesy of 7132 Hotel
