Hotel Waldhuus Davos

A chalet hotel in Davos that publishes its wedding terms

Hotel Waldhuus Davos is a four-star superior chalet-style hotel at Mattastrasse 58 in Davos Platz, with 108 rooms and suites. The address block and the copyright line name Davos Klosters Bergbahnen AG, and the hotel appears on the Davos Klosters Mountains site alongside its mountains, hotels, resorts and apartments. The hotel sits right next to the 18-hole Davos golf course and the cross-country ski trail network, and runs a shuttle bus to the local ski areas.

Its wedding page, "Heiraten in den Bündner Bergen" (getting married in the Graubünden mountains), is especially useful to a couple from abroad, because the FAQ answers the practical questions with figures: capacity, room rates, menu prices, corkage, childcare, party hours, staff surcharges and payment. The page also offers a gift: "eine liebevoll dekorierte und von uns offerierte Suite für die Hochzeitsnacht inklusive einer Flasche Champagner" (a lovingly decorated suite for the wedding night, offered by the hotel, with a bottle of champagne).

The room and what is included

The hotel describes its event rooms as modern chalet-style spaces with a large window front and direct access to the terrace. The hall seats 120 people at round tables or long tables. Room hire for a wedding is free, including use of a projector and screen, and the same room can be used for breakfast the next morning.

The page lists the rest of the package in short points: a varied menu with regional specialties, the option of combining a served menu with a buffet, planning and organizing support with a named contact person, and a reservation service so guests can book their rooms directly at the hotel. Tables, tablecloths, napkins and tableware come free of charge; for flowers and decoration, the hotel shares its experience of suppliers rather than providing them itself. A wedding brochure with pictures of the rooms, menu information and decoration ideas can be downloaded.

The ceremony

The hotel's seminar room can be hired for a free ceremony ("freie Trauung"), meaning a symbolic ceremony with a celebrant rather than the civil registry. For an outdoor ceremony, the hotel recommends "die wunderschöne Davoser Bergwelt mit seinen Seitentälern" (the beautiful Davos mountains and their side valleys), so an outdoor ceremony happens somewhere in the landscape, not on the hotel grounds. The intro sets the scene: exchanging vows in front of a mountain backdrop, then the wedding meal in the hotel, with sleigh rides in winter or a terrace party among summer flowers.

The numbers the hotel publishes

Guest rooms. Because of capacity, the hotel only hosts weddings when a large share of the guests stay in the house: at least 20 to 25 rooms must be booked, depending on the size of the wedding. The indicative rates for a double room are CHF 225 per night in summer and CHF 300 per night in winter, and the hotel stresses that prices vary with date and season. Early check-in before 15:00 cannot be guaranteed, but guests whose room is not ready may change in the wellness area and park in the garage.

Menu. A 3-course menu starts at CHF 85, a 4-course menu at CHF 105 and a 5-course menu at CHF 115. The meal can be served, set out as a buffet, or a mix of both.

Drinks. The hotel sends its wine and drinks list on request. Couples may bring their own wine, with corkage of CHF 35 for a 7.5 dl bottle, CHF 70 for a 15 dl magnum and CHF 140 for a 30 dl double magnum.

Children. The hotel calls itself a family hotel. Children aged 3 to 10 can have individual care including dinner until 22:00 at CHF 35 per child, with a children's menu and drinks, and Globi, the Swiss children's character, can visit for a flat CHF 100 for 1 hour. The hotel also runs a Globi Kids Club.

The party. The celebration can go on in the hall until 04.00, with a limit of 85 decibels out of consideration for hotel guests and neighbors, and the bass has to be adjusted on staff instruction. Fog machines, sparklers and cigarettes of any kind are not allowed. Each staff member on duty is charged at CHF 50 per started hour from 01.00 to 03.00 and CHF 100 per hour from 03.00, and clearing up takes about an hour on average.

Payment. No advance payment is required, only a credit card as a guarantee, and the full amount can be paid up to 10 days after the wedding. A buyout of the hotel does require payment in advance.

Seasons

The hotel runs seasonally, so weddings are possible in March, April, June, July, August, September and October, subject to change. The English site notes an off-season closure from April 12 to June 18, reopening on June 19. A couple eyeing a late April or early June date should check exactly which days are open.

The rest of the hotel

The English overview lists the Waldhuus restaurant, where dinner is the "Capricorn Menu", the Matta Bar with an open fireplace for the aperitif, a spa with an indoor pool and massages, five seminar rooms, a 24-hour reception, large balconies with mountain views, and a garage with parking and electric chargers for a surcharge. In family rooms, two children up to 16 stay free with their parents. In winter guests have cross-country tours, winter hikes and skiing on the doorstep; in summer, golf and hiking.

Language and contact

The wedding page and its FAQ are in German; the hotel's general pages are also in English. The reception answers around the clock on +41 (0) 81 417 93 33 and at waldhuus@mountain-resort.ch, and there is a contact form for wedding enquiries. The site does not say whether the wedding contact person works in English.

What the page does not say

It gives no directions or travel times from an airport or the station, although the site has an arrival page. It does not describe the terrace capacity, whether the aperitif can be held outside, or what happens if a larger wedding needs more than 120 seats. It does not say whether a civil ceremony can be arranged nearby.

Who it suits

Hotel Waldhuus suits a couple planning a wedding for up to 120 guests who want most of them to stay in one hotel, and who like to budget with real figures: free room hire, published menu prices, corkage, childcare and night surcharges. Families with children are unusually well looked after.

It suits less well a very small wedding, since 20 to 25 rooms is the minimum, or a couple wanting a ceremony on the hotel grounds, which the page does not offer.