Hôtel des Horlogers - Vallée de Joux 

Designed in harmony with nature

Designed in harmony with nature, the Hôtel des Horlogers in the Vallée de Joux blends gently into its surroundings. The vista that opens up from the hotel's rooms is idyllic, with sweeping views over the river Orbe, its plain and the Risoud forest. On a site that nestles amid the countryside of the Swiss Jura, the celebrated Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) architectural practice has created a distinctive and sophisticated building with 50 bedrooms: it not only constitutes a masterpiece of technical design, but is also structured according to the Minergie concept, and it carries the MINERGIE ECO certification. Exemplary energy efficiency and eco-friendly construction ensure that environmental pollution is minimised and natural resources are conserved – making the Hôtel des Horlogers a pioneer of sustainability. The hotel's interior design was also created by AUM in homage to the surrounding landscape.

The hotel can rely on energy produced in-house from 86 photovoltaic panels. All communication is paperless – items such as menus and registration forms at check-in are digitalised. Regional fare is the order of the day in the restaurant, presided over by French chef de cuisine Emmanuel Renaut (who has been honoured with three Michelin stars). The hotel's own garden grows vegetables, fruit and aromatic plants which are then put to use both in the kitchen and the spa. All products used in the wellness zone come from Switzerland. The plants and flowers used there originate from the Vallée de Joux and the canton of Valais.

The Hôtel des Horlogers has also set itself the goal of eliminating plastic from everyday life. Biodegradable materials are used for disposable items: examples include the refillable containers in the bathrooms, pencils made from thyme seeds (grown in the hotel's garden), wooden combs, and drinking straws made from corn starch. A bottling system for spring water from the valley should help to reduce the ecological footprint. This eliminates the need to transport tons of glass bottles throughout the year, thus reducing CO2 emissions. Local and neighbourhood suppliers are preferred at every level. For each bottle of water sold, moreover, the hotel donates 20 cents to the Jura Vaudois Nature Park, with which the hotel maintains a partnership.