The energy crisis is about to make your Swiss ski holiday more expensive

© Keystone / Urs Flueeler

Swiss hotels and holiday apartments are raising their prices by around 5% this winter, largely due to higher energy prices. Ski passes are also likely to go up by a similar amount, a newspaper reports.

According to a survey by the Hotelleriesuisse association, seenExternal link by NZZ am Sonntag, most Swiss hotels are planning to pass on the higher costs of electricity, gas and oil to their guests.

Three-quarters of all hotels expect to raise prices this winter compared to the previous year, the survey showed. On average, a Swiss hotel room will be 5% more expensive. But one in ten hotels that took part in the survey wants to increase prices by over 10%.

The main reason for the price increases are the higher energy prices but additional staff costs are also a factor. There is currently an acute shortage of skilled hotel workers and competition for employees is resulting in higher wages, NZZ writes. Food has also become more expensive for hotels.

The prices of Swiss holiday apartments also look set to increase this winter. The online rental firm E-Domizil told NZZ that the price of holiday homes will probably rise by around 4.5% this winter compared to last year. This is a much smaller increase than recent years. Between 2019 and 2022, private holiday home rentals rose by an average of 12% due to high demand during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Swiss Cable Car Association estimates a 3% rise for the cost of lift passes, as ski areas are heavily dependent on energy. “Few [ski resorts] expect an increase of more than 5%,” it told NZZ.

“It could be a very good season, but it could also end catastrophically – especially if Switzerland gets into an energy shortage,” declared Hotellerie-Suisse Director Claude Meier.