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SnowTrex Award 2026: The season’s most popular ski resorts and accommodation
In 2026, for the thirteenth time, Germany’s leading winter tour operator, SnowTrex, will be honouring the most popular ski resorts and accommodation in the Alps with the prestigious SnowTrex Award. Following the conclusion of the past winter, 72 first-class accommodation providers and 66 top European ski resorts can look forward to receiving this coveted award, which is awarded entirely based on genuine reviews from SnowTrex customers. All winners of the SnowTrex Award 2026, which have been honoured with the gold seal ‘Best Place to Ski’ or ‘Top Hotel’, can now be viewed online.
Strong booking interest at the start of the 2025/26 winter, combined with excellent snow conditions in the spring, laid the foundations for a successful season characterised by consistently high demand. Thanks to this undiminished enthusiasm for travel, TravelTrex GmbH welcomed a total of over 102,000 travellers holidaymakers in the past financial year.
The opinions of other winter sports enthusiasts remain a key factor in booking decisions. This trend has become increasingly established recently. SnowTrex has therefore been continuously analysing this detailed feedback since 2013 to transparently identify the best ski resorts and accommodation for the season. This year, 66 ski resorts and 72 accommodation providers across five Alpine nations have been awarded the ‘Best Place to Ski’ and ‘Top Hotel’ quality seals based on customer reviews.
Alpine trio: Austria, Italy and France dominate as top destinations
Among the award winners are not only well-known favourites but also several ski destinations that have managed to win the hearts of winter sports enthusiasts for the first time this year. In the SnowTrex customers’ ranking of favourites, Austria has once again impressively reaffirmed its dominance as the most popular ski holiday destination in Europe overall. In the 2025/26 season, the slopes of the Zillertal Arena, the Hochkönig and the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser were among the top destinations, closely followed by Sölden in the Ötztal valley and the two newcomers, Goldeck Sportberg in Millstatt (Carinthia) and St. Johann in Tirol/Oberndorf.
Equally popular were the ski resorts in Austria’s southern neighbour, Italy. There, Kronplatz, the Val Gardena/Alpe di Siusi ski area and the regions of Livigno and Sulden am Ortler once again received top marks. In France, alongside the well-known ski destinations of Les 3 Vallées, Les 2 Alpes and Val Cenis Vanoise – each boasting several hundred kilometres of slopes – the Le Grand Domaine ski resort also impressed. In addition, the Swiss ski resorts in Arosa-Lenzerheide, at Parsenn (Davos Klosters), in Flims-Laax-Falera and in the glamorous Zermatt, near the legendary Matterhorn, proved popular as booking options with SnowTrex. Meanwhile, in Germany, one of the country’s best-known ski resorts, Garmisch-Classic – Zugspitze, was delighted to receive another award.
Top-class accommodation blending tradition and modernity
In Austria, the Hotel Blü – bin so frei in Bad Hofgastein and the rustic yet modern Wildkogelhaus mountain hut in Neukirchen am Großvenediger, among others, once again received top ratings for their accommodation, whilst the Klawunn Hotel & Apartment in Kaprun stood out as a new entry. In Italy, for example, the Dolomites Hotel Union in Dobbiaco, the Hotel Wieser in Vipiteno and Der Brunnerhof, as well as the Hotel Jonathan in Mühlbach in the Puster Valley – the latter a newcomer – secured a SnowTrex Award thanks to their excellent wellness offerings.
The same applies in France to the residences L’Orée des Pistes in Saint-Sorlin and Les Hauts de Valmeinier, which scored highly thanks to their first-class location right by the slopes. To the east of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, the Hotel Bären in Interlaken and the SWISSPEAK Resorts in Vercorin also received top marks, whilst in the German Alps, the Alpenhotel Beslhof in Ramsau thoroughly impressed its guests.
How the SnowTrex Awards are awarded
When awarding the prize, the focus is on the factors that are decisive for holidaymakers when making a booking. These include key criteria such as cleanliness on site, the standard of the food and the suitability of the respective ski region for beginners. As a tour operator, SnowTrex collects this data via standardised online questionnaires, which are sent to customers immediately after their holiday ends. This enables future customers to receive reliable guidance.
The final award selection is then based on mathematically precise minimum thresholds for customer satisfaction and recommendation rates. To receive the coveted seal of approval, SnowTrex accommodation providers must achieve a recommendation rate of at least 80 percent, whilst ski resorts must achieve a rating of at least 8 out of 10 points.