1 · POSITION
Raymonde Fenestraz gave Les Airelles its founding hospitality concept: an elaborate Alpine hotel conceived as a personal winter residence. Her contribution combined property development, a recognisable setting and international promotion. [3] [8]
2 · THE REGISTERED CONNECTION
The anchor is LHL-015 · Airelles, through the founding Courchevel property. This entry follows Raymonde’s work there and the family enterprise surrounding it.
3 · SAVOYARD ORIGINS
The hospitality trade press identifies her as the daughter of Savoyard farmers. Her career developed within the expanding mountain tourism economy. [5]
4 · LEARNING ABROAD
According to the family history, she travelled to Britain to learn English, working first as an au pair and then as a maid. [1]
5 · EARLY HOTEL EXPERIENCE
That account says she subsequently managed a family hotel before returning to Savoy. It supplies no precise dates for this apprenticeship. [1]
6 · PROPERTY AS A STARTING POINT
Back in Courchevel, she worked in a small estate agency. The family dates her purchase of that business to 1966. [1]
7 · ANDRÉ FENESTRAZ
Her husband André moved from coffee trading into construction. Their combined activities connected property negotiation with building development. [1]
8 · SHARED ENTERPRISE
The 2017 trade profile credits both spouses with the development of luxury chalets and hotels. Raymonde’s individual entry retains that shared authorship. [5]
9 · COURCHEVEL 1850
Luxe Magazine describes the couple’s early commitment to expensive chalet and residential accommodation as a deliberate bet on the resort’s future. [6]
10 · A PORTFOLIO BEFORE AIRELLES
The family history names Hameau de Bellecôte, Chalet de Pierres and Jardin Alpin Residence among their developments. [1]
11 · MÉRIBEL-MOTTARET
The AlpenRuitor extended their activity beyond Courchevel. Luxe Magazine dates its opening to 1978, within the late-1970s chronology given elsewhere. [6]
12 · LA LOZE
Hôtel de La Loze formed another part of the Alpine business. Its smaller domestic character complemented the later theatrical ambition of Les Airelles. [6]
13 · THE EXISTING BUILDING
The Airelles house history describes the transformation of a hotel dating from the 1960s. The luxury house emerged through remaking an existing address. [2]
14 · THE 1988 DECISION
Airelles and Comité Colbert date the conception of the snow-palace project to 1988. This is the clearest documented starting point for the transformation. [2] [3]
15 · OPENING CHRONOLOGY
The official hotel history specifies an opening in 1990. The 2025 Dauphiné report also places Fenestraz’s transformation in that year. ⚑ [2] [8]
16 · THE OLYMPIC SETTING
Airelles links the hotel’s international exposure to the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics and describes its use as an Olympic committee headquarters. [2]
17 · A PERSONAL COMMISSION
Comité Colbert attributes the imagined snow palace directly to Raymonde. This supports credit for the concept and commission. [3]
18 · AUSTRIAN REFERENCES
The same account describes a combination of Austrian inspiration and Savoyard roots. Travel informed the hotel’s decorative imagination. [3]
19 · JARDIN ALPIN
The forest and proximity to skiing were integral to the setting. The house’s fantasy depended on its mountain location. [3]
20 · A DOMESTIC AMBITION
Colbert presents the founding idea as a childhood dream of a chalet. Grandeur and a feeling of belonging were intended to coexist. [3]
21 · AUTHORSHIP THROUGH A BRIEF
Editorially, her contribution can be understood as defining what the hotel should feel like. Commissioning a coherent experience is a distinct form of authorship.
22 · THE INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE
In the 2025 report, long-serving concierge Ludovic Thomas recalls her overseas travel to attract international guests. This is attributed staff testimony. [8]
23 · MARKETING AND PLACE
Her promotional work connected a locally situated hotel to travellers abroad. The evidence supports active destination-building, without establishing a quantified personal impact. [8]
24 · SERVICE MADE VISIBLE
The same retrospective associates the early concept with ski valets, generous buffets, larger rooms and a spa. These elements extended the architectural spectacle into service. [8]
25 · THE GUEST’S PASSAGE
As an editorial reading, the ski valet connects the outdoor sport with the indoor household. Convenience becomes part of the hotel’s identity.
26 · A COMMERCIAL AESTHETIC
Theatrical decoration helped distinguish the address. Its historical imagery should be understood as a hospitality choice, rather than evidence of an ancient palace. [7]
27 · RECOGNITION
Airelles records a Legion of Honour award to Fenestraz in 2004 for promoting Courchevel. This master attributes the award claim to the house history. [2]
28 · THE SALE IN 2007
France.fr records Stéphane Courbit’s purchase of Les Airelles from Fenestraz in 2007. The sale marks the end of her ownership chapter. [4]
29 · A DIFFERENT COLLECTION
The tourism account places the acquired hotel within LOV Hotel Collection. The subsequent group belongs to a later ownership and development history. [4]
30 · THE FAMILY RETAINED OTHER HOUSES
L’Hôtellerie Restauration reports that the Fenestraz family kept La Loze and AlpenRuitor after selling Les Airelles. [5]
31 · TOLLEMER’S INTERVENTION
Christophe Tollemer’s project account dates his refurbishment to 2007. His work is a subsequent design contribution, separately identifiable from Fenestraz’s founding commission. [7]
32 · CONTINUITY AS A DESIGN OBJECTIVE
Tollemer describes modernising the hotel while preserving its established character. His account supports continuity of identity across a substantial renovation. [7]
33 · MATERIALS AND ATMOSPHERE
The designer’s account emphasises textiles, old materials and wooden antiques. These descriptions concern his project and cannot automatically inventory Fenestraz’s original interiors. [7]
34 · A BOUNDARY OF ATTRIBUTION
Original concept, later ownership and later interior design are three different contributions. The entry assigns them separately even where the resulting atmosphere appears continuous.
35 · PALACE DISTINCTION
France.fr dates the official Palace distinction to May 2011, when Les Airelles was among the first eight recipients. This occurred after the sale. [4]
36 · A DISTINCTION AFTER HER TENURE
The later award is relevant to the hotel’s institutional development. It should not be presented as an accolade received under Fenestraz’s ownership. [4]
37 · COLBERT MEMBERSHIP
The house joined Comité Colbert in 2021. Its membership profile continues to identify Raymonde as the originator of the hotel’s concept. [3]
38 · FAMILY SUCCESSION
Raoul Fenestraz and his wife Stéphanie carried the family business into South America. Their projects represent the next generation’s work. [6]
39 · EL COLIBRÍ
Luxe Magazine dates the opening of the Argentine estancia hotel El Colibrí to 2005. Its rural setting offered a different expression of personal hospitality. [6]
40 · DESIGN WITHIN THE FAMILY
The trade profile identifies Stéphanie’s responsibility for decoration and Gauthier’s work on visual identity. Family continuity involved differentiated creative roles. [5]
41 · THE THIRD GENERATION
The same 2017 article records Victoire’s involvement in management, including AlpenRuitor. This is a dated account, not a statement of her current position. [5]
42 · MAISON FENESTRAZ
The family dates the unifying Maison Fenestraz brand to 2016. This later name should not be projected backwards as the original Airelles group. [1]
43 · A FAMILY OF INDIVIDUAL HOUSES
Luxe Magazine stresses the distinct location and character of the family properties. Their common identity was presented through an approach to hosting rather than identical architecture. [6]
44 · AN ENDURING BUT CONTESTED MODEL
The Dauphiné retrospective describes the hotel’s importance to Courchevel’s luxury transformation while also recording criticism of theatrical Alpine styling. Commercial influence did not imply aesthetic consensus. [8]
45 · THE SCALE OF THE CLAIM
The editorial case concerns an influential hotel proposition. The available evidence does not justify making Fenestraz the sole author of Courchevel’s development.
46 · HOSPITALITY PATRONAGE
P9-10 records her role as an initiating proprietor and patron. Her significance rests on the realised hotel and its concept, rather than social prominence.
47 · CONNECTION TO P438
Christophe Tollemer’s separate entry, LHL-P-438, can examine the later interior work. The shared Airelles anchor permits comparison without merging their careers.
48 · WHAT SURVIVES
The strongest evidence of her legacy is the continuing acknowledgement of her founding idea by the hotel, its professional association and later reporting. [2] [3] [8]
49 · SCOPE
This master covers the hospitality contribution, not a complete personal biography. It does not assign undocumented birth dates, ownership percentages or financial returns.
50 · CANDOUR
⚑ Opening accounts conflict: Airelles specifies 1990, while Tollemer’s page gives 1992 and the 2017 trade article places acquisition in 1992. The family narrative also centres on the Olympic period. This master follows the explicit house opening date without treating the discrepancy as resolved. Family recollections and promotional histories require attribution; original acquisition and construction records were not examined. Claims of influence are editorial assessments, and later designs and honours remain separately dated. [1] [2] [5] [7]
## Sources
Signed source titles below are active hyperlinks. Accessed 8 September 2026. Family and house accounts are identified separately from professional and journalistic sources.
1. [Maison Fenestraz · Fenestraz Family History](https://www.maisonfenestraz.com/en/the-family-story/) 2. [Airelles · The Story of Les Airelles](https://airelles.com/en/destination/courchevel-hotel/les-airelles-5-star) 3. [Comité Colbert · Les Airelles Courchevel](https://www.comitecolbert.com/en/members/les-airelles-courchevel/) 4. [France.fr · Five things you never knew about Les Airelles Palace, 15 January 2018; updated 16 December 2023](https://www.france.fr/en/article/five-things-you-never-knew-about-les-airelles-palace/) 5. [L’Hôtellerie Restauration · Maison Fenestraz, cinquante ans d’esprit pionnier de la Savoie à l’Amérique du Sud, 2 January 2017](https://www.lhotellerie-restauration.fr/actualite/maison-fenestraz-cinquante-ans-d-esprit-pionnier-de-la-savoie-a-l-amerique-du-sud) 6. [Luxe Magazine · Maison Fenestraz : 50 ans de créations hôtelières](https://www.luxe-magazine.com/fr/article/8537-maison_fenestraz_50_ans_de_creations_hotelieres.html) 7. [Christophe Tollemer · Les Airelles Hotel](https://www.christophe-tollemer.com/en/realisations/les-airelles-hotel/) 8. [Mon Séjour en Montagne / Le Dauphiné Libéré · Courchevel, temple du luxe : immersion dans le monde féerique des Airelles, 8 January 2025](https://www.mon-sejour-en-montagne.com/histoires-et-anecdotes/courchevel-temple-du-luxe-immersion-dans-le-monde-feerique-des-airelles/)