Swiss VAT: 3.8 percent on accommodation, 8.1 percent on services
The Swiss VAT runs at a reduced rate of 3.8 percent on the accommodation component when invoiced by a registered operator. The full 8.1 percent rate applies to the chef and chalet-host services and to ancillary supplies. On a CHF 280,000 Christmas-Week accommodation headline, the accommodation VAT is CHF 10,640. The chef and chalet-host package supplements (typically CHF 40,000 to CHF 65,000 per week for the eight-bedroom band) carry the 8.1 percent VAT on the service component. The line is itemized on the operator contract. Direct-with-owner rentals on the Engadin family-office structure are technically VAT-exempt but lose the operator deposit protection.
Engadin tourist tax: CHF 4.50 to CHF 6 per adult per night
The Engadin commune tourist tax (Kurtaxe) runs CHF 4.50 to CHF 6 per adult per night on the upper accommodation tier, half-rate for children six to fifteen, free under six. The line funds the Engadin tourist board, the local-bus network, and the panoramic lift discounts. On an eight-bedroom rental housing 14 adults over seven nights, the line is CHF 441 to CHF 588. The Engadin guest card (free PostBus access plus discounts at Diavolezza and Muottas Muragl panoramic lifts) is included with the tax.
Chef and chalet-host package: in the headline on operator bookings
The PPM Exclusive Services, Luxury Chalet Co, Leo Trippi, LVH Global, and Bramble Ski model bundles full staff in the headline: chef on five to six nights, chalet host, daily housekeeper, occasional second cook, driver, sometimes a nanny on advance request. Daily breakfast and afternoon tea are served. The six-course dinner on five to six nights typically includes wine pairing from a Swiss and Italian-Burgundy cellar (Engadin is geographically Italian-Swiss; the Italian and Piedmontese wine pull-through is real). The off-mountain restaurant night is typically Talvo by Dalsass in Champfèr (one Michelin star), Chesa Veglia at Badrutt’s Palace (traditional Engadine), La Marmite at Corviglia (mountain lunch institution), or Da Vittorio at Carlton Hotel (two Michelin stars Italian). Verify the chef-night count in the contract.
Suisse Ski School and Engadin Snow Sports: CHF 360 to CHF 780 per session
Suisse Ski School St Moritz and Engadin Snow Sports private instruction runs CHF 360 to CHF 460 per half-day per instructor, CHF 580 to CHF 780 per full day, with peak-rate Christmas Week and Snow Polo weekend at the upper band. The booking constraint is more pressing than the rate constraint: Christmas Week and the February school-holiday lead times run 14 to 22 weeks. The English-speaking instructor allocation is strongest at Engadin Snow Sports and the Suvretta Snow Sports School (in-house at Suvretta House). For a family of four with two children on five days of half-day instruction, expect CHF 3,600 to CHF 4,600 in instruction fees. Mountain-guide rates for the Piz Bernina or the Diavolezza glacier traverse run CHF 720 to CHF 1,100 per day.
Engadin lift passes: CHF 430 to CHF 480 per adult six-day
The Engadin six-day adult pass (Corviglia, Corvatsch, Diavolezza, Lagalb, Zuoz, Languard) runs CHF 430 to CHF 480 at the Christmas Week peak, CHF 340 to CHF 380 mid-season. Children six to seventeen pay 50 to 65 percent of adult; children under six are free. The Corviglia-only product saves roughly 18 percent against the Engadin product. The Magic Pass annual product covers Corvatsch, Diavolezza, and Lagalb (the southern Engadin) but not Corviglia (St Moritz proper); for the chalet guest in Sils or Silvaplana, Magic Pass plus a Corviglia day-ticket is the contrarian buy. The Engadin pass is the editorial recommendation for any stay over three skiing days.
Helicopter transfers and Samedan (SMV): CHF 6,800 to CHF 14,500 per leg
The ZRH-Samedan helicopter transfer runs CHF 6,800 to CHF 9,400 per leg for up to five passengers on a single-engine AS350; the twin-engine H125 runs CHF 9,800 to CHF 12,200. Samedan (SMV) is Europe’s highest-elevation airfield at 1,707 m and handles light jets, turboprops, and helicopters; it sits 5 km from St Moritz village. The runway and weather constraints at Samedan close the airfield to fixed-wing operations roughly 30 to 50 days per winter season; ZRH plus road or helicopter is the backup. In-resort heli days to the Bernina massif, Cervinia, Como, or the Aoste valley run CHF 9,500 to CHF 14,500 per day on the H125. Heli Bernina, Air Grischa, and Mountain Helicopters are the named operators.
ZRH ground transfers: CHF 880 to CHF 1,580 each way
ZRH is 200 km from St Moritz by road, 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes depending on the Julier Pass closure pattern and Saturday change-over traffic. A Mercedes V-Class with driver runs CHF 880 to CHF 1,280 each way; an S-Class or Maybach runs CHF 1,080 to CHF 1,580. The Bernina Express scenic-rail from Zurich via Chur runs 4 hours and is the editorial recommendation for the inbound family with luggage; pre-book the Premium-class carriage 8 to 12 weeks ahead. MXP (Milan Malpensa) is 215 km, with the same vehicle tier running CHF 980 to CHF 1,420; the Maloja Pass route opens an Italian-side option for guests inbound from the south.
Restaurant economy: Talvo, Chesa Veglia, La Marmite, Da Vittorio, Mathis
The St Moritz upper-tier dinner economy runs Da Vittorio at Carlton (two Michelin stars Italian), Talvo by Dalsass in Champfèr (one Michelin star, regional Engadine), Mathis Food Affairs at Corviglia (long-running Engadin institution), Chesa Veglia at Badrutt’s Palace (traditional Engadine, 16th-century farmhouse), and the Kulm Country Club at the Kulm Hotel. The tasting menu runs CHF 320 to CHF 580 per person with wine pairing at CHF 220 to CHF 360. La Marmite at Corviglia (mountain lunch with caviar service) runs CHF 280 to CHF 420 per person. The Hatecke (modernist takeaway), the Stueva at Suvretta House, and the Anova restaurant at the Kempinski are mid-tier. Pre-book Talvo, Chesa Veglia, and Da Vittorio 14 to 18 weeks ahead of Christmas Week and the Snow Polo weekend.
Staff gratuities: CHF 500 to CHF 1,100 per staff member per week
The St Moritz norm runs CHF 500 to CHF 1,100 per staff member for the week, in cash on departure, distributed by the chalet host. The upper band is real; the repeat-tenant relationships and the event-week service intensity (White Turf, Snow Polo) lift the gratuity envelope above the Verbier or Megève norm and into Gstaad parity. A typical eight-bedroom carries six to eight staff. On a Christmas-Week booking with seven staff, plan for CHF 4,400 to CHF 7,700 in cash gratuities. The chef typically receives the upper end of the band; the chalet host is the second-largest line.