Photographed by John Russo
Words by Tere Maurel
At Switzerland’s 7132 Hotel, extraordinary architecture and Alpine thermal waters offer a deeply restorative escape.
In Vals, the mountains set the terms. Slopes rise steeply above the village, their contours shifting with cloud, sunlight, and snow. The landscape has a grandeur that makes even the most ambitious architecture seem modest. It is an extraordinary setting for 7132 Hotel, a Swiss retreat whose appeal lies in how thoughtfully it brings you closer to its surroundings.
Named for the village’s postal code, 7132 sits in the canton of Graubünden, where the Alpine scenery feels both imposing and intimate. Here, the pleasure is in paying attention: to the texture of stone, the changing light across a hillside, the quiet that settles when there is nowhere else you need to be.
The hotel’s defining experience is its remarkable thermal baths, designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor and opened in 1996. Built from 60,000 slabs of local Vals quartzite, the structure possesses an almost geological presence. Its layered stone gives the impression of something belonging to the mountain itself. Granted protected heritage status just two years after opening, the baths have become a destination for travelers who consider architecture an essential part of the journey.
Inside, bathing becomes an encounter with space as much as water. Stone enclosures create moments of intimacy; larger pools invite a more expansive sense of calm. Light, sound, and changes in temperature shape the experience, encouraging an unhurried passage from one pool to the next. The mineral-rich water originates in the St. Peter spring, emerging naturally at 30 degrees Celsius before serving the baths’ different bathing environments.
Photography adds another layer to 7132’s visual identity, inviting guests to pause and look more closely as they move through its public spaces. At 7132 daPapà, black-and-white photographs evoke the cinematic world of Cinecittà and Federico Fellini, lending the restaurant a nostalgic Italian glamour. These photographic touches bring a more personal, storytelling quality to a destination celebrated for its architectural precision.
The outdoor pool offers a particularly compelling meeting of elements: warm water, open air, and the surrounding Alps. Indoors, the atmosphere becomes more inward-looking, with stone and water providing their own quiet spectacle. These are pools to linger in, to return to, and to experience without the distraction of a crowded itinerary. The architecture gives the simple act of bathing an unusual sense of occasion.
That sensitivity to design extends throughout the wider 7132 property. At the neighboring House of Architects, rooms conceived by Peter Zumthor, Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma, and Thom Mayne offer distinct interpretations of the intimate spaces we inhabit. The distinction matters: this is a separate hotel within the ensemble, enriching a destination where architecture is a central reason to visit.
Within the five-star-superior 7132 Hotel, just 22 rooms and suites create a more personal atmosphere. Natural woods, restrained tones, and generous windows allow the landscape to remain present. Kengo Kuma’s penthouse designs bring another architectural perspective to the experience, while the mountain views provide a luxury that requires little embellishment.
A member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Legend Collection, 7132 embodies the individuality that makes a hotel worth traveling for. Its character is inseparable from Vals: the local stone, the thermal spring, the scale of the valley, and the creative vision that connects them.
That distinctive identity also finds expression in the new Preferred Legend coffee-table book, published by Assouline and photographed by celebrated photographer John Russo. Included among its featured properties, 7132 offers a compelling subject: architecture with a powerful sense of place, framed by one of Switzerland’s most visually arresting landscapes.
Yet its greatest appeal remains something a photograph can only suggest. It is the sensation of entering warm water, looking toward the mountains, and realizing that the afternoon needs nothing more.
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