A hotel at the foot of an Olympic ski run makes a very different screen-inspired escape from a thermal-spa stay in Bath. This autumn and winter, the choices range from checking into a property featured on television to exploring the places where favourite authors lived and worked.
Expedia’s 2026 Set-Jetting Forecast found that 81% of surveyed Gen Z and Millennial travellers planned holidays around locations featured in films and television. For a luxury break, the hotel is worth choosing as carefully as the screen connection: somewhere with a spa to return to, or a comfortable bar after an afternoon on foot.
Les Barmes de l’Ours, Val d’Isère: Fred Sirieix’s Alpine hotel
Les Barmes de l’Ours sits at the foot of Face de Bellevarde, with Val d’Isère’s village and lifts a short walk away. For anyone watching Fred Sirieix’s latest hotel adventures and mentally packing their ski jacket, this is the property to book.
Episode three of Channel 4’s Fred’s Ultimate Hotels takes him inside the hotel. Across the four-part series, Sirieix first experiences each property as a guest, then changes into staff uniform and works alongside its team. The format gives viewers a look at the work behind the polished welcome.
“It was an incredible privilege to work alongside some of the world’s best hospitality teams and to see first-hand the pride they take in what they do,” Sirieix said in the series announcement.
The five-star Les Barmes de l’Ours is a Relais & Châteaux property with 76 rooms and suites. These are spread across four floors with different interior styles, so it is worth browsing the room photographs before choosing a category. Of the 76 rooms and suites, 49 are rooms and 27 are suites.
The hotel lists a 1,000m² Sisley spa, with an indoor pool and Jacuzzi, a hammam and two saunas. That makes a persuasive case for leaving some of the afternoon free, especially after a morning on the mountain. With three restaurants on site, dinner can also be part of the hotel experience rather than another outing into the village.
A ski shop makes equipment arrangements convenient, while the children’s club and bowling alley give families options away from the slopes. For a mixed group, those details are useful: everyone can stay in the same hotel without organising every hour around skiing.
Face de Bellevarde gives the location its sporting pedigree. It hosted the men’s downhill at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics and men’s events at the 2009 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. The World Cup course is 2,988 metres long, with a maximum gradient of 71%, making it a demanding neighbour rather than a gentle warm-up.
Val d’Isère’s wider ski area caters for different abilities, so choose terrain to match your experience. The resort’s winter 2026/27 plans also include an expanded Travelski Night Express from Amsterdam and Rotterdam, stopping in Antwerp and Brussels, with onward resort transfers from the Tarentaise stations. For travellers joining that route, the overnight train is an alternative to flying.
On the slopes, the Pompons Jaunes safety initiative involves more than 400 ambassadors, and the resort is introducing a new electric snow groomer. Down in the village, La Folie Douce’s first village venue, La Folie Coffee, is being created in the former Maison Chevallot bakery. Baking and coffee will sit alongside lunchtime food and après-ski options, making it a new stop to work into a day away from the mountain.
Keep the resort calendar separate from the hotel’s opening dates when booking. Val d’Isère’s ski season runs from 28 November 2026 to 2 May 2027, but Les Barmes de l’Ours is listed to open from 10 December 2026 to 11 April 2027. An early-season or late-spring ski trip therefore needs a different accommodation plan.
The Gainsborough Bath Spa, Bath: Austen walks and thermal water
Georgia Oakley’s new Sense and Sensibility, released in cinemas on 25 September 2026, stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne Dashwood and Esmé Creed-Miles as Elinor. For anyone leaving the cinema wanting a few days among Georgian buildings, Bath offers a connection to Austen’s own life as well as a beautiful setting for an autumn break.
Austen lived in the city from 1801 to 1806, and Bath is closely associated with Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. A stay here can centre on that history, with time to explore the streets and architecture before returning to a hotel where the thermal water is an attraction in its own right.
The Gainsborough Bath Spa occupies two Grade II-listed 18th-century buildings in the heart of the city. Their history includes associations with the Royal United Hospital and Bellott’s Hospital. Today, they provide a historic setting for a stay that pairs literary sightseeing with a generous amount of spa time.
The hotel’s Spa Village Bath uses Bath’s natural thermal water. Visitors can use three thermal baths, saunas, a steam room, an ice alcove and relaxation areas. The warm-water element makes this an appealing autumn choice: you can spend the day exploring the city and reserve the later afternoon for a soak.
For a more structured visit, the hotel is partnering with Strictly Jane Austen Tours on a six-day celebration from 26 to 31 October 2026. The Strictly Jane Austen programme is based at The Gainsborough and includes six talks and a guided walk through Bath among the scheduled activities, as well as five nights of bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
A visit to No. 1 Royal Crescent Museum brings another historic interior into the itinerary. The programme also visits Jane Austen’s House Museum and Chawton House, taking the literary focus beyond Bath.
An embroidery workshop and a Regency dance workshop give guests something to take part in between the talks and visits. The schedule suits someone who would enjoy spending several days with fellow Austen readers, with organised activities forming the centre of the holiday. An independent stay leaves more freedom to choose your own pace and how much literary sightseeing to include.
The October celebration is separate from Bath’s Jane Austen Festival, which ran from 11 to 20 September this year. If you are planning around the hotel event, use the October dates rather than the festival calendar.
Nightly hotel rates start from £233. The Jane Austen celebration costs from £2,275 per person sharing a twin or double room, with an £825 single-room supplement. The package includes five nights with breakfast and the published programme; the starting hotel rate is for an ordinary stay.
For a longer journey through England, PoB Hotels’ *Sense and Sensibility* road trip connects four properties with film locations and period architecture.
The Glasshouse, Edinburgh: a winter base for Harry Potter walks
HBO’s first season of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is due at Christmas 2026, with a new teaser released on 1 September. The official Harry Potter site has announced that seasonal debut, giving fans a reason to plan an Edinburgh break in the run-up to the series.
J.K. Rowling wrote early manuscripts in the city’s cafés, and Edinburgh’s Old Town has become a destination for readers exploring places associated with the books.
The Glasshouse sits at 2 Greenside Place, at the foot of Calton Hill. Its roof garden overlooks the hill, giving the hotel a distinctive outdoor space in a central location. For a winter trip, think of it as somewhere to take in the view when the weather allows, with warm indoor spaces to return to afterwards.
Greyfriars Kirkyard and Victoria Street are familiar stops on Potter itineraries. Names on Greyfriars tombstones are believed to have inspired characters, while Victoria Street is often associated by fans with Diagon Alley. West Bow also appears on the city’s Potter trail.
The Potter Trail walking tour takes around 90 minutes, starting at Greyfriars Bobby Statue and finishing at Victoria Terrace. Donations are recommended.
Rowling’s documented hotel writing connection is at The Balmoral, where she completed the final scenes of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in room 552. That room is now the J.K. Rowling Suite.
Arriving by train is straightforward: The Glasshouse is about a five-minute walk from Waverley Station, and the Picardy Place tram stop is opposite. Nightly room rates start from £200.
Inside, 17 suites are named after Scotch whiskies or whisky regions. The hotel’s Snug bar carries more than 300 Scotch whiskies. After the Old Town walk, a whisky in the Snug is a suitably cosy way to finish the day.
