The French call them \u201clits froids,\u201d or cold beds \u2014 apartments kept vacant most of the year, occupied only when they are rented out during ski season and a few scattered weeks that align with traditional vacation times.<\/p>\n
In the ski resort towns of the French Alps, lits froids now make up half of all available beds, said E\u0301ric Adamkiewicz<\/a>, a lecturer in regional development at the University of Toulouse, a public research school. Between Christmas and New Year\u2019s, he said, occupancy briefly surges to 90 percent, and then the lodgings stand empty again.<\/p>\n Jessica Brazeau, 34, and her husband, who live in the small French town of Areches in the northern Alps, have felt the effects firsthand. \u201cIn the spring, autumn and most of the summer, half of the houses are empty, shutters closed up,\u201d she said. Rather than being able to rent a home for a full year, the couple has had to piece together housing a few months at a time. \u201cWe have had to find a few different places and move rather than being settled in one spot,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The Alps have long been a destination for winter tourism, filled with legendary ski towns like Chamonix, Kitzbuhel and Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re. But recently, the resort towns that dot the mountains from Austria to France have reached what people here say is a crisis point, facing changes that threaten their cultures and even survival, as demand for short-term tourist rentals reshapes towns where skiing has traditionally only been part of their identity.<\/p>\n In the early 2000s, many second homeowners in the Alps were still reluctant to rent houses or apartments to strangers. But today, online reservation platforms like Airbnb<\/a>, Abritel<\/a> and Booking.com<\/a> are ubiquitous. In the regions of Savoie and Haute-Savoie, Airbnb offerings have doubled in six years, with 72,000 listings in 2025, compared to 38,000 in 2019, according to data from Inside Airbnb<\/a>. France is Airbnb\u2019s second-largest market<\/a>, after the United States.<\/p>\n On the other side of Mont Blanc, in Chamonix, second homes now make up 70 percent of all housing, according the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies<\/a>. The mountain town has lost 10 percent of its population in the last 25 years, largely because of unaffordable housing prices.<\/p>\n The Americans Arrive<\/p>\n In the past decade, European ski mountains started teaming up with the American-based Ikon and Epic multimountain passholders. Chamonix was the first French ski resort to become part of the Ikon Pass group, in 2022. Meg\u00e8ve has since joined, as well as nearby Courmayeur Mont Blanc in Italy. In Chamonix last winter, there was a 32 percent increase in overnight stays from U.S. customers compared with the previous year, according to Nicolas Durochat, the director of the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Tourism office. The Americans are particularly desirable, he said, because they visit outside of French and European school vacation periods, so they fill hotel rooms and rentals that might otherwise sit empty.<\/p>\n For Jackie Ennis, 28, both affordability and Europe\u2019s skiing tradition were important factors in deciding to travel to St. Anton to ski this winter with friends.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Alps are so steeped in skiing culture and skiing history, Ms. Ennis, a New York-based sustainability solutions consultant, said. \u201cWe\u2019re really stoked to try out some r\u00f6stis and some of these more classic groomed ski runs in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n More recently, Vail Resorts, the American ski behemoth and creator of the Epic Pass, has been buying resorts in the Alps. Vail closed on the purchase of Andermatt-Sedrun in August 2022<\/a> and Crans Montana in May 2024<\/a>, both in Switzerland.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Vail Resorts arrives in France, it could drive the market even more upscale,\u201d Mr. Adamkiewicz, the Toulouse researcher, said. \u201cThey have a business model and operating methods that we don\u2019t really have here.\u201d<\/p>\n For its part, Vail Resorts, valued at $5 billion<\/a>, said that the company focuses on maintaining ski resort identity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe prioritize enhancing the ski experience over collecting assets, carefully selecting resorts that complement our network while respecting local culture, communities and economic value,\u201d John Plack, Vail Resorts\u2019 senior communications director, said. \u201cOur goal is to enhance these qualities, not change them.\u201d<\/p>\n More Wealth, More Luxury<\/p>\n But as more international clients flock to the Alps, they are changing. Resorts in France are moving toward luxury real estate developments to attract a wealthy clientele, even as winters shorten, Mr. Adamkiewicz noted.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the French market, there is a lot of pressure to upgrade and reassure ourselves as we get closer to \u2018last resort\u2019 skiing,\u201d he said, referring to the idea that climate change will soon make skiing impossible at some existing resorts. \u201cIt\u2019s not North American customers who pose a problem. This issue is upscaling while there\u2019s an increasing scarcity of snow in large resorts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Investment companies and holding groups infusing money into luxury accommodations are changing the dynamics in European towns, where lodgings were often in small inns and chalets or modest apartments rented out by local people. Now, many short-term vacation rentals are owned by investment companies or groups, said Valerie Paumier, founder of Resilience Montagne<\/a>, a French environmental organization focusing on climate change and sustainable development in the mountains. She cites Club Med\u2019s influence in the Alps.<\/p>\n The all-inclusive resort company has been on a push to open new resorts and upgrade existing ones, including in the Alps.<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition to construction, Club Med targets a wealthy international clientele,\u201d Ms. Paumier said. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit like the driver for other accommodation providers.\u201d<\/p>\n Club Med did not return requests for comment.<\/p>\n American visitors, especially, expect a higher level of luxury, she said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to build to American standards, which means larger apartments and completely different services,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n With travelers coming from far away to ski, there is the added pressure of guaranteeing good snow, despite climate change making winters less predictable. In the Mont Blanc massif, the snow cover lasts a month less<\/a> than it did in 1970 at mid-mountain elevations.<\/p>\n