The four houses in this category are mountain winter lodges rather than buildings made of ice. They stand in the Canadian Rockies, in the Andes and in the Alps, and each runs a season shaped by snow. Access, opening dates and daily arrangements all follow the weather, so every entry ends with what to settle in writing.
Setting. Emerald Lake Lodge sits on a small peninsula in Yoho National Park, with the lake on one side and forested slopes rising behind it. Cars stop in a lot near the park road, and a shuttle carries guests over the bridge to the buildings. The lodge stays open through the winter months, when the lake surface freezes and the surrounding trails are used on foot and on skis.
Building. Rooms are spread across a group of separate timber buildings rather than one block, and each room opens onto a shared porch or balcony. A larger main house near the water holds the dining rooms, a lounge with a stone fireplace and the reception desk. Exact building layouts differ, so the lodge is the source to ask for the placement of any particular room.
Ahead. Winter access depends on the park road and on conditions, and both change without notice. Guests who want a room in a specific building, or who plan to arrive after dark, are better off writing ahead. Dining hours and shuttle times also shift with the season and are worth confirming directly.
Category Ice Hotels
Location Field, British Columbia, Canada
Checked May 2030
Skoki Lodge
Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Setting. Skoki Lodge is a log building in the backcountry of Banff National Park, set in a valley above the treeline of the Lake Louise area. It is a designated historic place and an early backcountry ski lodge in the Canadian Rockies. In winter there is no road to the lodge, and everything that arrives, including supplies, comes in over snow rather than by car.
Building. The main log house holds a dining room, a sitting room and a kitchen, with sleeping rooms upstairs and further beds in small cabins nearby. There is no plumbing of the usual kind and no electrical grid connection; heat comes from wood stoves and light from other sources. Washing and toilet arrangements are shared, and the lodge describes them plainly on its own pages.
Ahead. Because the lodge runs on a fixed winter season and a fixed set of beds, dates are settled with the operator well ahead. Dietary needs, arrival timing and what to carry are all matters for that correspondence. Conditions in the valley govern whether a stay proceeds, and the lodge is the only reliable source on that.
Category Ice Hotels
Location Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Checked May 2030
Hotel Portillo
Portillo, Los Andes, Chile
Setting. High in the Andes near the Argentine border, Hotel Portillo stands alone above Laguna del Inca, a lake held between bare rock walls. The yellow building is the only hotel at the site, reached from the highway that climbs from the Chilean side. It runs as a winter house: the season opens with the snow and closes again when it goes.
Building. The hotel keeps its accommodation, dining rooms and public rooms under one roof, with lounges and terraces facing the lake and the slopes. There are separate annex buildings on the same site with simpler rooms and shared arrangements. Meals are served in the hotel's own dining rooms, and the pool and other facilities sit within the same complex rather than off site.
Ahead. Stays here are organised around a set weekly rhythm, and the arrangement differs from a hotel that takes a booking for any night. Anyone unsure which building or which arrangement suits should write before settling anything. Road conditions on the pass can close access, and only the hotel can say what applies on a given date.
Category Ice Hotels
Location Portillo, Los Andes, Chile
Checked May 2030
Ski Lodge Engelberg
Engelberg, Obwalden, Switzerland
Setting. Ski Lodge Engelberg occupies an old chalet in the village of Engelberg, below the Titlis massif in central Switzerland. The building is in the village itself, on a street of houses rather than on the mountain, and the lifts are a short distance away. It is run as a winter house, with the season built around the snow months.
Building. The chalet keeps its rooms upstairs and its shared rooms below: a restaurant, a bar and a sitting area where guests eat and gather. Rooms range from small doubles to larger family rooms, and some arrangements are shared. A sauna and a drying room are part of the house, and breakfast and dinner are served in the restaurant.
Ahead. Room types differ considerably inside a building of this age, so anyone with a specific need should ask before arrival. Opening dates, restaurant service and the summer arrangement are all decided season by season. Storage for equipment and late arrivals are worth raising in the same message.
Category Ice Hotels
Location Engelberg, Obwalden, Switzerland
Checked May 2030
Before you rely on this
The Room Index is independent and for reference only. Everything here comes from published sources and can change without warning. Mountain lodges run on seasons, and snow, road conditions and weather decide whether a stay goes ahead at all. This site is not connected with any hotel named, sells nothing, takes no bookings, and every detail should be confirmed with the house directly.
