In the early 1990s, Ischgl was a small, unremarkable Austrian ski village. Then Gunther Aloys, the son of a mountain guide, had an idea. He would stage a massive concert high on the mountain, and for the first time brand the ski resort on the basis of being hip rather than on the strength of its skiing or scenery. He decided to aim high, and set about booking Elton John for the first big gig. 'I went to the tourist office and said I needed €500,000,' he says. 'They laughed.'

The money was scraped together, Elton was hired, and the resort suddenly found itself on the map. Now it is one of the most glamorous resorts in the Alps. Other big-name performers to have played the village include Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, and Rod Stewart, while Jon Bon Jovi, Sting and Heidi, right, of the Sugababes have all been recent visitors.

The Madlein hotel (owned by one G. Aloys) has been given a dramatic makeover and reopened as the first design hotel in the alps. The beams and hunting trophies of the traditional alpine lodge have been replaced by expanses of white marble and black granite. The hotel boasts an outpost of the Ibiza nightblub Pacha, and is regularly used for magazine photoshoots from Wallpaper* to Playboy.