A human trafficking scandal has rocked the ski resort of Gstaad, Switzerland, which has long been known as one of the most exclusive ski destinations in the world. For Americans, its status as a playground for the rich and famous was cemented in the 1983 film Trading Places, when Dan Aykroyd joked that his luxury watch he was trying to pawn displayed the time in “Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, and Gstaad.” The resort has spent decades cultivating that image, attracting everyone from royalty to Hollywood stars. But behind the expensive chalets and designer shops in the picturesque Alpine village, a scandal has been playing out for years. On June 16, a Swiss court convicted a couple and their daughter of trafficking approximately 40 women from Serbia to work as cleaners in Gstaad’s luxury hospitality sector, concluding a case that prosecutors described as one of the most significant human trafficking investigations in the Bernese Oberland in recent years.
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According to the court, the operation ran between 2013 and 2020. The family recruited women from Serbia and brought them to Switzerland to work as cleaners in some of the country’s most exclusive mountain properties. Prosecutors alleged the women were paid approximately CHF 5.50 ($7) per hour — far below Swiss labour standards — and worked extraordinarily long hours. Court proceedings heard testimony that some women worked up to 16 hours per day, seven days a week — more than 100 hours a week. Some reportedly slept on mattresses on the floor, while others were expected to provide childcare services in the middle of the night in addition to cleaning duties.
One victim told investigators she had been promised a monthly salary that never materialized and eventually paid for her own flight home to Serbia. Another described being treated “like dirt” and said she continued to suffer psychological effects years later. The case was uncovered after an anonymous tip-off in 2019. Bernese police subsequently conducted months of surveillance, including intercepted phone calls and messages, before carrying out arrests in January 2020.
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For decades, Gstaad has attracted a high-end clientele from across the globe. Drawn by its quiet and understated authenticity, Gstaad has cultivated an image of discretion and exclusivity for decades. Unlike purpose-built mega-resorts, the village is littered by beautiful, small wooden chalets, helping Gstaad to keep its old-world charm. The destination has attracted celebrities, aristocrats, and ultra-high-net-worth visitors seeking privacy in the mountains.
During proceedings, the court heard that the women worked in luxury chalets owned or rented by some of the wealthiest clients in the world. Pop superstar Madonna was among the names mentioned during the trial as an alleged client of the family’s cleaning services, though the singer has not been accused of any wrongdoing. The proceedings also raised questions about how much chalet owners and guests knew about the working conditions of the people cleaning and maintaining their properties. No charges have been announced against any chalet owners or clients.
While the Gstaad case is unusual in its scale and duration, experts note that cleaning and hospitality workers are among the most vulnerable employees in tourism industries worldwide. Cleaning services are often outsourced through third-party contractors, creating layers of separation between workers and the businesses or property owners ultimately benefiting from their labour. In luxury tourism settings, particularly private chalets, much of that work occurs behind closed doors and away from public scrutiny.
Third-party cleaning contractors typically have less legal protection than permanent employees, and the hotels or chalet owners engaging the contractor are rarely required to verify the conditions under which that contractor’s staff work. Debt bondage is a common mechanism of control — workers are told they owe recruitment fees that must be repaid through their labour, with those debts frequently structured so they can never be fully paid off.
Research from the University of Technology Sydney confirms that the cleaning industry is one of the most vulnerable and exploited sectors in the labor market globally. The core structural problem is economic: cleaning contracts are so intensely competitive that profit margins leave almost no room to meet workers’ legal entitlements. The result is that underpayment is not the exception — it is the systemic outcome of how contracts are priced and awarded. A review of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act by the Business and Human Rights Resource Center found that 76% of hospitality companies do not disclose supply chain information.
The Bernese Oberland Regional Court handed down the following penalties. The mother received a six-year prison sentence for commercial human trafficking. Her husband was sentenced to two years and four months for aiding and abetting the operation, while their daughter received three years and nine months for human trafficking, usury, and tax offenses. All three are originally from Serbia and were ordered expelled from Switzerland and are banned from returning for a minimum of 8-11 years. Defense lawyers indicated they may appeal the verdict.
