Megève

Snapshot

Key takeaways

• The December 2018 visit developed from an initial request for December 6 to 9 into a confirmed booking for December 17 to 19.
• Ariane de Rothschild agreed to arrange the stay and visits. She also expressly said she would not be in Megève on those dates.
• Epstein’s promise to pay is supported by a completed hotel invoice and a matching card charge, rather than by the planning emails alone.
• The earlier advisory, conference and property planning references have different evidentiary limits. They should not be merged into a single event or treated as completed transactions.
• Travel, hospitality, business correspondence and a name’s appearance in a record do not, by themselves, establish knowledge of or participation in Epstein’s crimes.

The town and the hotel are different subjects

Four Seasons opening announcement; Four Seasons announcement about Les Chalets du Mont d’Arbois. Megève is a place name, not the name of a single Epstein property. Four Seasons announced the opening of Four Seasons Hotel Megève on December 15, 2017. Its later announcement about Les Chalets du Mont d’Arbois described two separate hotels, both belonging to Edmond de Rothschild Heritage, and set December 13, 2019, as the chalets’ reopening under the Four Seasons brand. The December 2018 reservation and invoice identify Four Seasons Hotel Megève, not the separately named chalets. Earlier emails that simply say Megève cannot automatically be assigned to the hotel that opened in 2017.

The released material connects the town to several strands of Epstein’s correspondence. The most substantial is a hotel visit arranged for Karyna Shuliak in December 2018. Other strands concern where correspondents were spending holidays, ideas for meetings, and Ariane de Rothschild’s business and hotel projects. Their appearance in the same search results does not make them one trip.

Early holiday references and the 2013 meeting proposal

EFTA00709098; EFTA00930783. Megève appears in ordinary holiday correspondence before the hotel planning discussed below. On December 23, 2010, a correspondent whose name is redacted considered skiing there as one of several possible holidays. On March 2, 2012, another redacted correspondent reported having enjoyed skiing in Megève. The first message records an option; the second records the writer’s own account of a trip. Neither places Epstein there.

EFTA01949459; EFTA01949573; EFTA01949731. On November 19, 2013, Epstein wrote to Ariane de Rothschild and Olivier Colom proposing either an advisory board or a single meeting with eight to ten thinkers. He suggested Megève around the time of Davos, while leaving the location open. Ariane replied positively and asked whether the idea concerned banking. Epstein then broadened the discussion to family wealth, banking, Africa and charitable activity.

These are proposals. The exchange does not supply a final date, a confirmed participant list or a record that the gathering took place. A surname tentatively floated in the message is not evidence that its bearer was invited or attended.

Financial planning references do not establish a purchase

EFTA01000608; EFTA01206543; EFTA00611779. In a November 11, 2014, message to Richard Kahn about a reporting schedule, Epstein instructed that a hotel heading be changed to “majeve.” Two released 2015 financial templates have a Majeve column, but their cells are blank. These records show the place name being used in financial organization; they do not state a completed purchase price, ownership transfer or funded expenditure.

EFTA02473146. A January 30, 2016, email in the correspondence with Kathryn Ruemmler also includes Majeve in a discussion of the Rothschild family’s nonfinancial assets and proposed arrangements for them. It is a planning discussion, not a deed or executed transfer. It does not establish that Epstein owned a property in Megève.

Visit suggestions and conference language in 2015

EFTA00867546; EFTA02353132. On January 2, 2015, Epstein told David Stern that “arine” was in “mageve” and suggested a visit. Stern’s reply on January 3 asked whether she was going to Davos and whether a meeting could take place there instead. The exchange documents discussion of alternatives, not a completed Megève meeting.

EFTA00862459. A separate March 10, 2015, message contains a request for details of a conference in “majeve.” Its header identifies Epstein’s account as the sender, but its body refers to Jeffrey in the third person and the recipient is redacted. The document therefore cannot safely be presented as a straightforward statement that Epstein himself planned to attend. It does not identify a confirmed conference title, final date or attendance list.

EFTA00626958. On March 25, Ariane told Epstein that she would be traveling by car to Megève for dinner and could speak afterward. The quoted message from Epstein mentions work on a presentation. The page does not establish that the dinner, presentation and earlier conference request concerned the same event.

Kathryn Ruemmler: reported arrival and a declined offer

EFTA02477681; EFTA02475866; EFTA02351861. Ruemmler’s correspondence provides a clearer travel statement. In a message dated December 31, 2015, she told Epstein, “Made it to Megeve.” An earlier message in the same travel sequence described being in an airport lounge on the way there. Copies display that earlier message under December 30 or December 31, reflecting different timestamp presentations; they are not evidence of two journeys. Neither message identifies Four Seasons Hotel Megève as her accommodation, and that hotel had not yet opened.

EFTA02196386; EFTA01738017. Another exchange in December 2016 concerns an offer, not a completed purchase. On December 7, Lesley Groff, Epstein’s assistant, passed along Epstein’s offer of a spa day in Geneva to Ruemmler and Ariane. On December 10, Ruemmler thanked them and declined, saying the plan was to spend time outdoors in Megève. The correspondence does not support a claim that the offered spa day occurred.

Ariane de Rothschild’s hotel updates, 2017 to 2018

EFTA00662329; EFTA00677936; EFTA00933154; EFTA00832090. The later emails place the hotel project in its own chronology. On January 3, 2017, Ariane included finishing construction and opening the Four Seasons hotel in Megève among her plans for the year. In September, she reported returning from the future hotel. A December 7 exchange described final preparations before its opening the following Friday, consistent with Four Seasons’ December 15 announcement. In April 2018, she described being in Megève to close out the season and plan the next one.

These messages document updates sent to Epstein. They do not establish that he financed construction, managed the property or held an ownership interest.

December 2018: how the booking changed

The initial request

EFTA01014550; EFTA00486117. On December 3, Epstein asked Ariane to help organize a stay so Karyna could see her hotel. He offered to pay. Groff’s follow-up specified arrival on December 6 and departure on December 9. The second proposed guest is redacted in the cited copies.

EFTA02267305. The hotel’s seasonal closure changed that plan. The ensuing chain explains that the hotel would reopen on December 14, 2018. One reply briefly confused the year, and another corrected it. Groff floated December 16 to 18 before the correspondence settled on December 17 to 19. Those changing dates belong to the development of one booking, not to proof of several stays.

What Ariane agreed to arrange

EFTA01013925; EFTA02611668. On December 10, Ariane agreed to organize the stay and visits after Epstein suggested December 17 to 19. On December 12, however, she explicitly said she would not be in Megève on those dates because of year-end commitments. Her agreement to make arrangements should therefore not be described as proof that she personally hosted the visitors during their stay.

EFTA01013821. Epstein still wanted the visit organized. In his December 12 reply, he said he wanted Karyna to see Ariane’s work “as a guide to the island.” That is evidence of his stated reason for the visit. The message does not identify which island, specify a design commission or establish that any hotel feature was subsequently reproduced at an Epstein property.

Room choice and confirmation

EFTA02267305. Fanny Pasquier, whose signature identified her as assistant to Benjamin and Ariane de Rothschild, coordinated with Groff. On December 13, Groff requested one double room and confirmed that Epstein would pay the room, food and other expenses.

EFTA02612916. On December 14, after being sent room options, Epstein selected Prestige. The quoted options were €850 per night for Superior, €1,100 for Prestige and €4,550 for a Deluxe Suite.

EFTA02267845; EFTA00316621. The resulting confirmation, issued December 14, named Karyna Shuliak, with a second guest redacted. It specified two adults in a Prestige Room Twin from Monday, December 17, to Wednesday, December 19, at €1,105 per night, with the full stay and extras guaranteed by credit card. The later invoice separated each night into a €1,100 room charge and €5 city tax, accounting for the difference between the quoted room price and the confirmation’s nightly rate. The earlier double-room request should not replace the final room description.

Travel arrangements and the evidence of a stay

EFTA02268310. On December 14, Groff supplied the hotel with a December 17 commercial itinerary from Minsk through Frankfurt to Geneva. The forwarded itinerary identified Lufthansa services LH1487 and LH1224. A hotel representative replied that the concierge would organize the airport transfer through a private partner. This is evidence of the route supplied for planning; it is not a boarding record or a private aircraft manifest.

EFTA02312957; EFTA02312904. The evidence later moves beyond a reservation. A hotel invoice dated December 19 records arrival on December 17 and departure on December 19, lists Karyna Shuliak as the guest, and is billed to Mr. Jeffrey Epstein. EFTA00316621, pages 1 to 2 A hotel folio email forwarded on December 19 thanked Shuliak for her recent stay and supplied the folio. On December 20, she wrote to Bella Klein about having used another card because some places in Megève did not accept American Express. Together these records support a documented stay in Shuliak’s name and subsequent expense administration. They do not independently establish the identity or presence of every person proposed during planning.

The €4,473 hotel bill and the matching card charge

EFTA00316621. The two-page hotel invoice is marked “FACTURE INFORMATIVE.” It nevertheless contains dated service charges, an American Express credit for the full total and a zero outstanding balance. The amounts below group the individual line items without attributing a particular meal, treatment or journey to a particular guest.

EFTA01671962, PDF page 9207. Epstein’s American Express statement closing January 10, 2019, independently lists a December 19 charge from Four Seasons Hotel Megève for €4,473, converted to US$5,118.46. The relevant page is PDF page 9207 of the large file EFTA01671962, with the page stamp EFTA01681168. This is a matching financial record of the hotel charge, not evidence that the cardholder was physically present.

The March 2019 hotel fire reference

EFTA02637150; L’Hôtellerie Restauration, March 29, 2019. On March 31, 2019, Ariane told Epstein that the hotel roof in Megève had burned. Contemporary hospitality reporting dated March 29 described a fire on the evening of March 28 at Four Seasons Hotel Megève and the evacuation of guests and staff. This supplies independent context for the email. It does not connect the fire to the December visit or establish a cause.

How the record appearances fit together

Forwarded messages often reproduce several earlier emails, and the same exchange can appear under multiple EFTA document numbers. Those copies help verify wording and chronology but do not multiply the number of stays, meetings or payments. Search results can also include signature addresses, promotional messages, attachment filenames and device indexes. A keyword match is not automatically a separate event.

The second guest’s name remains redacted. Private contact details, booking references, account numbers and unrelated personal material are omitted. Referenced attachments are not treated as photographs of a trip unless their actual contents have been verified.

Relevant public responses

Le Monde report and group response. In a response reported by Le Monde on February 5, 2026, the Edmond de Rothschild Group acknowledged that Ariane’s professional relationship with Epstein had become more personal over time. It said she did not know about his personal behavior and condemned his crimes. Le Monde said the material it reviewed did not implicate her in his sexual crimes. This was a response about the broader relationship, not a specific explanation of the Megève invoice.

Ruemmler interview transcript, pages 10 to 13. In her July 15, 2026, interview with the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Ruemmler said she had seen no evidence of ongoing misconduct while dealing with Epstein, described their dealings as arising from her professional work, and said she regretted the relationship. She also acknowledged learning of his 2008 convictions, including an offense involving a minor, shortly after meeting him. These are her stated explanations; the transcript does not specifically resolve the Megève travel records.

Sources and research credit

The original records below are linked through Epstein Data, the searchable document project created by Rye Howard-Stone. Its Epstein Data Wiki provides related background pages. Credit here is for document access and the research resource; the factual claims above rest on the cited records and identified reporting. Related coverage on this site: Ariane de Rothschild.

Released records

1. EFTA02267845. Four Seasons reservation issued December 14, 2018, for December 17 to 19; p. 1.
2. EFTA00316621. Four Seasons Hotel Megève invoice dated December 19, 2018; pp. 1 and 2.
3. EFTA01671962, PDF page 9207. American Express statement closing January 10, 2019; PDF p. 9207, printed statement p. 11/30, stamped EFTA01681168.
4. EFTA00709098. Redacted correspondent to Epstein, December 23, 2010; p. 1.
5. EFTA00930783. Redacted correspondent to Epstein, March 2, 2012; p. 1.
6. EFTA01949459. Epstein to Ariane de Rothschild and Olivier Colom, November 19, 2013; p. 1.
7. EFTA01949573. Ariane de Rothschild’s response to the proposed gathering, November 19, 2013; p. 1.
8. EFTA01949731. Epstein’s follow-up about possible meeting subjects, November 19, 2013; p. 1.
9. EFTA01000608. Epstein to Richard Kahn, subject Rothchild, November 11, 2014; p. 1.
10. EFTA01206543. 2015 budget and cash flow template with a Majeve column; p. 1.
11. EFTA00611779. 2015 cash flow expenditures template with a Majeve column; p. 1.
12. EFTA02473146. January 30, 2016, correspondence containing Epstein’s description of family financial planning; p. 1.
13. EFTA00867546. Epstein to David Stern, January 2, 2015; p. 1.
14. EFTA02353132. David Stern’s January 3, 2015, reply, quoting the previous day’s suggestion; p. 1.
15. EFTA00862459. Message dated March 10, 2015, requesting details of a conference in majeve; p. 1.
16. EFTA00626958. Ariane de Rothschild to Epstein, March 25, 2015; p. 1.
17. EFTA02477681. Kathryn Ruemmler to Epstein, December 31, 2015, reporting arrival in Megeve; p. 1.
18. EFTA02475866. Ruemmler’s airport lounge email, header December 31, 2015; p. 1.
19. EFTA02351861. Copy of the airport lounge email displaying December 30, 2015, in the quoted header; p. 1.
20. EFTA02196386. December 2016 spa offer chain, including Ruemmler’s December 10 response; pp. 1 and 2.
21. EFTA01738017. Groff’s December 10, 2016, forwarding of Ruemmler’s response; p. 1.
22. EFTA00662329. Ariane de Rothschild’s January 3, 2017, message about plans for the year; p. 1.
23. EFTA00677936. Ariane de Rothschild’s September 5, 2017, hotel update; p. 1.
24. EFTA00933154. December 7, 2017, correspondence quoting final hotel opening preparations; pp. 1 and 2.
25. EFTA00832090. Ariane de Rothschild’s April 14, 2018, seasonal hotel update; p. 1.
26. EFTA01014550. Epstein’s December 3, 2018, initial request for Karyna’s hotel visit; p. 1.
27. EFTA00486117. Groff’s December 3, 2018, clarification of the proposed December 6 to 9 dates; p. 1.
28. EFTA02267305. December 2018 planning chain: payment and room request on p. 1, settled dates on p. 2, provisional dates on p. 3, year correction on p. 4; 10-page document.
29. EFTA01013925. Ariane de Rothschild’s December 10, 2018, agreement to arrange the stay and visits; p. 1.
30. EFTA02611668. Ariane de Rothschild’s December 12, 2018, message saying she would not be in Megève on the proposed dates; p. 1.
31. EFTA01013821. Epstein’s December 12, 2018, reply about the purpose of the visit and paying for it; p. 1.
32. EFTA02612916. December 14, 2018, room options and Epstein’s Prestige selection; p. 1.
33. EFTA02268310. December 14, 2018, hotel transfer correspondence and forwarded Lufthansa itinerary; pp. 1 to 3.
34. EFTA02312957. December 19, 2018, forwarded hotel guest folio email thanking Shuliak for the December 17 to 19 stay; p. 1.
35. EFTA02312904. Karyna Shuliak to Bella Klein, December 20, 2018, about card use in Megève; p. 1.
36. EFTA02637150. Ariane de Rothschild to Epstein, March 31, 2019, referring to the Megève hotel roof fire; p. 1.

Other sources

• Four Seasons, opening of Four Seasons Hotel Megève, December 15, 2017.
• Four Seasons, announcement about Les Chalets du Mont d’Arbois, April 10, 2019.
• L’Hôtellerie Restauration, reporting on the hotel fire, March 29, 2019.
• Le Monde, reporting and Edmond de Rothschild Group response, February 5, 2026.
• US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Kathryn Ruemmler interview, July 15, 2026, pp. 10 to 13.

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