We recently had a potential guest asking what all the fuss was about with catered ski chalets. Why not just stick with hotels? Why bother taking the type of accommodation that you only really find in ski resorts? So we waxed lyrical about the joys of catered ski chalets until we had them convinced. This is (more or less) what we said:
Catered ski chalets are much more ‘homely’ than hotels. When you stay in a ski chalet it feels very much like it is your accommodation and no-one elses. This is particularly true if you book exclusive occupancy of a chalet. You will also get to know your chef and host really well, and may end up skiing and hitting the apres ski bars with them. After all, they know the best spots on the mountain and in town.
Catered ski chalets are often a a great choice for families. Again, this is particularly true if you take exclusive occupancy of the ski chalet. Kids can run riot in a chalet without the worry of upsetting other guests. Ski chalets often come with a little bit of private land that can be quickly turned into your own little snow park. Catered ski chalets tend to offer a lot of flexibility for families – from room arrangements to meal times.
Like for like, catered ski chalets are normally cheaper than hotels. This is mainly because charges, taxes, and administrative costs are much higher for hotels. Also, breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner (with wine) are always supplied with catered ski chalets. This is often not the case with hotels. Restaurants in resort tend to be quite expensive, not least because of the logistical problems of running a restaurant at altitude.
So, those are a few reasons why we think catered ski chalets offer some advantages over hotels. However, hotels can still be a fantastic option. We were also asked recently if we would consider opening a hotel. The short answer is not for now, but we’ll see.
