tour operator chalet staff

A snowHead

just been reading an article about the larger tour operators chalet staff, and about how they are treated by the companies, an ex crystal chalet boy was saying although he enjoyed the experience very much he always felt under pressure, especially the budget for meals, he felt the company never gave them enough money to comfortably cater a chalet, are there any chalet staff on here who would back him up or have a different opinion.

A snowHead

The chalet company I worked for many years ago had a set menu (with alternatives for when we got bored of the same thing). This meant that menu was built for the budget allocated.

I was never under pressure regarding budget or anything else from the operator I worked for (Ski Beat).

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I did a season 11 years ago (aged 40). We designed the menu and our guests ate well. The budget was tight -34 euros per week (about 1.4 euros to £1 at the time) per adult guest and 17 euros for children out of which we had to include staff food, cleaning materials and loo paper!) but perfectly doable as long as you had decent cookery and organisational skills. It did not include booze, which was delivered separately. That was with Silverski. It is hard work for the staff and at the start of the season it is especially stressful. The margins for the company I worked for were, I'm sure, small. I think they took on more mature seasonal staff overall on the basis that they would graft hard and overall just be more "capable". The owners were obsessive about the loyalty card points being collected on every shop and then the cards would be handed in at the end of the season for the company to cash in.

Incidentally-I've been away with Ski Beat and my heart sank to observe the chalet couple (over)cooking 7 duck breasts and then eking them out in slices to 12-14 guests. Not good. Mid season. No excuses.

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I find it very peculiar that a large TO would give any autonomy to staff on budgeting/menu planning. Buying in bulk for a standardised menu is cheaper and easier - surely? If your staff blue it all on steak on the first night and the rest of the week is beans on toast for all three courses, then it must reflect badly on you as a TO - surely?

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I used to happily stay in chalets a few years back. Great idea, sometimes great prices to great resorts. However after more than a couple of mediocre and worse experiences (I shall not name/shame) I now prefer to organise my own fly-drive-hotel ski hols. Chalets became really quite hit and miss. Chalet staff getting younger and less experienced, really out to do a season rather than be a chalet host, or chalet chef. TO's making excuses rather than making effective changes to formulaic chalet fare that disappointed. Niche operators being taken over by bigger operators who then pretended to offer something different. Indifferent chalet staff hell bent on spending more of their time on the slopes rather than providing what the brochure pretends. However, there are brilliant chalet deals out there, I almost went for a 4*plus chalet in Lech at Xmas including flights and transfers for £249. (Couldn't get the cats in the cattery!!!!). And I always look out for deals that I can possibly go on, simply because I'm still a sucker for the concept. It should be great value for money, but not at silly brochure prices.

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Lol. Every company on the planet wants its minions to do more with less. That is what makes bosses rich.

Brits only want to pay about 50 cents for a ski vacation, so chalet monkeys are never gonna get good budgets for food.

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We love chalets, and almost always go to a chalet when skiing, either taking the whole as a group or just a couple rooms when less of us are travelling, however we will very rarely go with a large company any more. It seems that the food budget is very often stretched, and that leads to either very little or very poor food. And the hosts tend to be young an with little experience (although not always).

I remember on one crystal holiday a few years ago the chalet host proudly declared that he was making some dauphinoise again (had made it the night before) as he really likes it. Was pretty good previously so smiles all round. Chalet of 10. The lad made a small dish of it that would have fed maybe four people at a push, and left it on the table, with a quarter of it cut out already for himself Razz

Chalets are still the way forward, but now we try to book flights and an independent chalet. In general costs are at worst the same, often cheaper, and food and service much better.

After all it is free

Of the 4 different chalet type companies we have stayed with over the last few years each appeared to have a slightly different model:

One employed a chef to create all the meals to a given budget for the season and to oversee it at all their properties. I believe the staff shopped each week for the same items. Food was well cooked by experienced staff but the low budget was obvious.

One had set menus which the staff were trained pre-season to prep and cook, everything was pre-ordered and delivered to/collected by the chalet staff. OK meals but early season not always cooked correctly by young, inexperienced staff.

One gave the chef a budget who decided what to cook depending on availability/price of ingredients each week. Lovely meals!

One outsourced the cooking in all their chalets to a company who took care of it. Professional chef in charge, excellent food.

I have listed them in order of holiday cost, all catered for specific dietary requirements.

I heard an amusing anecdote from a chalet early season in Val D'Isere this year, where inexperienced staff plugged in and turned on all the raclette machines at the same time for 40 plus guests, and guess what ... the fuses blew
rolling eyes

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I worked for ski beat too and, having worked for different operators,they are probably the only company I would actually holiday with for food standards amongst other things. The menu plan was well thought out and flexible, the budget was more than enough and we were never put uundr pressure despite being over budget early season- very normal when building up pantry stock.

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like @Perty, I worked for silverski also, albeit 20 years ago now. Although I was not directly involved with the chalet operation I lived in, I was maintenance and was originally just billeted there (one more mouth to feed!!), I did end up helping out during meals and changeover days when I was not carrying out transfers.
from memory I think the budget was around 22 francs a day (£2.20!!) per guest, to cover all chalet expenses apart from tea/coffee and the wine. luckily it was a large chalet that could sleep up to 24 guests, so even though it housed 7/8 staff as well, the staff carried out an amazing job in ensuring that the food was of a good standard and plentiful and we managed to get extra bits and pieces for our own snacks during the week. It really helped that there seemed to always be a rollover of staff from previous seasons to advise newcomers.
How the smaller chalets coped with a limited budget was beyond me.

for what its worth, if I was ever going to use a chalet company (prefer diy and self catering with the kids)I would not hesitate to go with Silverski, and the amount of returning guests seemed to be testament to them

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Moving away from the large tour operators, I stayed with Fish & Pips in Val D'Isere a couple of years ago and the chalet food was excellent. Not the cheapest chalets, but although the chalet chefs were young (19/20), they were chefs in the UK previously and the food couldn't be faulted.

I got to know the chalet staff fairly well and although they were under pressure with budgets (albeit these were probably better budgets than the large operators), it didn't stop them producing great meals that they had personally created the menu for.

There's always going to be pressure to produce meals for set budgets, otherwise they wouldn't be a business. Just depends on what you're expecting vs. how much you've paid and being realistic.

Stayed with Ski Amis in La Tania for three seasons, food very good but so predictable, seemed to be the same menu year on year.

You know it makes sense.

I have on occasion in chalets asked the staff if they were taking the wee wee (on being presented with a chicken curry with 2 whole small cubes of chicken in it), much like a similar experience on Virgin Atlantic (Scum class).

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Dave of the Marmottes, how were they to know that you eat like a mammoth?

A snowHead

I stayed with a chalet company a few times previously and got to know a lot of the chalet staff quite well. They didn't seem to be struggling to pay for their meals, but they did seem to be getting a bit of a raw deal at times, in terms of 'additional duties' they were expected to fulfil, without additional pay.

Things like, doing a 3am airport transfer because the resort transfers didn't start til 7am... then still being expected to work all day. Babysitting for the management's kids so they could go skiing. Plus things like being expected to pay for van fuel and shopping up front on personal debit cards, then claiming it back through a somewhat leisurely expenses claims system, leaving them out of pocket on behalf of the company.

That kind of thing really annoys me. I am of the belief that you should pay people what you value them at. If you ask people to do stuff for free, you're saying you don't see that the service has any value. Which is ungrateful, and obnoxious, and ultimately long term it will mean that your staff do not actively represent the brand because they don't really have any enthusiasm for it.

I am firmly of the belief that where the operating company treats their staff well, the staff will generally pass that energy onto the clients who then become return clients. It's a good economy to make your staff proud to work for you.

A snowHead

Skiweekends brekky in their Les Mis reberty chalet was super U own brand cornflakes and a baguette. No butter.

I ate better in the army

Never again

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Just my 2p's worth. Worked for 7 seasons as a hotel manager for a big operator and we had a tight food budget of about £2.50 per day per person to include the staff meals. It was hard but as long as you always planned the menu well ( we found that large hearty meals such as spag Bol and bourignon always went down well) and made sure that the food was of good sized portions and tasted good everyone was very happy. I would always want good sized portions of good food rather than small portions of fancy food.
That said however I stayed with ski total in their chalet atktic last season in tignes and could not fault the food. A young couple who made it one of the best holidays I have had and I had a group of 18 from 21-77. Everyone enjoyed the food even down to the homemade cookies we were sent on our way with at the end of the week.

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You know feta? Well imagine the size of cubes if you had a novelty penknife that came in a cracker.

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After all it is free

I've stayed with Ice & Fire, enjoyable food and friendly hosts at Les Coches despite them describing my sister in law as "An angry Antipodean!" (once she had left the room)which I thought was quite restrained considering how rude she was to the hosts!!!
Also stayed with Silver ski numerous times with both older and younger hosts, The food and accommodation are quite basic but reliable. I'm uncomfortable with being pampered so it suits me fine.

Help!!

tour operator chalet staff

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