 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
"Hotels" are horrible places anyway, regardless of rating. The best place I've ever stayed on a skiing trip was a little old Austrian lady's studio apartment in Mayrhofen. Each day when we came back from skiing we sat in her back yard chatting to her and she'd give us home made apple strudels and things. It was honestly like staying with some wonderful long lost auntie or something. And it cost almost nothing. We gave her a big cuddle when we left, like we'd made a new friend. She gave us each a little heart-shaped gemstone as a keepsake. It was lovely.
c.f. the same cost that place was per week except per night, unwrapping a little biscuit from its individual wrapper on the plastic tray with the 2-cup capacity kettle on it, listlessly flicking through foreign TV channels until the perfectly regimented mealtime comes around and you all file into what appears to be the worst wedding reception ever, and eat some bland mass-produced rubbish, in silence, surrounded by total strangers.
Hotels, everyone! Awful places.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Wayne, Yes, it does make a difference .. not just to me but to many others.
I've seen a lot of quantative and qualatitive research on this from Bed Factories ( albeit it not Winter Sports specific) ... the premium you mention is nothing.... your target market however may differ obviously.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
paulio,
| Quote: |
unwrapping a little biscuit from its individual wrapper on the plastic tray with the 2-cup capacity kettle on it, listlessly flicking through foreign TV channels until the perfectly regimented mealtime comes around and you all file into what appears to be the worst wedding reception ever
|
Should have shelled-out the £100 for the 4* place mate
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
When I go on my own i just look for good value, don't mind if it's a hotel, chalet or B&B and aren't too fussed on location.
When the wife comes along then the criteria shifts hugely. "Nice" accom is prety much a priority, and the nicer the better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I would pay more for a pool, jacuzzi, steam room etc. Actually, it saves me money as I'd be in the bar otherwise! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wayne, If it's any help, on the basis that there was a minibus to take us to/collect us from the cable car, I was quite happy with the accommodation, food, facilities and ambiance of the hotel we stayed at in Folgarida during half term. I wouldn't want to pay £100 extra a head to be able to walk across to the cable car and have a slightly better standard of hotel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
antsjey, try the 3* Hotel Perren at Zermatt - I think you'll find the rooms very adequate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| paulio wrote: |
"Hotels" are horrible places anyway, regardless of rating. ...
unwrapping a little biscuit from its individual wrapper on the plastic tray with the 2-cup capacity kettle on it, listlessly flicking through foreign TV channels until the perfectly regimented mealtime comes around and you all file into what appears to be the worst wedding reception ever, and eat some bland mass-produced rubbish, in silence, surrounded by total strangers.
Hotels, everyone! Awful places. |
| paulio wrote: |
I'm happy to sleep in a "shabby Pontins" if it means I can afford two trips rather than one. Cost is pretty much my primary factor when booking a trip.
.... |
The experience mentioned in the first quote may be explained by the choice of hotels you make as disclosed in the second.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Toff!
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
paulio, Oik!
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
If your going to make a noise like a pig, like most posh people do when affronted, you could at least have the decency to spell it correctly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
Yeah yeah, get back to brushing the spilt heroin from your velvet pantaloons.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
paulio, Haven't done heroin for years and have never owned a pair of pantaloons purple or otherwise. Now run along my good man and take that chip on your shoulder with you. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Can't understand the posters here talking down the 4* and talking up the 3* when both are in fact hypothetical! The average 4* is a much more comfortable place to stay than the average 3*. For only £100 more, plus a location right next to the lift (I hate walking in boots carrying gear and hate buses even more), no contest it'd be the 4*. Just got back from an apartment directly opposite main cable car (25m walk from apartment door to cable car station entrance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I spelled "you're" incorrectly. I'm SO state schooled.
Those fellows from Eaten would never of made such a basic mistake.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
paulio, I noticed the error, but being well brought up and polite I wasn't going to mention it. You can't blame the school system, it's because you weren't paying attention in class, too busy no doubt, flicking paper at the other oiks and ogling the girls' breasts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Quote: |
3* or 4* - does it make a difference on a ski trip
|
On a ski trip? No.
On a ski holiday? YES!!! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Quote: |
I would pay more for a pool, jacuzzi, steam room etc.
|
If the hotel has the facilities you rate highly then it doesn't matter what star rating it is. After all, a trouser press and a direct dial telephone aren't on my list at all for a ski hotel whereas a ski in/ski out facility is high and would offset the lack of a bar with a view. I like having a sauna but don't think that a pocket hanky "pool" is at all worthwhile.
Set out what you want and go for it. Don't be persuaded by someone else's ranking system. After all, do you know why the hotel has 4 stars as opposed to 3? Thought not, so how can you rate whether it is "better" for you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Let's spell out some good 3* hotels for skiers from personal experience - here's some from me:
The Perren at Zermatt, the Drei Koenige & Post at Andermatt, the Belvedere at Wengen. Did I enjoy stating at those more than the Hotel Post at St Anton - actually, yes I did. Was there anything the Post was doing badly? Not at all.
My experience of 3* hotels in the Alps has all been in Switzerland - maybe that has something to do with them being so good. Are posters here saying that French and Austrian 3* hotels don't match them?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
abc, bang on the money my old china. Last year had very cheap (heavily discounted) chalethotel thingy in Courchevel 1850 and it was adequate, but nothing more. No place to hang out other than a dingy basement bar and rooms that might have been adequate if me and the better half were sharing, but was somewhat less than roomy for 3 hairy-@rsed blokes and all our kit.
This year in Mottaret we've got a proper chalet, 2 large wood paneled rooms between 4 of us with decent en suite shower and bath, balconies off both room and lounge (with views of Mnt Vallon) and proper ski in/out. Difference in price is about £200. Last year = ski trip. This year = Ski holiday. Roll on the 20th.
ps. To whom it may concern: Can I request a very large snowfall on or around the 19/20th March please, so I can give my new Scott Missions a proper run-out. Thank you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm not bothered too much by the 3* or 4*, the most important thing for me on a family holiday with young children is location. I would pay the extra to be as close to the slopes as possible. It's hard work carrying 3 sets of skis!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
achilles, I've only stayed at a couple of Swiss hotels but IMHO they and the Austrian offerings tend to be significantly more spacious than the French 'equivalents'. The Austrian ones , even in Ischgl which is not a cheap town, also tend to cost less than the French.
This year on the lads week we stayed at the hotel Alpenrose in Ischgl because it was one of the few that offered reasonable single room supplements. It was a 2* but excellent location (right by the escalator down to the gondola), good food and spacious comfortable rooms. No Jacuzzi, or Sauna but who needs em?
In Meribel Mrs Axs and I stayed in the 3* Alpen Ruitor, which was about as well located (in Mottaret) as it's possible to be, with excellent food, and very comfortable but barely larger rooms.
I guess the French just don't consider room size as important?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In an ideal world I'd like pool/sauna type facilities and be in close proximity to the slopes, but it really depends on at what stage in the season it is, and how far I have depleted my ski /general living funds. Have just booked a fourth holiday for the season, I fully expect to be staying a small box room which has not been decorated for centuries (although I did check with the TO that there was hot water....), but without compromising on the quality of the accommodation, I'd wouldn't have been able to go. Cost and quality/convenience of accommodation are a bit of a balancing act.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Axsman, could be. I can remember French self-catering apartments where 'sleeps 4-6' meant 'sleeps 4 at a push' - if you wanted to stay sane. Maybe the tendency of many sHs to go to France distorts the picture of what a 3* hotel can be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
Could be a culture thing too?
I found Swiss and Austrian hotel in general are so good I don't even mind staying at a 2* or less! But the couple of 3 or 4* I stayed in France was less than satisfying.
In north America, I'm usually satisfied with 3* or above. Room size is rarely an issue in N. A. But the condition (maintenance & cleanliness) start to fall off the cliff below 2*. Contrast that with the Swiss/Austrian 1-2*'s I've stayed in, which were all spotless and functioning precisely as one would expect, if albeit a bit cramped.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not particularly bothered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
So this topic has established that:
- some people would prefer to pay £100 more for a 4*
- some people would prefer to save their money
- some people choose on other criteria such as location and friendliness of the owner
...which was all sort of expected, given that snowheads are by now a pretty wide cross-section of the ski public, and given that both 3* and 4* hotels manage to stay in business in a market economy
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| Quote: |
the extra formality of higher rated hotels is something that puts me off.
|
me too. Location is a key point, as many have said. I don't pay to stay in hotels, if I can help it, because I don't like them. And when I did stay in hotels (a lot, and often very good ones) for work, then I always ate somewhere else unless I was too exhausted to go out, or the location was too dangerous to venture out. I agree too with those who have said room size is of no importance (what do people plan to DO in there, for goodness' sake!) though plenty of storage space is always welcome. And many "facilities" are ones I wouldn't specially want. Good food is a critical point - but the number of "stars" tends not to correlate to closely with quality of food.
One thing which I would pay more for, is a small, cosy, informal, hotel rather than a big flash one. For example, on a "safari" I would always prefer to pay a bit more to stay in a tented camp or a place with tree houses and an "honesty bar", where you sit round a fire in the evenings, than in a big lodge with a shiny bar and (OMG) "entertainment".
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
for the last three years, first week in March we have stayed in a very posh hotel in Courchevel 1850. Now the economy is totally knackered we went self catering this year in some very lovely apartments in La Plagne. We loved it...a different experience but very much as enjoyable. I do like to stay in somewhere that is crisp and fresh though...not minging brown stains on stuff etc. So, be it a 4 or 5 star hotel or 3 or 4 star self catered apartment I dont mind...so long as it's clean and fresh and welcoming. Food is also very important, would rather do self catering with good grub than catered with rubbish.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Megamum, point taken - but I do realise how lucky I am. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Megamum, a nice apartment is a whole heap better than a poor hotel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
pam w, oh yes  I always feel much more at home in an apartment (and not just my own).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apartments come in different bandings too - but beware the French system. They can be OK, very good, excellent or stunning, but the basics necessary to qualify for a 4* Residence de Tourisme are a long way off 4* Hotel.
PS I love Apartments. And of course,
[Arc 1950 plug]
in my village, you get the best of both, with large self catering apartments, yet with a hotel reception, dining options, all the facilites, and additional shared lounge areas all under the same roof
[/plug]
I'm pretty happy too with catered chalets. I'm not so keen on hotels - as earlier posters, the regimented "waiting for supper" routine is a real drag, and not being able to - for the sake of others you understand - sit in front of the fire with a glass of something warming, in your socks and base layer only is a disappointment.
Mind you, we hotel'd in Alpe D'Huez once: they did have a sponsored Cointreau crepe chef in one night , and we pigged out big time (15 I think it was...), so not all bad
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| JimW wrote: |
| I'm not so keen on hotels - as earlier posters, the regimented "waiting for supper" routine is a real drag, and not being able to - for the sake of others you understand - sit in front of the fire with a glass of something warming, in your socks and base layer only is a disappointment. |
I don't know anything about the "waiting for dinner" routine so I can't comment.
But as for a glass of wine in front of the fire, I think that's quite often possible, albeit minus the "socks & base layer" bit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| abc wrote: |
| ... albeit minus the "socks & base layer" bit. |
Naked?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
's. 
You mean some folks can actually afford to go for a ski holiday in a hotel 
You guys don't realise how lucky you are to even be having a conversation about whether 3* or 4* is best. For some of us a skiing holiday in a 1* hotel is still a pipe dream.................{wistful smiley reqd}