 Poster: A snowHead
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When I go skiing with my mates, the room where we stop is just somewhere to sleep, so not really bothered what it's like. Long as it dry and big enough to get a bed into, don't really care.
But, I understand that other people will have different opinions.
All our hotels (except 1) are 3*. Nice, clean, big, got a bar, sauna, etc.
We have been offered a Very nice 4* right next to the cable car.
Does the standard of hotel make a difference to you, being that it will cost a little more.
I know I am going to regret this 
Can you tell me your opinions on if the standard and location makes a difference when it will cost you more.
eg. Say you were going to Val d Issere and there were 2 hotels.
1 was a 3* about 150m from the slopes the other was a 4* next to the slopes but it cost (for example) and extra £100. Which would you book.
Thanks
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 10-03-10 13:58; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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.
Location matters and I would spend more to avoid a bus ride or a particularly unpleasant walk (one direction of which is bound to be uphill of course...), but luxury makes no difference to me. Zero.
Your example of 150m is a 3 minute walk, so that would never ever be a factor for me. That to me is like saying "would you spend £100 more on a lift pass if it meant there was never a short skate on the flat between lifts". No, of course not, total madness.
So my answer is neither. I would privately book an apartment the size of a rabbit hutch, 350m from the slopes, and spend the difference on getting shitfaced 
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 10-03-10 14:08; edited 1 time in total
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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?
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The four star.
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Location much more important to me than the difference between 3* and 4*. In fact the extra formality of higher rated hotels is something that puts me off.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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If it was only an extra £100 each for two of us for the week I'd probably go for the 4*
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Wayne, given you example I'd go 4* every time, but that's only using my own personal cost/time/comfort algorithm. Things what an extra * typically might buy you;
- A little more cat swinging room
- A balcony with a view (if you're lucky)
- An efficient shower (a thing of beauty after a hard day careering around the Alps)
- Better food
- Decent in-house bar (again, with balcony or at least a view)
- Proximity to the slopes
Yes, a room is just a place to crash, but as we discovered last year at the budget Les Anemones in Courchevel 1850, sometimes it's good to have somewhere other than a box room or basement bar to hang out if, for whatever reason, you're taking a bit of time away from the slopes.
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What extra does the 4* give? 150m walk wouldn't make a difference and the difference between a top end 3* and bottom end 4* isn't always that noticeable so I'd be considering the hotel and its facilities, reputation etc rather than just the * rating
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| Location much more important to me than the difference between 3* and 4*. In fact the extra formality of higher rated hotels is something that puts me off. |
Agreed on both counts. I particularly resent paying higher prices for indifferent food that has been unnecessarily fiddled with: good home cooking is what's required on a ski trip and is often not found in posh hotels. Best of all worlds is a top hotel which is family run and retains some of the feel of a family home; that's rare, though.
Important things for me are location (although it doesn't have to be ski-in, ski-out, I don't mind a 5 minute walk!) efficient plumbing (ie CHW and decent shower pressure) wholesome food and, above all, cleanliness. Room size is of no concern, so long as there is sufficient hanging space etc for gear.
On the other hand, I have very good friends, with whom I have often skied, who really rate beautifully furnished big rooms, posh dining rooms in which you have to dress up etc. Drives me nuts, but...different folks, different strokes.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Dr John wrote: |
| - A balcony with a view (if you're lucky) |
Not going to happen in our resort (regardless of what you read on "some" other TO's websites ??)
Our resort in in the Dolomiti National Park Forest. There is a strange law round here that says that nothing can be built higher than the trees around it. This means that even if you do have a balcony (like many of our rooms do) you will get a view of tress, more trees and if you look really hard you'll see more trees.
To me, the best views from any ski resort are of Monte Bianco (or what eve the French call it ) from Courmayeur ski slopes, but would I pay more for a room where you could see this from. Who knows, doubt it. Oh and I have stayed the Antaris in Zermatt lots of times and the view from the rooms of the Matterhorn is really mega, but worth more money, again, who knows.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Wed 10-03-10 14:21; edited 1 time in total
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Wayne, I usually go for a good quality apartment over a hotel However,if I was looking for a hotel, and the 3* looked nice, and had good reviews I am just as likely to book that and save the £100 for the beer money.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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For a minute I thought it read ...
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3" or 4" - does it make a difference on a ski trip?
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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.
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DB,
was waiting - thanks for not making me wait too long
(double entendre fully intended)
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Location more important stars, but for 150m no way would I pay an extra £100.
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You know it makes sense.
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Location, Location, Location. I'd pay the £100.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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all depends really, some trips might take 4* some might take 3* but the stars aren't what decideds the hotel, we'll just look at them and see which suits us best, been to a few 3*s that have been better then some 4* and some 3* that have been not much better then a motel..
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Wayne, What is the difference between the 3* and the 4* that you might be offering next season? I'm a bit hazy on what you need to have to get that extra *
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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?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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In my recent experience there is a huge differnce if quality of food between 4* and 3* (both in Austria but different resorts). If it's only £100 I would definitely go 4*, after all if you're in Val d Isere, £100 will only buy you two beers anyway, so you're not exactly going to get 5hitfaced on £100 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Boredsurfing wrote: |
| Wayne, Whats 3* whats 4* actually mean in your area. |
I really don't know what the technical difference is between a 3* and a 4* or what you need to get the *'s.
I do know this 4'* though, as have been calling in for a sherbet dip and limonade for years - it's V nice and right over the square from the gonola.
But, looking though the answers it seems (as I though it may) that some people will pay extra for a nicer hotel and other won't.
No worries, back to haggleing.
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Rob@Rar is correct. Location, Location, Location. 
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The family run 2* 200m from the lift.
(Sorry, no help at all.)
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It depends, doesn't it.
Some 4* hotels are no better than 3*s, some are incomparably better.
Would I pay an extra £15 per night for a bath as well as a shower, better food, better duvets, a bigger room (and a balcony on which to cool my illicit drinkies), then yes, indubitably.
Would I pay an extra £15 per night for a bath instead of a shower, fussy food, and a "better location", where that better location is closer to the town centre with crowds of drunken snowheads.... indubitably I'd want a reduction.
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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.
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James the Last, I agree, that's spot on.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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.
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Axsman, "one more drink and I'll be under the host" etc etc
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I can cope with 4* - but generally there is a presumed dress code and ambience which is a little bit more formal than I wish for on a ski holiday. And it can be a bit prententious. 3* is usually fine. The odd 2* - such as the Lutins at Les Deux Alpes, can be delightful.
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You know it makes sense.
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achilles, I've heard this dress code thing mentioned before, and have to say I'm flummoxed by it. I have never heard of a dress-code for ski hotels, no matter how plush they are. I mean, obviously trousers should be worn and perhaps not a t-shirt saying F**K YOU YOU F**KING F**K on the front, but apart from that what dress codes are enforced for residents of hotels?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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That's why I can't stay in any hotels. I never wear trousers.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Dr John, Well - it is a few years since I visited (not stayed at) the Zermmaterhof, but by and large male guests were wearing jackets and ties. Even in the Sport Hotel at St Anton -maybe 3 years ago now, whilst 'smart casual' was acceptable, the emphasis was on 'smart' rather than casual. Hard to define, really. I prefer casual edging to scruffy - that wasn't the tone of the Sport Hotel. I guess its up to you what you like, of course. Peer pressure, rather than the management, does the 'enforcement'. The Sport was a perfectly decent hotel, but the way, with good food and helpful staff. But I'd rather stay at, say, the Belvedere at Wengen, or even the dear old Lutins.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 10-03-10 16:32; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dr John, Agree with you. I've stayed in several 4* hotels and a couple of 5's over the last few years and 'dress code' has never been more than 'smart casual'. At breakfast everyone is in base layers and salopettes, and in the evening jeans/chinos and t shirts seem to be the order of the day. I haven't taken a Tie on holiday with me for as long as i can remember. 
I also agree with achilles, though wrt the benefits of some little 2* places which can feel more personal and friendly.
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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?
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surely it would need to be really up itself to have a dress code..could understand it in the old school really top notch hotels..but in a holiday hotel..and 4* really not all that in the scheme of things...probably a good indicator to stay away from it then.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'd pay the extra and go 4star every time, especially in Europe. We stayed in a 4* Neilson chalet once and it really was incredibly basic so i certainly wouldnt chance less than 4* . . . i think i may be an incredible snob . . .
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| achilles wrote: |
| Dr John, Well - it is a few years since I visited (not stayed at) the Zermmaterhof, |
I was doing a BASI course in Zermatt in November and our evening lectures were in the ballroom of the Zermatterhof for some reason. Had to smile every time a bunch of scruffy, sweaty, oikish instructors strode in to the place
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| Axsman wrote: |
| ... and in the evening jeans/chinos and t shirts seem to be the order of the day. |
Guess I can't slob out in my favourite shorts and F**K YOU YOU F**KING F**K t-shirt that I love so much. Knew there was a reason expensive hotels are not for me.
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| 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. |
THIS!!!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'd go for the better star rating if it was a better hotel as £100 doesn't seem a huge amount if there was significant difference which I guess I would decide based on photos/reviews etc.
Having said that, if it was only for 150 yrds in location I'd probably not bother and keep the money. If it was for a pool or other facilities as well then I'd give it careful consideration.
Having stayed in some dire places over the years I would tend to go up a star rather than down simply because I would want some level of "holiday" factor built into my holiday. I believe that star ratings can be gained by having a big lobby or a lift or other guest facility so it doesn't necessarily mean it will be a better place. I don't tend to spend my holiday in lifts or lobbies so I'd try and look at what there was that would improve my holiday.
Bigger rooms would probably sell it to me, as would a balcony/view. But again, holiday factor not sleep anywhere just to ski mode.
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Thought I'd post something instead of just reading everyone else's posts, so hi all!
Having stayed in a few 4* and 3* places I think they both have their positives and negatives.
To distinguish between the two I am comparing good 3* places with good 4* places. Forgot 3*'s which are uprated to 4* by a tour operator, just make sure you do your research.
Overall I would always go for a good 4* if the price was right for the following reasons:
Larger/more luxurious room to have a bit of comfort.
Better bathroom with a shower that has a bit of pressure.
Usually have a large swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room, etc, which is great afer a hard day's skiing
A choice of food with staff willing to accomodate individual needs.
Things to do as opposed to just the bar. Games room etc.
Nice to have a better quality of surrounding's for a week's holiday for the sake of a few quid.
That's not to say that I would rule out 3*'s as I recently had one of my best ever holidays in a 3* hotel in Tignes 2100. However the difference in room quality was immense. My legs were hanging out of the bed (I'm short), you could just about turn in the bed without falling out of it, the room could barely accomodate 2 people and 2 suitcases without the floor space being entirely taken up, the shower would turn hot and cold every 20 seconds, the food menu was fixed every day with no choice.
However, the hotel was right near to the lifts, people were fun, happy hour prices for apres ski and the skiing was amazing.
I suppose you need to weigh up a combination of price/location/skiing/who you go with as everyone has different priorities.
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FAQ
