Luxury ski chalets or boutique ski weekend hotels?

Chalet or hotel. Hotel or chalet. The choice is simple but the variety of chalets and hotels available in the Alps can be baffling, and so Mountain Leap is going to try to make the decision a little easier for you. The romantic ideal of the Alpine experience is the luxury chalet, with a log fire, view over the valley and a location to die for at the side of a major resort run. Doesn’t sound too arduous, agree? But, is it right for you and your company? It certainly works for a romantic week, or a family holiday, but corporate events require different thinking. The biggest factor will inevitably be the number of people in your group. The majority of higher end chalets sleep 6 to 12 people – not ideal for that office reward trip, or for entertaining larger groups of clients. There are larger chalets available, such as Chalet St.Philipe in Megeve, which sleeps 25 comfortably, with an indoor pool, climbing wall, wet bar, screening room and top floor penthouse suite. Luxury chalets of this nature are extremely comfortable and for team-building or high end client entertaining they are ideal. Your guests socialise in the evening, live together, ski together, but can find independence and privacy in secluded rooms with private bathrooms. Evenings can involve a group dinners with exceptional catering or food and activities in the quaint village center a short distance away. A chalet though may not be right for some client entertaining events. This very much depends on the group size and event objective. For smaller groups of well-known clients a chalet has advantages of intimacy which encourages the relationship building time with clients. We do also recommend considering a boutique hotel (see our article on boutique hotels). Many of our clients opt for hotels particularly when entertaining larger groups or when several groups want to come and go on differnt days. Hotels offer greater flexibility, more independence and, for the more corporate-style event, a more corporate atmosphere. Hence, it is important to determine what the objective of the event is, as this will determine whether a hotel or chalet should be considered. At Mountain Leap we see the benefits of both kinds of accommodation, and will discuss your requirements in detail before booking anything. Whether the group would benefit from relaxing in a hot tub overlooking an Alpine valley from a private chalet, or wrapping up a deal in a luxury hotel followed by celebrations, we are here to ensure all goes smoothly either way.