Growth In Flexible Ski Accommodation For Tour Op’ Luxury Chalet Book Continues To Match Overall Consumer Habits

Chalet operators now adapting to changing market demands driven by consumer choice as the flexible self-catering holiday continues to see growth in the ski industry. Luxury Chalet Book, a leading travel agent specialising in the winter sports market, has seen its growth in high-end, self-catered accommodation double over the past three seasons.

For British skiers and snowboarders, the chalet holiday in the Alps is still the number one choice when it comes to booking accommodation. But during the past two years there’s been a rise in self-catered chalets (as opposed to fully-catered) that offer guests a flexible type of accommodation that can include a variety of extra services built around the needs and wishes of the guests.

A recent report by The Ski Club of Great Britain shows a rise in the self-catering market that takes it to 20% of the entire share, whilst specialist travel agent, Luxury Chalet Book has seen the percentage of its self-catered chalet bookings double over the past three seasons too.

Managing Director of Luxury Chalet Book, Simon Gill, said: “we’ve seen huge growth in the flexible chalet market driven by a variety of factors. Firstly the expectations of our customers are continuing to grow – they are looking for exceptional properties with the kinds of services and facilities they might be used to in top hotels. Having the flexibility to choose whether you want to hire a professional chef for the week, cook for yourself, go out for dinner or arrange food delivery services – or a combination of those things, offers an increasingly attractive ski holiday experience”.

This change in the habits of ski holiday bookings has provided opportunities for third party service providers to flourish. One of those is British owned company, Huski – a food delivery service that has benefited from this changing model.

Managing Director of Huski, Paddy Griffith, said: “Flexibility is the new luxury. Since we launched we have grown at well over 100% year on year, mainly driven by the consumer that doesn’t want a generic apartment in a faceless block, and also wants more control of what they eat. It has been compounded by industry shifts and market forces like Brexit, new legislation and increasing staff costs. The most noticeable wider insight in all this is that it is being driven by the higher end consumer, it’s not about price”.

Luxury Chalet Book offers a wide number of chalets across the Alps and in North America and specialises in upscale properties that offer the kind of flexibility customers are increasingly after.

A typical week in the Alps during the 2019-20 winter season in the resort of Meribel in Chalet Doron with Luxury Chalet Book costs from €581.25 per person (€4,650 sole use for 8) on a self-catered basis, including bed linen, towels, toiletries and end of stay clean. The ski-in-ski-out chalet features a hot tub, cinema, fireplace and west facing balcony with stunning views.

Founded in 2014 by Simon Gill, Luxury Chalet Book is a leading travel agency specialising in chalet accommodation and holidays in over 50 ski resorts in Europe, North America and Iceland.

With more than 700 properties available to choose from, Luxury Chalet Book offers one of the most comprehensive chalet holiday portfolios available for discerning skiers. The experienced team is led by Simon, who has worked in the chalet holiday business for over 15 years, and his wife Nicola, who has managed the famous Chalet Les Brames in Méribel and launched and operated some of the most luxurious and unique ski chalets in the Alps.

Their combined experience and knowledge has allowed them to carefully select all of the chalet properties offered on the website, as well as being able to help advise customers on exactly what would work best for their ski holiday needs.

Some of the key resorts on offer include Courchevel, Morzine, Meribel and Val d’Isère in the French Alps, Verbier, Zermatt and Nendaz in Switzerland plus St Anton and Lech in Austria. Other resorts with a more exclusive feel, such as Crans-Montana (Switzerland), Zürs (Austria) and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy) also feature. In North America Revelstoke (Canada), famous for its light powder snow and heliskiing opportunities features alongside the more famous Whistler, whilst in the US, Crested Butte, the original Wild West town with great skiing for all levels, has two luxury catered options available.

The more unusual destination of Tröllaskagi, Iceland, on the mountainous Troll Peninsular, is perhaps more suited to the adventurous backcountry skier looking for touring, cat and heliski options with spectacular coastal views – a luxury 28 person chalet awaits between the months of March and May.