Do you enjoy meeting new people, cooking for large groups and ensuring your guests have a great holiday experience? Then a Chalet host role could be the job for you.
The role is demanding and you can be working long hours, but you’ll be working amidst some of the most breathtaking scenery in Europe, with a close knit team potentially making friendships that last a lifetime – some chalet hosts have gone on to marry and have families. You’ll develop life enhancing skills such as communication and problem solving skills as well as practical catering skills.
As a chalet host, you will be expected to provide your guests with the ultimate chalet holiday experience. You’ll prepare your chalet with clean laundry, bed linen and a deep clean each week before greeting your guests as they arrive, showing them to their rooms and around the chalet. You will need the confidence and presentation skills to provide a welcome speech to all your guests before their first evening meal, detailing all the general information of chalet and resort. Your daily routines will start early, providing breakfast for your guests from half past seven onwards. Once breakfast is over, its then onto cleaning of the chalet and preparing afternoon tea of homemade cakes/biscuits for your guests as they return from the slopes. Finally you will be preparing and serving a high quality four course meal for your guests to refuel on.
Your planning skills as well as your ability to work within budgets will be constantly tested. You will be responsible for ensuring your chalet has the correct required amount of laundry on a weekly basis, the correct amount of food stock for your menu’s and all this needs to be done within the chalet budget.
Add to this, an unexpected problem with a guest or a maintenance issue with your chalet and you’ll see how your communication and problem solving skills will be tested.
Sounds like hard work??! Well in all honesty it is, but the benefits of the role are enormous. Your package will include free board and lodging, ski pass and hire, travel and accident insurance, plus the flexibility to ski during your free time as well as the chance to meet a wide diverse range of people.
When applying for the roles of chalet host, you should think about the role as described above. Chalet companies will be looking for people that are presentable, personable, well organised with the confidence to cook high quality meals for large number of people. You will need to be able work well in a team and be enthusiastic about the job role and the challenges that it will offer. Tell your interviewer about any past experiences you have with regards cooking for people or dealing with the general public that you can relate to the job role, demonstrating how you overcame obstacles with a smile and a positive attitude.
Potential chalet hosts should also think about completing one of the many chalet cookery/host courses available. This together with the ability to speak a foreign language is beneficial and will stand you in good stead with prospective employers.
"Free board and lodging, ski pass and hire, travel, insurance, plus the flexibility to ski during your free time..."
Written by Neil Newman, managing director of Absolutely Snow, providers high quality catered chalet holidays in France, Norway and Andorra.