Things to consider when choosing your accommodation

4 min read

Picking accommodation that suits your party can be tricky. There are many factors that you need to think about before picking a certain hotel.

Are you looking for a hardcore ski week with your students, or would you prefer to experience the small alpine village lifestyle? What would they prefer? Your answers to those questions can have a big influence on which hotel you choose…

Read the reviews

Don’t just take a tour operators word on the hotel being ‘amazing’. Have a look online before you commit to anything, make sure the hotel does what you want it to do and is child friendly. Read the reviews on the food! It’s inevitable that some students won’t like what is being served. However, there’s a difference between a child being picky and the food being inedible.

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  • Define you groups requirements

  • Whittle through the reviews

  • Compare and make an informed decision

‘Very useful indeed!’

Greg Wadsworth, Vice Principle – Shelley College, Sheffield

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Social spaces

Make sure there’s plenty of space for your students! After a busy day skiing your students will want to exchange stories from the slopes, it’s important that the hotel you are staying at has a good area for the students to socialise. An open space is so handy for you as a trip leader if you ever need to relay messages to your students or gather them all in one place.

Location location location

If you are there for the sole purpose of skiing as many hours as you can then ideally you are looking for ski-in ski-out hotel, meaning you can put your skis on early in the morning and get those fresh tracks! Remember, however, that this might seem like a good idea, but may become less relevant if your students’ ski lessons don’t start until later.  As ski-in ski-out options often come with a heftier price, it may not be worth it, considering all the other factors. If you wish to spend the week in a more central village location and experience the hustle and bustle of a ski village, then it’s key that your hotel has good access to public transport or is strategically placed close to the slopes. Nobody wants to walk miles with their skis over one shoulder and their bootstrap digging into the other, be sure to check if there’s the possibility of on mountain overnight ski storage if you are staying away from the slopes.

Resort suitability

Picking the right hotel goes hand in hand with picking the right resort, analyse the two carefully to make sure they’re right for your trip. If you know you have lots of beginners coming with you, ideally you want a hotel close to the slopes to limit the amount of walking in your boots, and a resort that is littered with green and blue runs. It would be foolish to take them to the Swiss Wall when they don’t know their left boot from their right.

Health & safety

Does the hotel meet all health and safety requirements? Of course no one wants to be injured whilst away, especially if it’s not even on the ski slope. Check with the tour operator that the hotel you choose to stay in is up to date with all health and safety requirements. Alternatively, if an inspection visit is possible have a look around the hotel and make sure it’s in line with requirements.

Don’t leave it to chance. Pick a winner!

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