Catered chalets in France or self-catered?
Three ways to run a ski chalet, compared line by line: who cooks, who serves, what is included and which kind of group each one really suits.
In catered chalets in France and Switzerland, a private chef and a house team cook and serve most meals, keep the chalet and run the evening, so you only ski and sit down. A self-catered chalet is the same house without the kitchen team: you shop, cook and eat out as you please. Part-catered sits in between, typically breakfast plus a chosen number of dinners, or bed and breakfast.
Which one is right depends less on budget than on how your group likes to spend its evenings. A family with small children who want supper at six, a group of friends who plan to try a different mountain restaurant every night and a company running a working week in the Alps need three different arrangements, even in the same chalet. The table below sets the three side by side, then we explain what the staff actually do and which questions to ask before you sign.
One point makes our own model simpler than most. Every Lutetia stay includes a daily breakfast and a dedicated concierge, whichever formula you choose, so even a self-catered week starts with someone else making the coffee and someone to call when plans change. In France, all of our chalets in Courchevel come with a private chef in the house; the self-catered options we offer are in Switzerland.
Practical facts worth knowing
Checked against official sources, so you can plan with confidence.
Courchevel is one of the seven resorts of Les 3 Vallées, a linked ski area with 600 km of slopes, so a catered chalet there puts the whole area within reach.
Source: les3vallees.comThere are no cars in Zermatt: drivers park in Täsch and take a shuttle train that runs every 20 minutes and takes 12 minutes, which shapes how you shop for a self-catered stay.
Source: zermatt.swiss, Arrival by carFrench rules list 14 allergens that restaurants must declare in writing, from cereals containing gluten, eggs and milk to nuts, sesame and sulphites: a useful checklist when you brief a chalet chef.
Source: entreprendre.service-public.gouv.frCatered, part-catered and self-catered: the comparison table
The words are used loosely across the industry, so here is what each one means in the luxury chalets we rent. Read the columns as starting points: most houses can move a step to the left or right if you ask early enough.
| Fully catered | Part-catered | Self-catered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who cooks | A private chef, every day of the stay or on most days | A chef for breakfast and selected meals, or breakfast only | You, or a chef booked for chosen evenings |
| Typical meals | Breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner five to seven nights a week; lunch in some chalets | Breakfast daily plus the dinners you choose; afternoon tea in some houses | Breakfast (included in every Lutetia stay); other meals are up to you |
| Staff in the house | Chalet manager, chef, butler or hosts, housekeepers, often a chauffeur | A smaller team, with housekeeping and a host or manager | Daily housekeeping in most chalets; the concierge arranges everything else |
| Food and drink | Either included in the package or charged at cost: check which | Charged at cost for the meals served, as a rule | Your own shopping, or groceries delivered before arrival |
| Evening rhythm | Drinks, canapés and dinner served at home; one or two nights out if the chef has an evening off | A mix of dinners at home and restaurants in the resort | Restaurants, your own cooking, or a chef for a special night |
| Flexibility | Meal times agreed with the chef each day | Plenty: you decide night by night | Total, as long as you plan ahead in peak weeks |
| Best for | Families, celebrations, large groups, working retreats | Groups who want to eat out but not every night | Keen cooks, restaurant lovers, long stays |
Rates for every formula are on request: they depend on the chalet, the dates and the services you select.
What the staff actually do in a catered chalet
A catered chalet runs like a small private hotel built around your group. The roles vary from house to house, but in our chalets you will usually meet some or all of the following people. Knowing who does what helps you ask for the right thing from the right person on day one.
- The chalet manager or house manager runs the household: daily timings, staff rotas, deliveries, and the first person to speak to if anything needs adjusting.
- The private chef plans menus with you before arrival, cooks breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner, and adapts to allergies, diets and children’s meals. In several chalets a separate professional kitchen lets the chef work out of sight.
- The butler, maître d’hôtel or server lays the table, serves meals and drinks and looks after the wine.
- Hosts and housekeepers clean the chalet daily, change linen and, in some houses, offer an evening turndown service.
- The chauffeur, where the chalet has one, takes you to the lifts, to lunch on the mountain or to dinner in the village. Hours differ by chalet, so ask for them.
- Specialists such as the spa manager at Chalet Azelia in St. Moritz, or ski instructors, childcare and in-chalet treatments booked on request through the concierge.
How our catered chalets actually differ
Catered chalets can sound identical and run very differently. The two details that matter most are how many dinners the chef cooks each week and whether food and drink are included or charged at cost. Here is how most of the houses in our collection compare, taken from what each chalet offers.
If you want a catered ski chalet in France, Courchevel is where ours are, and every one of them has a private chef. If you want the option to cook for yourselves, look at Switzerland: Chalet Nore in St. Moritz is let on a self-catered basis with daily housekeeping, Chalet Astral in Verbier offers a self-catered option alongside its catered package, and Chalet Avalon in St. Moritz can be taken on a bed-and-breakfast basis instead of fully catered.
| Arrangement | Chalets | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Catered, drinks included | Chalet Gus and Chalet Avalon (fully catered option), St. Moritz | Breakfast and afternoon tea daily, chef’s dinners five evenings a week, early meals for children; house wines, spirits, cocktails and craft beers included |
| Catered, dinners five nights | Chalet Azelia, St. Moritz; Chalet Orizon, Verbier | Breakfast daily, afternoon tea, and dinner five evenings with drinks or canapés; plan restaurant nights for the other two |
| Catered, dinners six nights, food at cost | Chalet Zeyr, Zermatt; Chalet Ambre, Chalet Auron and Chalet Astral, Verbier | Breakfast and afternoon tea daily, dinner six nights a week; food and drink charged separately at cost |
| Half-board with a team | Chalet Erise, Chalet Osco and Chalet Morelle, Courchevel; Chalet Anelle, Zermatt | Half-board prepared by the chef, with afternoon tea in most of them and a server, butler or host; ingredients charged separately at Chalet Anelle |
| Chef every day | Chalet Sally and Chalet Valmont, Courchevel | Breakfast, afternoon tea and lunch or dinner each day; food and drink charged separately |
| Breakfast and dinner daily | Chalet Dace, Courchevel | Chef and butler serve breakfast and dinner every day, at cost; afternoon tea on request |
| Chef six days a week | Chalet Flys, Courchevel | Private chef and maître d’hôtel six days a week, breakfast and afternoon tea every day |
| Self-catered or bed and breakfast | Chalet Nore, St. Moritz; Chalet Astral, Verbier (option); Chalet Avalon, St. Moritz (B&B option) | Daily breakfast and concierge; daily housekeeping at Chalet Nore; a chef, grocery delivery or chauffeur added on request |
Arrangements are those described for each chalet; your advisor confirms the exact inclusions for your dates before you book.
Which formula suits your group?
Start from the evenings you imagine, not from the menu. These are the patterns we see most often when we help clients choose.
- Families should also read our guide to family ski chalets with childcare, which covers nannies, ski school and children’s rooms.
- If you are weighing a full package with transfers and lift passes, our page on all-inclusive luxury ski holidays explains what that adds beyond the catering.
| Your group | Our suggestion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Family with young children | Fully catered | Early meals for children can be arranged in some chalets, so adults dine later in peace; no shopping after a day of lessons |
| Three generations together | Fully catered with a chalet manager | One person coordinates timings, diets and transport for everyone, and nobody spends the holiday in the kitchen |
| Friends who want to try the resort’s restaurants | Part-catered or a chalet with dinner five nights | Breakfast and après-ski at home, with free evenings already built into the week |
| Keen cooks or a long stay | Self-catered with daily breakfast | Your own kitchen and rhythm, with a chef booked for one or two big dinners |
| A company offsite or celebration | Fully catered, drinks included where possible | Predictable meals, service at the table and one fewer budget line to manage |
| Guests with strict diets or allergies | Catered, briefed before arrival | A private chef cooks only for your group and can plan around every restriction |
Choosing a self-catering ski chalet: what to arrange
A self-catering chalet only feels effortless if the logistics are settled before you arrive. These are the steps our concierge takes care of for clients who choose it.
- Stock the kitchen before arrival
Send a shopping list a week ahead and groceries can be delivered so the fridge is full when you walk in. In car-free Zermatt, or at the top of a snowy drive, this saves real effort.
- Book restaurants for the busy nights
In Christmas, New Year and February weeks the best tables go early. Decide which evenings you will eat out and reserve them before you travel.
- Add a chef for the evenings that matter
A birthday, a last-night dinner or simply a night off from cooking: a private chef can be booked for a single evening or a few nights.
- Check the kitchen and the house
Ask about the oven, the number of covers the dining table seats and whether there is a second kitchen. Chalet Zeyr, for example, has a wood-fired pizza oven.
- Keep housekeeping daily
Chalet Nore, for example, is let self-catered with daily housekeeping, and that is what separates a luxury self-catered week from an ordinary rental.
Eight questions to ask about any catered chalet
These questions catch the differences that brochures blur. We answer them in writing for every chalet we propose.
- How many dinners does the chef cook each week, and which evening is the team off?
- Are food and drink included, or charged separately at cost? Which wines and spirits are covered?
- Is lunch served, or only breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner?
- Can children eat earlier, and is there a children’s menu?
- Will the chef send sample menus and take a full list of allergies and diets before arrival?
- What are the chauffeur’s hours, and is the driver included or on request?
- Is housekeeping daily, and is there an evening turndown?
- If plans change mid-week, can you swap a dinner at home for a night out?
Chalets, six ways of catering
From fully catered with drinks included to self-catered with housekeeping, these chalets show the full range.
The chalets side by side
Size and facilities at a glance; ask us for the catering details of each house for your dates.
| Residence | Guests | Bedrooms | Bathrooms | Living area | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chalet GusSt. Moritz | 20 | 9 | 9 | 930 m² | Indoor Pool, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
| Chalet EriseCourchevel | 12 | 6 | 7 | 600 m² | Ski-in / Ski-out, Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Sauna |
| Chalet SallyCourchevel | 20 | 8 | 9 | 830 m² | Ski-in / Ski-out, Cinema Room, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
| Chalet DaceCourchevel | 14 | 7 | 6 | 600 m² | Cinema Room, Hammam, Sauna, Jacuzzi, Garage |
| Chalet ZeyrZermatt | 12 | 6 | 7 | 565 m² | Sauna, Massage Room, Jacuzzi, Gym, Elevator |
| Chalet NoreSt. Moritz | 15 | 6 | 7 | 467 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
Rates are on request and depend on dates and services. Your advisor confirms availability and the final details of every residence.
Our model: breakfast and a concierge, always
Whatever formula you choose, four things stay the same.
Breakfast in every stay
A daily breakfast is included with every residence we rent, catered or self-catered.
A concierge either way
Your dedicated concierge books chefs, restaurants, transfers, ski passes and instructors before and during the stay.
The small print, read for you
We tell you in plain words how many dinners are cooked, what is charged at cost and when the team is off.
Chalets we have visited
Our team has been inside every chalet, so the advice on kitchens, dining rooms and staff comes first hand.
Catered chalet questions
Anything else? Our team in Paris answers personally, usually within the day.
Ask our teamWhat does catered chalet mean?
A catered chalet is a chalet rented with staff who cook and serve your meals. In a luxury chalet that usually means a private chef for breakfast, afternoon tea and most dinners, plus a manager or hosts and daily housekeeping. The number of dinners each week and whether food and drink are included vary from house to house, which is why we confirm both in writing.
Why go on a catered chalet ski holiday?
Because the evenings look after themselves. After a day on the slopes you come back to tea, a warm house and dinner served at your own table, with no shopping or washing up. It suits families, large groups and celebrations best, and anyone with dietary needs, since the chef cooks only for you. Groups who love eating out often prefer part-catered.
Can you book a catered ski chalet separately, without flights?
Yes. We rent the chalet with its staff and services, and you travel however suits you. Our concierge can then arrange airport transfers, a chauffeur, lift passes and instructors on request, so you build the trip piece by piece rather than buying a fixed package. Tell Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad your dates and arrival airport and they will plan the rest.
Is a catered chalet better than a hotel?
It depends on the group. A chalet gives you the whole house, your own chef and staff and meal times that fit you, which suits families and friends travelling together. A hotel suits couples who want a bar, a restaurant and other guests around them. Our guide to choosing between a chalet or hotel for skiing sets out the trade-offs.
How much is a family catered chalet ski holiday?
Rates are on request, because they depend on the chalet, the week, the length of stay and the formula. School holiday weeks and the festive season are in highest demand. The fairest comparison is to ask for the same dates in a fully catered and a part-catered chalet, then compare what each includes, especially drinks and the number of chef dinners.
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Choose the formula with us
Tell Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad how your group likes to eat, and they will propose catered, part-catered or self-catered chalets that fit, with the inclusions spelled out. WhatsApp +33 7 80 98 05 43 or contact@lutetia-group.com; we usually reply within the day.