07:00: As soon as you get in you’ll need to clear away any leftovers from last night’s dinner and drinks, whack the oven on and set up for breakfast service. Maybe if you’re super early, you could even start on the afternoon tea cake or dinner prep – but don’t stretch it if you don’t have time pre-breakfast.

09:30 Breakfast service finishes (normally) and your guests should be on their way out to the slopes. Once they’ve left, this is when you can crack on with the cleaning. You will also need to clear breakfast, set up afternoon tea and fit in any prep for the dinner service you can!

For the cleaning you’ll need to make beds and clean bathrooms and communal areas. It is completely dependent on what type of guests you have as to how long this takes and we can only wish you luck…Don’t forget about the snow clearing at this stage either!

10:30 The chalet should be clean, afternoon tea out and ready for the guests and you can head off for the day until dinner service.

Free Time

This is when you either spend your time on the slopes, napping or doing a little life admin.

17:30 Depending on your guests, you’ll usually be headed back to your chalet around this time to start dinner service. As always, when you get in whack on the oven, clear away afternoon tea and set up for dinner service. Don’t make the mistake of offering a 6pm dinner start, as that means you’ll have to be back in the chalet by 4pm. By all accounts let the guests know that it will be a 7pm start time (at the very earliest), that way you can ensure you get some decent time on the slopes!

19:00 You’ll usually start serving canapes at this point (if this is offered by your company) and will be wanting to get the guests sat down ready for their starters. Meanwhile in the kitchen, starters and mains should be on the go!

19:30 Starter time! You’ll want to get your starters out and carry on prepping the mains. If you’re well prepared, you may also have already done the puddings in the morning shift…especially if you’re serving something that needs 2+ hours chill time in the fridge.

20:00 Mains time! (By the way, these times will only run to schedule as long as there are no interruptions and any children in your chalet have already been put to bed – but be prepared to be flexible with times). It’s up to you how much time you want in between courses but you also want to keep in mind that you want an early finish.

Figure out which ways are quickest to serve certain dishes i.e. some aspects of the meal can be placed on the table for people to portion up themselves – this way you don’t need to spend time plating up! But again, this is totally dependent on the menu provided by your company. Some dishes will take longer to plate up depending on the meals’ component, complexities and how you are expected to present it.

20:30 Pudding time! Hopefully the guests will have filled up on their canapes, starters and mains but it’s always nice to have a little sweet indulgence to round off the evening. Try to make it as easy and quick as possible to plate up the puds by preparing things earlier in the day and leaving a minimal amount to do in the evening.

20:45 During their puddings you may need to offer a cheese course. Not everyone says yes, but if they do you’ll need to stick around for it. If not, you’re able to use this time clearing up and hopefully be out of the door by half 9!

21:30 Dinner service should be over. The guests are happy to be left with wine and bits to pick at on the table. You don’t have to wait until they’re done before you can leave. Just do your morning-self a favour and clear away as much as possible.

And absolutely do not forget to turn on the dishwasher (if you’re lucky enough to have one), as forgetting can seriously hinder your breakfast service the next morning.

22:00 Chill & drink time!

Depending on what kind of day you’ve had you may need an early night or a nice chilled out drink at one of the bars.

You will, of course, have other weekly tasks to complete, which could entail some or all of the below:
• Staff meetings
• Accounts meetings (if you are in charge of any cash)
• Food Shopping (whether it’s ordering online or physically going to the shops)
• Changeover days
• Deep Cleans
• Stores orders (for any chalet specific items or products supplied to guests upon arrival)
• Babysitting (optional)
• Dog walking (optional)
• Extra snow clearing
• Mid-season checks and deep cleans

Although this list is not exhaustive, and will of course not be reflective of every chalet hosts’ experience, it covers the basics and has hopefully given you a greater insight into what will be expected of you on season. If you’re reading this ahead of your first season, good luck and make sure to get the most out of your season!