Personalised Chalet Consultancy
At Fresh Tracks we have over 10 years’ experience as front-line chalet hosts and continue to operate in this role as we feel it gives us the best contact with our guests. In this time we have spent at least a week with an estimated three thousand guests, which makes us uniquely placed to understand the changing needs and wants of customers.
Whilst the Fresh Tracks Chalet Hosting and Cookery School courses continue to be a success, delivering well trained chalet hosts to work winter ski seasons, we have frequently been asked to offer informal and ad hoc advice on how to make improvements which benefit chalet hosts, ski companies and guests. With this in mind, we have extended the services we offer at Fresh Tracks to offer a unique and bespoke consultancy service aimed at helping your business prosper in the ski industry and to make you stand out as delivering first class customer service and recognition as a top-rated employer.
Below is a selection of services we offer, however we would work with you on an individual basis personalising the services to meet your needs, so if any of them grab your attention then give us a shout as we would love to help you out.
Menu Plan Review
Already got a menu plan in place but want to double check it and get a second opinion to make sure it won’t see your hosts blow their budget, struggling to make the dishes you want to provide and delivering a sub-standard service to your guests? Why not let us take a peek? We would be more than happy to review your menu plan and to spend that extra bit of time figuring our whether it will work. Highlighting any miscalculations in quantities, providing feedback on practicalities and feasibility we would be able to run through any minor amendments that will make sure your menu plan is achievable and explain why these changes will be worth it.
Menu Plan Design
New off the ground with a catered chalet and need a fitting menu plan? Looking to re-vamp a tired and out of date menu? Let us help.
Even the most well established and reliable companies need to reflect every now and again to make sure they are moving with the times and delivering the service their guests want. If you already have a menu plan that your team of chalet hosts work towards you may have some classic dishes on there that guests have eaten year in year out when they return with you. Whilst those dishes have served you well over the years it may be time for a refresh. Why not let us review your menu plan and look at what changes can be made to add value, taste and flare. The level of review can be down to you, you may be just after a slight jig around and a little tweak here and there, as you know what you have works well, alternatively it may be time to shake things up a bit more so let us re-write a winning menu to entice your guests back for another holiday. Using our knowledge and experience of cooking for, and eating with, thousands of guests, we can deliver an extensive package that includes new and exciting recipes to produce a menu plan that fits your needs, your chalet hosts capabilities and your guest’s desires.
Menu Plan Design Plus
Fancy all of the above services plus a little extra help as well? We can prepare and photograph the dishes, write your menu plan and provide full colour printed copies for your hosts in folders that are hygienically friendly for kitchen use and practical and useful for ease and efficiency. We will also provide you with a PDF version that can be sent to staff prior to the start of the season to give them the all-important time to practice.
In addition, if you want to make sure that the menu plan not only looks and tastes good but is financially viable, we would be happy to work with you, using our expert understanding of budgeting and shopping within the mountains, to consider your suppliers and available produce to ensure value for money and to minimise food wastage.
Manager Training
With past career experience in management we empathise with your chalet and resort management team in the challenges they face on a season. Many of these challenges can be mitigated with the application of a good pre-season training programme. Approaching these challenges from the perspective of chalet hosts to highlight what they need (and in some cases, don’t) you will see your resort teams work more cohesively together. Management training can be tailored to your companies needs and include for example a one-day experience whereby we highlight the topics that need to be included in any pre-season training programme for chalet hosts, and emphasis how managers need to train on these topics with a focus on why it is important to the host.
Resort Training Program
Think you may need a little more help designing your pre-season training program? No worries, let us guide you and your managers through a more extensive package to develop a bespoke service that will ensure your staff are fully equipped to hit the ground running when your guests arrive in resort. Tailored specifically to your requirements and being flexible enough to meet your individual circumstances we would work alongside you to create a plan that covers all the necessary topics hosts need to be trained on, identifying the best and most effective methods of training and providing the materials and resources to make this not just a success but also a fun experience for your staff.
Chalet Design and Layout
Thinking of building a new chalet? Just rented a new property for the season? Brilliant, congratulations. Rather than taking the chance that it will work out and trusting your instincts for the layout, why not ask us to advise you on what you need to consider. Whilst you look to your architects and builders for their specialist advice on construction, don’t overlook the importance of getting the flow and arrangement of the room’s rights. Time spent on discussing the layout to make it a work friendly environment as well as a comfortable homely base should not be underestimated and will see guests returning year in year out to their favourite chalet. Subtle internal design features may not be easy to identify but with our experience of working in small homely chalets, to large chalet hotels and beach side villas we know what works and what doesn’t.
Equipping a Chalet
So you have a great chalet in a fantastic resort in a prime location, bingo you can relax! Well partly yes, we all know the importance of location, location, location, however if your guests aren’t comfortable when they are spending time in the chalet then this will affect their opinion of their holiday and you as an organisation. Whether your chalet is self-catered, B&B, or fully catered, guests and any staff will need to have the right equipment in order to produce and deliver the service required. We also recognise the importance of good relationships with landlords of rented properties and would work with them and you to make sure the chalet is properly equipped.
This service can be effective for new chalets whereby advice is required on what is needed from the get-go to make sure there are minimal teething issues and to minimise financial waste on inappropriate equipment and utensils. Alternatively, for existing chalets that seem to have gathered a whole range of resources over the years, this service can help de-clutter and reorganise a chalet to make working there more efficient and staying there more enjoyable.
