Our Story

We founded The Boutique Chalet Company in 2011 with a clear vision to redefine mountain luxury and deliver a contemporary version of the traditional luxury chalet holiday. Today that vision is stronger than ever. It’s all that is good about our industry’s history, seamlessly blended with inspiration from exotic destinations and major cities around the world today.

We are often asked where it all started and our answer usually surprises people. They expect to hear of a long time love affair with the snow and skiing, but for us it’s all about the properties and the service. We love the mountains for sure, but none of us are die hard skiers and that’s a good thing. Our real passion lies in the amazing, world-class properties which we not only operate but are privileged to have helped design and build, alongside all aspects of food and drink. Nowadays it’s that last bit, exceptional, innovative and unique dining and drinks experiences, that we think really sets us apart from our competitors.

Our journey started with the development of a luxury ski chalet. The property was completely redeveloped in two phases spanning several years in total and is virtually unrecognisable now to where it started. Since then we have further strengthened our collaborations with leading architects such as Marullaz and blank interior designers Shep & Kyles with whom we have worked on Sapphire. With one of our properties winning Best New Ski Chalet at the 2016 World Ski Awards, two more receiving nominations in 2017 and another shortlisted for an International Design & Architecture Award in 2018, it is clear that truly spectacular properties are our bread and butter.

What drives us every day is a passion to be creative and innovative in all that we do and particularly our food and drink. We genuinely aim to take the best elements of service and hospitality that we experience and incorporate those into our own style, to deliver what we believe is the most innovative ski chalet experience out there.

As individuals, we live for those magical moments, the memories that inspire you and fill you with that warm glow of knowing… where you prepare yourself with the sentiment that “this is going to be good.” For example, we will never forget ordering a beer at the NoMad hotel in New York City, and being handed a menu with such an extensive array of craft beers — literally hundreds — from around the world.

More recently we were blown away by the cocktails at The Cocktail Trading Co. in Shoreditch, London. We’ve been to many great cocktail bars over the years, but these took it to another level. It’s experiences like these that fuel our own products; so in this area we have the Four Bottles Bar which showcases our wines, craft beers, gins and our very own BC Signature cocktail.

When it comes to food our travels and experiences are equally important. We only employ experienced professional chefs in our kitchens and whilst we encourage them to engage with their guests to deliver a personalised dining experience, we have also developed a range of signature dining concepts, which mean their guests enjoy truly special and unique experiences every time they dine. All our chefs are trained in these menus, adding to their own experience to create something truly special.

Kaiseki — our fine dining Japanese tasting menu — is the perfect example. Curated from the ground up for service in our chalets, this isn’t simply a good chef turning their hand to a new cuisine. This is your own Japanese Fusion Restaurant in the comfort of your chalet.

Kaiseki was so successful that we wanted to take the ‘restaurant experiences’ concept further. In fact you could argue it started with The Breakfast Club, a menu that is a far cry from just bacon and eggs. It showcases a range of signature daily dishes designed by our head chef, Nick Lyon-Dean, and inspired by Brunch Classics — perfect to set you up for a day on the slopes, without weighing you down!

Most recently we have introduced our Taste menus. These were created firstly in response to feedback from our guests that they wanted a break from fine dining a few nights of the week — lighter food and faster service — which let them eat as a family or enjoy the wider facilities of the chalets. Then secondly, our desire to showcase further variety in our food, so for example guests might try Lokum, our menu inspired by the piled-high platters of delicious, yet relaxed, Middle-Eastern salads at Ottolenghi; or Pintxo, which takes us back to the bustling tapas bars of San Sebastian.

Fantastic spa facilities feature throughout our portfolio, so working with the right spa partner was essential. Enter Bamford. Our partnership runs beyond simply using their luxurious botanic and organic products throughout our properties.

We also offer their massage and beauty treatments in our chalets’ very own Bamford Spas. Our therapists train alongside theirs at The Haybarn Spa in the Cotswolds, a statement that only a select few five star hotels can make.

Tying together these elements is of course our service. We’d like to think of it as modern, professional but also relaxed in style. Even small details set the tone here, such as our uniforms which take their inspiration from the bold and ambitious Manchester House restaurant. We want you to feel perfectly at home in your chalet — our team are there when you need them, but not when you don’t — and we try not to do things for the sake of it… tricks aren’t required to make our holidays special.

We would say that simple quality is the goal we strive for, but as with all things simple, it’s the detail that counts. The refinement of this detail year on year is the reason our food and drinks experiences are considered the best in the industry! World-class properties, curated dining experiences, exceptional levels of service with fine attention to detail and a personal touch throughout. Offering a five-star luxury hotel experience in a private mountain residence.

This is our story.

This is Mountain Luxury Redefined.

So would you like to join us?