Simply Morzine’s nomination for ‘Best UK Chalet Company’
To enter the ‘Best UK Chalet Company’ category by the Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Magazine at the World Snow Awards, we were required to write one side of A4 addressing the following guidelines:
- How you think your product has met the category criteria
- What outcomes and tangible results have come about as a result of your activity
- How have the skiing or snowboarding public benefited from your activity
- Please consider that the awards are annual and are based on activity between the last awards and this year’s awards.
Here’s what our very own Ben Marshall put down on paper and sent in. We hope this gives an insight into the Simply Morzine ethos:
We’re a genuine family-run chalet business – set up by our Dad, Mike. He’s now retired, so it’s me (Ben) & my brother (Gareth) in the hot seats – with Mike still keen to know what’s going on! We love doing what we do & life is good! We’ve been in Morzine (only Morzine) for as long as anyone can remember & we’re madly passionate about it. We arrived in the early 90s as pioneers when Brits were few & far between, running chalets, before setting up as ‘Simply Morzine’ in 1995. We’ve just celebrated our 21st winter season! Wow. Over the past 2 decades we’ve welcomed over 20 thousand happy guests, with many now good friends. We work with integrity, honesty & always pride. We believe this is why we’re the market leader in Morzine & why we’ve lasted the test of time. We’re at the top of our game – & in the last 12 months we’ve got even stronger… Without doubt, we’ve really pushed on, with things changing massively for the better – at both SM HQ in the UK & resort. The timing of these awards couldn’t be better to show this all off to the judges! So where do I start?!?!
The game changer was improving our shop window by investing heavily in a new website, which we hope is at the forefront of the industry. We don’t think you’ll find one better. The project took over 2 years. It’s essentially 2 sites in 1 – winter & summer. It’s easy to navigate & content rich, all lovingly written by myself & Gareth to the highest standard. A resort destination guide, the site’s packed full of useful info for all. Guests can read about Morzine & chalet holidays in general – things like ski school, childcare etc. There’s live availability, online booking – plus we’re started blogging. The website’s helped improve sales & offers an excellent experience to those thinking about a chalet holiday. Alongside this, we introduced a complex new booking management system. Phew!
We wanted to give an exciting opportunity to a young person & found an absolute gem – our super-apprentice, Lewis Stott!! Lewis lives locally to our UK HQ & his passion is skiing. So we sent him to Morzine last summer to live & work, before returning to our UK office. He’s brilliant at dealing with guests – before, during & after the holiday. He’s a MailChimp/photoshop expert & implemented a regular email campaign. He even scooped the prestigious ‘Apprentice of the Year’ Award. Lewis & SM benefited – but more so, our guests benefited from his fantastic work ethic. We’ve now taken Lewis on full time & have recruited another apprentice, Lauren. We’re all winners! Congrats Lewis!
Over the past year, we’ve placed a big emphasis on all social media outputs & massively increased our audience. We’re never ‘salesy’, instead, put ourselves in the minds of the ski/snowboard fan. We’re a destination & holiday resource. People can dip in & out – taking what they will. Our posts are varied, creative, entertaining and enlightening. Meanwhile, over in resort, headed up by managers Hamish & Rachel, we’ve not stood still either – & the result is near-perfect. We work hard to recruit & train only the very best staff to look after our guests. A big development was introducing an on-call resort shuttle service, which we’re told has taken us to the next level. And don’t forget, a Simply Morzine chalet holiday is not just about the winter. In summer, we offer niche & unique catered family adventures. We’ve crafted our programme over many years & the genuine family atmosphere sets us apart. We’re not aware of any other chalet company offering such a special chalet holiday.
In summary, we’ve tweaked & improved almost everything we do over the past 12 months. Plus, we’ve grown by adding 2 new central Morzine chalets to our portfolio! In this David v Goliath market, we’ve adapted, sharpened, innovated & improved. We’re thriving and our guests love us. We think we’re the best at what we do – which we hope makes us the ‘Best UK Chalet Company’.
We expect the next 12 months & thereon to be even better! Here’s to Simply Morzine!
We were also asked to write 100 words explaining why we should win. So here goes:
Having operated without fuss for 20+ years we deserve a pat on the back! We’ve never sought recognition, but now’s our chance to be loud, proud & shout from the (chalet!!) roof tops. We’re absolutely grasping it. Why? Simple! Family-run Simply Morzine is a genuine, passionate wholehearted, creative labour of love. We’ve stood the test of time doing ‘what we do’ well. We’ve grown to become the very best – taking chalet holidays to a whole new level (in winter and summer) always with honesty, integrity and exemplary service. We lead, others follow. Winning would mean the world to Simply Morzine.
We made it to the shortlist!
We were delighted to discover that, following nearly 150 submissions, Simply Morzine had been shortlisted in the ‘Best Chalet Company’ category at the World Snow Awards. Next was a public vote, which closed at the start of this month. We’re now excited but nervous ahead of the awards ceremony, which is being held at the Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Show on Thursday 26th October in London.
Our fingers are all crossed that Simply Morzine will be crowned as ‘Best Chalet Company’. Watch this space!
