22nd feb
Our staff day out in Annecy. Shopping and picnics all round. A gentle jaunt in a speed boat that moved disappointingly slowly, I mean really slow. After pulling out of the harbor we told captain Cockfosters to put his foot down, and he sadly informed us we were already at full pace. I don’t know why the boat man bothered confiscating the bottle of tequila.
I hate Mcdonalds. We stopped there for dinner and these are genuine quotes from Gordy le grue our supposedly well traveled kitchen porter:
“I’m so proud of myself I ordered it all in French”
“My French isn’t that bad after all”
“At least the vanilla milkshakes taste the same”
The bottle of tequila was apparently drunk by two people. Guy, the suspect alcoholic, head butted the bus seat in front of him until he was bleeding, but that wasn’t as bad as Josh, who climbed a 50ft tree then tried to monkey swing his way down. He fell the last 10 feet and landed on his back/head. It could have been a lot worse.
23 February 2006
I saw the inside of tintin’s lip today. I didn’t think I was squeamish but it made me scream and then feel nauseous. When he walked in with blood all over his face we iced it and told him to wash, then when he came to ask how bad it was I was the unfortunate witness. Is it really bad? He said as he splayed open a half centimeter gash into his upper lip. Gross, I hate day in. You just sit around in the hotel waiting for the injured to stagger home. Injuries due to icey conditions have been replaced this week by crashing injuries – we are in the busiest week of the year.
Sun 25th feb
Tried to get sun burnt on day in (my day for cleaning the stairs and serving afternoon tea). I made a new resolution not to do any more work.
Mon 26th feb
I stacked it on my head on a black run, but still went back for more.
Tues 27th feb
Marks birthday. Gang skiing in a white out, can we go to the pub NOW please? Some vin chaud and then an enormous piss up after work. Guests with original fancy dress ideas this week have been wearing cocks on their shoulders for skiing and drinking “do you like my cock?”. Tonight they have white t-shirts and marker pens. One is a tranny, Bullet got his shirt late on and had the most abusive comments… hiv I’m positive and proud…. dwarf porn.. etc
By the time we got to Le Kalico Tom had green comedy glasses drawn on his face, and was attacking everyone with designs ranging from moustaches to black eyes, I can just remember the stinging pain as it was drawn on… permanent pen on my face, what a good idea. Luckily the combination of sweat and smokey atmosphere seemed to help clean it off.
Wed 28th feb
Farting. Why does everyone get so bloody excited about it? Every single day the noises, and smells are compared. “Ohhhhh I’m kicking out a right pong.” And bullet nearly got in a fight in our local kebab shop last night “la vache qui ski (!!)”. He was leaning against the counter and casually let out a short sharp burst. The rest of us are so used to it we didn’t bat an eyelid, but the random drunk English man was shocked.. “did you he that?” He announced to everyone “He farted!!” then staggered around on his mobile phone and was trying to pat people on the back.
Thurs 1st march
I nearly snogged a guest.
Fri 2nd march
Ankle hurts aaaaaaah. Ggrrrrrgrgrgrg but the snow is coming DOWN
Sat 3rd
Nothing like watching Al’s car get almost completely buried whilst having a very chilled out transfer day taking in at least four naps.
Lots and lots and lots of snow
Tues 6th
Best day of the season so far, tons of powder and blue skies. I’m still moaning about my ankle though.
Why did Alan buy three trays of vodka shots when we went to the pub for a quickie?? Hmmmm
Wed 7th march
Hanging out with young people is no bad thing. They are stress free and generally pretty silly. As usual after work today we sat around talking absolute shite in the lounge for a few hours, I do mean shite. “Rice with pea” in a crap Chinese accent was shouted out a lot, Bullet entertained himself by making two gloves have conversations like they were puppets (yes, they did shout rice with pea, before he cleverly moved his finger and managed to simulate a puppet on puppet blow job), but when they moved on to the waitressing, how to balance all the forks under one knife, and “how many plates can you carry?” topic, I had to make my exit.
Sat 11th March
We have a new kitchen porter who can’t use his left arm.
Some people have far too much time on their hands……
COMPLAINT LETTER
CUSTOMER REPORT Jan 14th – 21st 2006 Received 15th March by email.
SATURDAY, DAY 1
Carpet in bedroom not vacuumed.
Dirty bathroom floor on arrival.
No bathmat.
Broken tiles in bathroom.
The showerhead was placed too high to be able to adjust it easily. We had to stand on the side of the bath to reach it. This was very dangerous and a health and safety issue. The shower head was ineffective and loose. During use it swung left and right and flooded the floor on every occasion.
There is a dangerous broken step on the way to the ski room.
Empty beer bottles litter the window sill and steps outside the boot room. Nobody bothers to clean up.
SUNDAY
Porridge takes 20 mins to arrive. It is cold. The bowl is stone cold. Send it back to warm up
Waitress attempts to serve bacon and egg before porridge
We asked for bedroom carpet to be vacuumed. We were told “oh it must have been missed”
We asked for our bathroom floor to be washed, nothing happened
Staff stand smoking outside the ski room and claim the door is locked so skiers cannot enter that way. It is not locked. We checked when we got down the other way. Skiers have to enter through the main lobby
MONDAY
Porridge takes 23 mins to arrive. It is cold.
Bath plug fitting broken and malfunctioning. Bath takes ¾ hour to empty.
Toilet since day one is constantly filling and discharging.
Since staff don’t clean the bathroom they obviously don’t notice these faults.
I take matters into my own hands and mend the cistern and temp fix the bath plug
The cooks are seen each day kitting up in the boot room for skiing at 8 50
Who is more important? Clients or staff?
Staff seem more interested in their social life and drinking and partying in bars than looking after their clients. Every morning they are hung over and tired and look dreadful.
Our client group are keen to get out and ski all day but breakfast are chaotic and last for ever.
TUESDAY
Porridge takes 21 mins to arrive. It is cold
The cook has been in a fight the night before and appears with a black eye. He has been out drinking late.
We are told the cook refuses to work before 0800 and will not start to prepare food despite skiers arriving for breakfast at 08 00.
Hot food takes more than 20 mins to arrive each day
At 08 52 an unwashed scruffy member of staff emerges from a bedroom next to the boot room and calls the cooks “you bastards” for not waking him up in time so he can go with them. He returns to his room slamming the door. The waft of stale air from his room combined with dirty clothes, beer and cigarette smoke is enough to make us feel sick.
No one is managing the cooks who are a law unto themselves. We are told that the other staff are unable to stand up to them
There is a “lads culture”amongst the staff; young, ignorant, poorly educated and inexperienced. Their lifestyle has nothing in common with that of the clients and consequently standards are low
Ski leading was cancelled due to new snow. We notice at lunchtime in the restaurants all the other ski leaders from other companies and their groups. Why not ours?
In the evening we found a cupboard containing lavatory paper and personally re-supplied out bathroom.
Bathroom bin not emptied since arrival.
No clean towels supplied despite written promise in the literature in bedroom to replace mid week.
Bedroom carpets still not vacuumed.
Bathroom floor not washed.
Bidet not cleaned since before arrival.
WEDNESDAY
Give up on the porridge. Another client sent hers back twice because it was cold.
Staff have no idea how to wait at table. There is a rush, panic chaos, breakfast orders are forgotten. Staff left clients cups to pour tea or coffee minus the saucer, their fingers around the rim of the cups.
They can not remember who has ordered porridge even when it is the same people each day.
The ski and boot room is never checked and locked.
Theft is rife in Courcheval but staff do not check the outer door is locked. It remains open all night, every night. They are too busy out clubbing or in bars.
The staff seem grubby, unwashed, sleepy, hung over grunge kids only interested in their own boarding activities and partying. Are all those living in the basement staff? Or are some crashing out there? Nobody cares. Clients are apparently an inconvenience.
A member of staff sits huddled outside sitting on a window sill smoking.
Tea and coffe were not served after day 1
Tea and instant coffee and water from a boiler is available on a DIY basis. N table service. Why can’t we have proper coffee? Or is it too difficult?
The red wine is drinkable. The white wine is of paint stripper variety. Nobody touches it.
The bathroom towels were not changed mid week as promised.
Eventually they were changed on Thursday after 5 days and just 2 days before we went home.
Overall, the feedback is that the experience was shoddy, shoddy, shoddy.
Skiworld need to get better quality staff. Skiworld needs to hire more experienced staff who understand the needs of their customers and have been trained in customer service. Being addressed as “Guys”, regardless of age, gender and standing is disrespectful. Using young inexperienced ignorant kids who know nothing is not a route to success. The management was really weak. You need to teach staff to pour tea and coffee by picking up the saucer with the cup on it and not just picking up the cup. This is unhygienic. We felt the cups were then contaminated and we were left feeling uncomfortable.
Bedrooms were not cleaned daily.
Bins were not cleaned daily.
Lavatory paper was not replenished daily.
There were too many broken promises.
Reception service – non existent. It offered attendance between 08 00 and 10 00 and 1700 and 20 00. It was always totally deserted, untidy and a rubbish tip.
The chalet / hotel shop was non existent.
Breakfast was not as promised of 2 items plus egg with the exception of Sunday when we got bacon, mushrooms and egg. Thereafter, each day we got just one item plus egg.
For example:
On Monday we got tinned sausages (why not fresh?) and fried egg.
On Tuesday, it was scrambled egg and bacon.
On Wednesday we were offered beans and egg.
On Thursday we got eggy bread and bacon.
On Friday: lucky us. We got 3 items; beans egg and tinned sausage.
On Saturday there was no cooked breakfast.
On Sunday there was no bread.
On Monday the bread was stale.
There was insufficient seating in the lunge area. Guests felt uncomfortable and there was nowhere to relax.
Over half the light bulbs in the lunge had blown. Nobody did anything about this.
The staff were very keen to sell tickets to events and persuaded a number of us to buy a yellow drinks card for 5 euros offering free or reduced price drinks. On inspection we found that these bars were not appropriate and certainly not to our taste. I wasted 5 euros and am returning the card. I want my money back.
Gringos Bar was a source of noise every night and especially around 02 00 hrs. We complained to the staff but they just shrugged and said it was other French people leaving to go home after drinking in the bar each night. The noise was intolerable every night and out sleep was disturbed.
12th March
Powder day. Unfortunately I can’t for the life of me ski in deep snow, and rather than smooth s- shaped tracks my path down is littered with body shaped holes in the snow. Philippa got a spontaneous cheer from the chairlift when she tripped up forward and did a double somersault through the powder. Apparently that kind of thing is fun.
The new kitchen porter spent the morning in tears and announced his intention to leave on Saturday.
13th March
I found the greatest hat ever. Bobble hats are back.
Our new kitchen porter landed himself in hospital with head and shoulder injuries after his first morning skiing. He probably shouldn’t have bothered coming.
14th March
Ibuprofen is wicked. I can completely ignore my sore ankle, and manage to ski all the way to St Martin for a beautiful sunny lunch, then back via some steep mogul fields. Great day.
15th March
An introduction to our hotel manager Louisa
She has the best intentions but is not here for the same reasons as the rest of us. On one of the best mornings of the season she spent her time off getting her hair done in preparation for a date. She actually turned up late to work because there was a delay as she had forgotten to tell the hairdresser she wanted her roots done. These are quotes from her tantrum, “I can’t go upstairs without my make-up on”, “I can’t possibly go on a date without having my roots done”.
To top it off we were a member of staff down on this particular day.
For a bit of a change we went to the swimming pool in Meribel. A bargain at only three euros. We skied there, swam, watched the slopes from inside a Jacuzzi, put ski boots back on, and skied to the pub. Everything in these resorts can be done just as easily in ski gear. After the initial faffing you learn to shop, drink, eat, hop on the bus, and go to the bank while your skis are stuck in the snow and you have bricks on your feet.
16th March
Livvy is out celebrating her 19th birthday in the classy Kalico nightclub. In true teenage style the girls are dancing around without a drunken care in the world. Drinks in one hand, balloons and glow sticks in the other, with their matching jeans and arse cracks hanging out. (Girls showing their arse cracks really is one of the worst hangovers from the whole hipster trousers scene. Plus the irony of the skater- jeans half way down your pants- look hit me for the first time….these guys are ALWAYS wearing belts.)
I definitely didn’t have her confidence when I was 19 – she marched up to the singer of the band and requested her own birthday shout out.
Teenage boys fashion I know less about, but are these shoes really a good thing?
