It was 1770 when the inaugural hotel was completed in Chamonix Haute Savoie. Before this Chamonix ski resort was a savage and tough farming place where folks hunted their own animals and farmed their own oats.
Farmhouses then were used to stock herds over the spring and summer. The milk was conserved by turning it into different types of cheese and kept in the village for eating over the long winter times. In the winter the farms were locked, and all valuables were secured in a small hut.
The person who devised the catered chalet vacation is nameless, however it was probably various zealous folk who recognised a set up which people liked. For entrepreneur Erna Low it commenced whilst she was a nostalgic student and could not see her family in Austria as much as she wished. Therefore in 1932 she took a punt and placed a ad in the broadsheets to invite guests on a skiing trip. For only £15 they travelled to and from the resort, enjoyed breakfast and dinner and accommodation in the solitary chalet, and had skiing equipment and instruction. The vacation was strenuous work, there were no ski lifts, no quick release fixations, merely strong leather shoes, it was so popular that Erna carried on taking groups on breaks, seeing to it that she utilized excellent accommodations and skiing guides.
The chalet vacations during the beginning were a far cry to the luxury we have now. Hot water was in limited supply, the bathrooms were shared out with all of the clients, and there wasn’t a chef; all the guests needed to help out with the chores. It was a complete lottery as to who might be in the accommodation for the week, one may be pleasantly surprised to encounter new friends, or grimaced by the thought of spending another day with unpleasant guests.
The chalet holiday was later on marketed on their other pluses. Your own cook, who served you continental breakfast and an evening meal and made you afternoon tea, and {more hot water.