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| Hospitality Today | Feb/Mar 14
The Rochedy family:
left to right: Nicolas,
Jessica (his wife);
Maryse and
Michel
Opposite page:
Earlier days -
Le Chabichou’s
previous
building in
the 1970s
Snow, Stars and Spas
Many HT readers will know how challenging it would be to run a small
(40 room) independent hotel in a provincial village, in an area with
sharply defined seasonality.To have done so successfully for decades
and outshone all the local competition, and to have been able to invest
€7 million in a huge new spa and restaurant development, is remarkable.
The Rochedy family of Le Chabichou in the French ski resort of Courchevel
1850 have done all this - and are on their third complete hotel rebuild - and
have also won and held two Michelin stars for 30 years. They celebrated
their 50th anniversary as hoteliers in Courchevel in 2013 - and invited
HT to discover the reasons behind their sustained success.
In 1963, Michel and Maryse Rochedy
borrowed to buy a nine bedroom chalet.
Michel ran the restaurant and Maryse the
rooms. In 1970, a new building (above)
with 25 rooms replaced the original
chalet, and is awarded a two star hotel
rating. In 1975 this was expanded to
41 rooms and suites. The Rochedys
continuously improved and invested in
the hotel and service levels, and in 1988
the hotel achieved a 4-star rating.
The restaurant was awarded a Michelin
star in 1979, and then a second star in
1984, which it has held every year since.