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So… you’re the designated booker of the group ski holiday. You and your friends or extended family share a vision of cruising pristine pistes, clinking glasses on sunny terraces, and hanging out in your dream accommodation.
But where to start? What if people have different budgets, or can’t agree on where to go and where to stay? If the pressure’s on you to arrange everything, don’t worry – that’s why we’re here!
We’ve been helping skiers organise group trips for over a quarter of a century, and we’ve been on a fair few ourselves. With the help of Iglu Ski sales team leader, Iwan Williams, we answer the most common group booking queries and tell you how we can help you book your perfect trip:
- What's useful to know about the group before we start looking?
- What's the best way to decide on where to go?
- How to decide on costs. What if people have different budgets?
- Should we choose a package or non-package holiday for a big group?
- Should we stay in a hotel, chalet, or apartment as a big ski group?
- How should we manage spending in the resort?
- Why shouldn't I just book the group ski holiday all by myself?
- Is there a benefit to pre-booking lift passes, ski hire and lessons?
1. What's useful to know about the group before you start looking?
Just thinking about the logistics of organising a group ski holiday can be a daunting thing. A good place to start is to get everyone's details and requirements down on paper (or in a spreadsheet) - from ballpark budgets to their dates of birth and dietary requirements.
Ewan says getting these details will "help with deciding on resorts and accommodation, and mean's you'll have all the necessary personal information ready to go when you come to book".
Date of birth
Budgets
Resort requirements
Dietary requirements
Equipment (do they have their own skis/boots etc)
Lessons required?
It might also be useful to know what people's preferences are with the following:
Booking lift passes in advance
Booking ski hire in advance
2. What's the best way for us to decide on where to go?
With the sheer number of ski resorts out there, it can be really difficult to decide on where to go. Iwan says taking these considerations into account can help you to hone in on the right resort:
“The ability of the group is one of the biggest factors. It’s important to know whether everyone is a beginner, intermediate or advanced skier, or if you’re a mixed-ability group, so you can find a resort that suits everyone’s skill level.”
“Obviously, budget is a pretty decisive factor and can quickly narrow down your options. Not all resorts are equal, so a chalet in affluent Courchevel would likely be more expensive than the equivalent type of property in affordable Les Deux Alpes.”
“Try and get a ballpark budget from each group member, then you should be able to find a happy medium. If there are big differences in people’s expectations, there are ways and means to ensure each person gets the holiday they want.” The next section gives you some ideas on how you can do this.
The third thing to consider is time of season.
“If you’re thinking of taking advantage of early December or April deals, consider heading to a high resort to guarantee good snow conditions. Or if you need to go during the school holidays, choosing to stay in a smaller or lesser known village within a bigger ski region is a great way to get the most value.”
Our guide on the best ski resorts for a half term ski holiday clues you into some of these villages.
“Finally, make sure you have an idea of group resort preferences. Do you want to have access to a big ski area, or maybe a strong party scene? Maybe you’re looking for a traditional town or village, rather than a purpose-built ski resort?”
Finding a ski resort that ticks every box and pleases everyone is a daunting task, which is exactly why we’re here to help.
Our team are group ski holiday and ski resort experts, and once they understand your abilities, budget and preferences, can recommend places that meet your exact requirements.
Iwan says: “If customers are still torn on resorts, I use either my personal experience or their most important requirement and give my top recommendations in order.”
3. How do we decide on costs? What if people have different budgets?
It’s not uncommon for people in your group to have different budget expectations, which is why it’s useful to have a ballpark figure to work towards. Iwan says “It can be tricky, but a solution can always be found.”
“You might need to compromise if you want to stay together, either by finding middle ground accommodation or somewhere that has options for higher and lower budgets within the same property. A ski chalet is a great example. If you hire a whole chalet, you can split the cost so that those who take the biggest rooms pay more and those who take the smaller rooms pay less. In a hotel, some of the group can take deluxe rooms, while others take standard.
“You may also need to compromise when choosing the resort. Some resorts – like St Moritz and Courchevel 1850 – cater to high net worth holiday makers, with luxury accommodation, Michelin-starred restaurants and expensive lift passes.
Others – like Bansko in Bulgaria or Italy’s Bardonecchia – are known for being budget-friendly.
“If some of you desire a premium ski trip and others prioritise saving money, choose a resort that offers the best of both worlds. There are plenty that offer a full range of prices when it comes to drinking, dining and accommodation.”
Our ski specialists are used to accommodating different budgets and expectations within the same group.
“We can recommend a hotel that has standard and deluxe rooms or a chalet with a mix of room sizes, meaning all budgets are catered for by the same property.
“Alternatively, we can split the group across multiple properties in the same area, meaning everyone gets the accommodation they are after. For example, those with higher budgets can book a 4* hotel, while those with lower budgets stay in a nearby 3* hotel.
In addition, Iglu Ski makes paying for your holiday more affordable by giving you flexibility over how you pay. Using the customer portal, each member of your party can pay for their portion of the total holiday cost separately, either in one go or in manageable chunks. Just make sure to book your group trip well in advance so everyone has as much time as possible to settle up.
Iwan says: "Once the booking is confirmed, you can pay as fast or as slow as you want, so long as it's all there roughly 16 to 12 weeks before your holiday starts – depending on which holiday you've booked. Each person can make as many payments as needed, making it easy to manage your finances.”
4. Should we choose a package or non-package holiday for a big group?
“Both package and non-package ski holidays have their pros and cons,” says Iwan, “It really hinges on the preferences of your group and whether people prefer convenience and security over flexibility or vice versa”.
“When booking a package ski holiday, you have ATOL protection. This stands for Air Travel Organiser’s License, and means that your money is protected if the travel operator you book with ceases trading either before or during your holiday.
“Package holidays also tend to have reps in resorts, who are really handy to talk to (either on phone or in person) about any queries you have, and are particularly useful if you’re not a very experienced ski group.
“You can also get quite good group discounts and group booking offers if it’s a package holiday.
“And while many people consider packages to be non-flexible, we can arrange for some members of the group to depart from one airport and other members to depart from another, tying up flight times and transfers for smooth travel to the resort.
Nevertheless, “with non-package holidays, there’s much greater flexibility with dates and durations,” says Iwan.
“You can really tailor it to your needs – most package holidays tend to be seven nights, but you can go away for any number of days if you choose non-package and you’re not restricted to Saturday or Sunday travel days. Be aware, though, that you won’t have ATOL protection”.
Iglu Ski works with over 50 of the top ski holiday operators to bring you the widest choice and the best deals on both package and non-package ski holidays, available to book online or over the phone.
Whether you want the simplicity of everything wrapped up together or accommodation-only, you can find it all here and compare prices – and our ski experts can help you decide on the best option for your group. If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, we can even build a tailor-made ski holiday.
5. Should we stay in a hotel, chalet, or apartment as a big ski group?
Iwan is an advocate of group ski chalets. “Depending on the group size, chalets can work really well, as you can often take the whole chalet for the group – meaning you have your own space and host for the week, as well as a catered breakfast, afternoon tea and an evening meal every day.
“Chalets tend to max out at around 14-15 people, meaning that you may need to split across two chalets if your group is larger than that.
“Hotels are also a good option, and are more common than chalets in most European resorts. They also offer a greater range of room configurations – whether that’s family rooms, twin rooms, single rooms etc. Hotels are often great choices for very large groups – we work with suppliers who can accommodate bookings of 20-40 people.
Half board, which includes breakfast and dinner, is the most popular choice among groups, leaving everyone free to find lunch on the mountain, while also guaranteeing you a table for dinner each night.
If you opt for B&B, bear in mind that you may struggle to find restaurants that can sit such a large group together every night. You might be able to grab a big table if you book well in advance.
“Self-catered can also work well. Although there aren’t many larger apartments, if groups are happy to split up, then they can be a really good budget-friendly option. If you’re keen to keep everyone together, a self-catered chalet would work best. This type of accommodation also gives you a lot of flexibility over meals. You can choose exactly when, where and what to eat – a freedom not available in catered accommodation.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that apartments tend not to have a communal area (like a hotel bar, for example) where you can mingle with other people outside your group.
Budget is also relevant when choosing your ideal group accommodation. For example, a catered chalet tends to be more expensive than a half board hotel or self-catered apartments.
Just tell us your group size, preferences and budget and we can recommend the ideal accommodation for you, and suggest multiple options so you know you’re making the right decision.
Whether it’s a catered chalet, a half board hotel or a self-catered apartment, you can find it here.
6. How should we manage spending in resort?
Agreeing how you’re going to cover group expenses in the resort will ensure everyone is fairly remunerated and helps to avoid post-holiday disagreements. It’s also much less hassle than each person paying separately when you’re drinking and dining together.
“Making a group kitty is a good idea,” says Iwan. “Have everyone put in an equal amount for communal activities, then use it for meals out or rounds of drinks etc. This takes the stress of money management out of the picture for individuals – and you can then split whatever is left over at the end of the holiday.
“There are also apps that can help. Splitwise lets you track what has been spent and when, giving you the option to request amounts back from specific people if you’ve covered the bill – with evidence of why they owe you, which avoids awkward conversations! Settle Up and Splid are similar.”
If you’re trying to stick to a group budget, Iwan says where you go has a big influence on your daily expenses. “France, Austria and Switzerland will inevitably be more expensive than Italy, Bulgaria and Andorra for things like lunch and drinks”. He mentions that French restaurants can be particularly expensive, although every resort has cheaper options.
He also says that groceries tend to be more expensive in the mountains compared to down in the cities. If you’re self-catering, you might want to squeeze some essentials into your suitcase: pasta, tins, mountain snacks, rice etc. There might be a large supermarket where you can stop and stock up on supplies during the transfer from the airport to the resort.
As a collective, the members of the Iglu Ski team have visited hundreds of ski resorts many times over. Because of that, we can use our local knowledge to recommend budget-friendly restaurants, the best apres bars for happy hour deals and perhaps even where you might be able to stop for supplies on the way.
7. Why shouldn't I just book the group ski holiday all by myself?
When it gets to the crunch point of actually booking your holiday, you might be wondering if it’s better to go through an agent or find and book everything independently.
It’s certainly an option to research and compare prices on dozens of different websites in an attempt to find the cheapest deals. However, not only is this time-consuming, but you can often find better deals through an agent. Also, by booking everything through a single provider, it’s much easier to manage all your holiday admin.
Iwan says the advantage of “using an agent like Iglu Ski is that you can access group and bundle discounts on lift passes and equipment hire – and often better prices than going direct to travel operators.
And our ski specialists can save you time. Just tell them your criteria, sit back, relax, and they'll find the best resorts and deals that match your requirements. With a quick chat, you avoid days of searching, as well as doubts and uncertainties – safe in the knowledge that you're booking the perfect resort and accommodation.
On top of that, you can find all your holiday details and manage your booking by logging into the customer portal.
8. Is there a benefit to pre-booking lift passes, ski hire and lessons?
Iwan says that arranging your lift pass, ski hire and lessons in advance of your holiday is usually the best decision, especially for groups.
“I would always recommend pre-booking the extras. Firstly, it means less hassle once you get to the resort, because everything is already sorted, so you can just enjoy your holiday. All you need to do is go to the shop to collect your equipment and then collect the lift passes from the lift pass office – if you book a package, your rep may even hand out your ski passes on the transfer to the resort.
“This saves the group all having to book equipment in different shops, or arriving and having to find a shop and compare or negotiate prices.
“Secondly, there are usually offers available if you book in advance. Whether it’s a bundle discount for booking hire and passes together, or half price lift passes – there’s usually something to be snapped up".
We can help you plan and book as much or as little of your holiday as you like. You can add ski extras like lift passes, ski hire and lessons to your booking, as well as ski carriage and even kids clubs and childcare through some providers.
We also have dedicated deals on holidays that include lift passes and bundles with ski hire and passes – it’s up to you.
Ready to plan your group ski holiday?
Booking a group ski holiday can be a daunting prospect, especially if you’ve taken on the role of lead booker. But with Iglu Ski, it’s a breeze. Our ski specialists can help you find and book the ideal resort and accommodation for your group, and even arrange lift passes and ski hire. You can then use the customer portal to manage your booking and settle up individually.
Check out our latest ski deals, or call 020 3848 3700 to speak directly to a member of our sales team.