Avoriaz voted best ski resort in France by Consumers
Avoriaz has been awarded the best ski resort in France in the Ski Club of Great Britain’s Consumer Research.*
The report, which is now in its third year, offers insight into the habits, intentions and attitudes of people who participate in snowsports, both here in the UK and abroad. It uses net promoter scores to determine how likely consumers are to recommend a ski resort to friends and family. Avoriaz came out on top as the resort people are most likely to recommend in France and was the second in the whole of Europe.
Stephane Lerendu, Director of the Avoriaz tourist office said: “We are very proud to receive this award. Avoriaz has always been a unique ski resort. It’s 100% ski-in ski-out, has characteristic architecture and an entirely car-free centre where horse drawn sleds are used as taxis. We also never stop innovating; from the Aquariaz leisure centre to the children’s village; our environmental actions; the on-going improvements to lift systems and slopes in the ski area; and with all the new activities for 2015-16, we ensure Avoriaz is always evolving and developing.”
We looked at why Avoriaz was voted so highly and what’s new in the resort this year.
The most important factors holidaymakers consider when choosing a ski resort are:
1. Guaranteed snow and size of the ski area
Avoriaz is at the heart of the Portes du Soleil ski area – one of the largest lift-linked networks in the world spanning two countries, 12 resorts, 209 ski lifts and 430 individual pistes. Avoriaz also has one of the best snow records in France with a whopping 8m of snow per season. The regular bumper snowfalls are the result of the humidity building from Lake Geneva hitting the cold front surrounding the mighty Mont Blanc (4880m) only 50km away. This turns the northerly resort into a dumping ground for snow.
In the rare event that the natural snowfall is sparse the snow making facilities across 130 pistes ensures Avoriaz stays in good shape. Even last season when the conditions were relatively dry, the pistes in Avoriaz remained in tip-top condition until the end of April and it was the only resort open in Haute Savoie in the difficult pre-Christmas period.
Anyone concerned about snow can take advantage of the Pierre & Vacances snow guarantee that promises: ‘good snow or your money back.’ The free snow guarantee allows holiday-makers to cancel their holiday five days before departure and receive a full refund in the event there is not enough or too much snow.**
2. Quality of accommodation:
Location and quality of accommodation is key and Avoriaz excels in this area. The car-free village of Avoriaz at 1800m is predominantly made up of Pierre & Vacances ski-in ski-out apartments that maximise on quality and value. Avoriaz hosts some of the finest properties in the company’s portfolio with traditionally designed alpine buildings and the added value of spas and personalised services. Pierre & Vacances continues to innovate its Premium holiday offering to ensure it meets the expectations of an increasingly sophisticated customer.
In response to receiving news of the award, Charles Antoine Pinel MD of Pierre & Vacances said: “Customer feedback had a great part to play in our new property developments in Avoriaz; from the construction of the buildings on fundamentally important issues such as ensuring every balcony faces west to get the evening sun – to ensuring all the popular UK TV channels and free wifi are available in the apartments. We’ve taken all feedback on board and refined our offering. Even the little things that make a difference such as kettles, mugs and toasters and comfy beds have been revamped for 2015-16.”
New for this winter Pierre & Vacances has launched ‘la Formule Hôtelière’. The set of services will be offered in a selection of Premium residences and introduces a hotel level of care to self catering with beds made daily and on arrival and fresh bed linen and towels every two days. Because the wifi is now free in all Pierre & Vacances apartments guests can also stay connected abroad for no extra charge.
Add all this to the existing fabulous ‘Village des Enfants’ Kids ski area in the centre of Avoriaz village and the impressive Aquariaz Waterpark (Europe’s highest waterpark) and it’s a winning formula for families.
3. The Price:
Avoriaz not only offers incredible skiing and snowboarding less than 1hr 30 mins transfer from Geneva and a range of superb quality accommodation, but it’s great value too!
Pierre & Vacances offers a range of accommodation options in Avoriaz from the 3* residence Saskia Falaise to the 5* Premium residence L’Amara.
Save 21% in Premium Residence L’Amara in Avoriaz
Premium Residence L’Amara is a stylish residence situated close to the lifts, restaurants, bars and shops of the recently developed L’Amara area of Avoriaz. The apartments have fully equipped kitchens and balance alpine charm with modern appliances. The residence also has its own swimming pool and access to the Aquariaz Leisure centre (Europe’s highest water park). Prices for 7 nights accommodation start from £1309 (saving 21%, down from £1662) for a 2 bedroom apartment sleeping up to 6 people, arriving 16th January 2016.
Save 22% at Residence Saskia Falaise in Avoriaz this Christmas
At the Saskia Falaise residence in the heart of Avoriaz, there is a wide choice of apartments to choose from which are spread over several buildings with direct ski-in ski-out access to the slopes. Guests will admire the breath-taking views of the Morzine valley and Portes de Soleil ski area and be close to the action with all skiing and leisure activities situated so near to the residence. It’s the ideal destination for a family Christmas. Prices for 7 nights start at £358 (saving 22%, down from £460) for a studio apartment sleeping up to up to 4 people, arriving 19th December 2015.
What’s new in Avoriaz for 2015-16
Another string to the Avoriaz bow is its continual development and innovation.
This season Avoriaz will welcome two new music festivals to the scene. From December 13-19th 2015 Snowbombing presents the new ‘Transition’ festival and a first class dance line-up including Dizzie Rascal, Wilkinson, B-Traits and Bondax. The event will also host Europe’s highest pool party at ‘Aquariaz’ – Pierre & Vacances high-altitude waterpark. Snow enthusiasts can enjoy the warmth of the tropics and some serious tunes in this unique setting at 1,800 metres.
Snowboxx Festival will also find a new home in the heart of the Port du Soleil ski region. From 12th-19th March 2016 the festival is creating something never seen before at a winter festival by building its own ‘Snowboxx Village’ in the heart of Avoriaz town. The village will host a multitude of events, main stage performances, off-the-wall festival features & local food and drink stalls. Snowboxx will also combine with local festival ‘Rock the Pistes’; a festival dedicated to showcasing live music on big stages in the most unlikely locations in the heart of the slopes.
Festival-goers can book package options through transitionsnow.com and snowboxx.com.
Introducing new Avoriaz Games:
Avoriaz is bringing something completely new to the ski holiday experience in 2015-16 by making use of the vast snowy playground in the middle of this car-free resort and offering ‘Avoriaz Games.’
From giant official snowball fights to paintballing on planks and human bowling, ski holiday options have never been wackier or more fun.
New Avoriaz Snowball fights:
Avoriaz has developed a new snow pitch where two teams of seven players can officially battle it out with a game of snowball. The game is an import of the Yukigassen snowball battle sport that’s become very popular in Japan. The aim is to capture the flag of the opposite team without getting hit by a snowball. The official Avoriaz snowball fights will be evening events designed to put on a great show with light displays, a DJ, video and more. There will be five events open to the public during the season plus the opportunity to arrange group fights.
New Winter Paintball in the Stash:
Introducing another new way for skiers and snowboarder to battle it out on the slopes. Two armies of 20 riders can now play paintball in Europe’s biggest snowpark, The Stash, in the middle of the Lindarets forest. To escape from their opponents or to launch a surprise attack participants can throw down a range of jumps with flips and rotations as their weapon of choice. Battles will take place once a week and Avoriaz will be videoing each one.
New Human Bowling on snow:
Participants have to get inside a giant bowling ball (or zorb) in this game and use their body to control and direct it towards the giant pins. It’s like being in a human hamster ball! Rolling over snow is a totally new experience and reportedly heaps of fun. Human bowling is open to all every Thursday in the Avoriaz resort centre.
For more information on Pierre & Vacances accommodation in Avoriaz visit: www.pierreetvacances.co.uk or call 0870 0267 145 and for more information on Avoriaz visit: www.avoriaz.com/en
*The Ski Club of Great Britain Consumer Research Report 2015 was developed in association with SPIKE Marketing and is sponsored by Travel Insurance Facilities. It is the only independent piece of consumer research in the snowsports market of its kind. Almost 30 organisations took part in the Ski Club Consumer Research 2015. Data was collected by distributing a link to the email bases and social media of these organisations which included tour operators, travel providers, equipment retailers, tourist boards, national governing bodies and indoor snow centres. From a pool of over 800,000 email addresses the 2015 survey generated 15,072 responses, 38% of whom were female and 62% male. Of these, 2,059 were non-skiers.
**The Pierre & Vacances snow guarantee is restricted to ski areas located above 1500 metres and to departures between the 19th December 2015 and 9th April 2016. To claim ‘a lack or excess of snow’ over two thirds of a ski resorts lifts must be closed for at least 2 consecutive days within the 5 days preceding departure. Other terms and conditions apply.
