This fall, the hotel Les Grandes Rousses in Alpe-d’Huez (Isère) is experiencing a small revolution. The establishment founded in 1954 has just obtained its 5th star and has decided to open all year round. The two things are not, however, linked. The annual opening is not part of the specifications to obtain the 5th star, it is a decision of the management of the establishment taken with the aim of retaining its employees.
“Our business model is adapting to the labor shortage” – Patricia Grelot-Collomb, owner of the hotel Les Grandes Rousses
Because like any other area of economic activity, the luxury hotel industry is facing a shortage of manpower, so to keep its employees, the owner of the hotel, Patricia Grelot-Collomb, decided to make them sign about forty permanent contractsand therefore open all year round. “Our business model adapts to the labor shortage”, explains the granddaughter of the hotel’s founder. “Our objective is that the turnover of the periods usually closed, can compensate for the additional salaries.”
If the objective is therefore not purely financial, the hotel is also seeking to attract a new clientele, in particular people wishing to telecommute in a mountainous setting. “We have large rooms of 60 square meters which include an office and a bedroom”, says Patricia Grelot-Collomb. In this low season, the prices are also adapted since the cheapest rooms are at 110 euros per night.