Most would not think that an investment banker and a pro ski athlete would have much in common. There’s one instance where that is not the case. These two principals for totally different fields of work have the shared vision to create the most successful ski hotel groups in the French Alps. Passion for skiing and ambition are what bind them and is the foundation for Les Etincelles.  While the company is less than a year old, due to rapid expansion, fuelled by an ambitious investment plan, Les Etincelles is already the largest luxury hospitality operator in the French Alps, with a collection of over 35 hotels, chalets and residences in high altitude, snow-sure resorts.

This exciting new group is upscaling ‘snow sure’ ski destinations to high-end luxury resorts one chalet and hotel at a time.  The group provides bespoke experiences which hit at the heart of what skiers really want. Luxury is within the design of their hotels and the experiences and services they provide.

How it all began

Les Etincelles launched in September 2021, but its roots extend back to 2013 when one of the founding partners Guerlain Chicherit a World Free Skiing Champion and rallycross driver built Chalet Quezac in Tignes Les Brévières. Chicherit hails from Tignes and was four times the World Champion Freerider in the late 90s and 2000s.  More chalets followed, leading to the creation of Carte Blanche, a chalet management company.

Nicolas Chatillon joined forces with Guerlain in early 2018, helping to expand Carte Blanche, before the birth of Les Etincelles, an umbrella company overseeing the management of all the hotels, chalets and residences owned by Whitegold Hospitality, which is the investment and construction arm of the business.

Guerlain grew up in Tignes and have been skiing my whole life and skiing is my passion. I have had a chance to travel all over the world and of all the mountains I am most passionate about the French Alps. This is why we created our company and properties. We are a local group and are based in the Alps. It is not only a hotel group but about passion for skiing.”

During his time as a skier, he always had an entrepreneurial mind and as soon as he retired, he built Chalet Quezac with his own hands. The next chalet followed and the next, but it started with a passion. All the chalets in the Etincelles portfolio are unique with the main idea behind every single one to surprise clients.

When Guerlain met Nicolas six years ago it was as if it was destined to be. He shares “We could have met many times before since Nicolas has been skiing for 35 years next to my house in Tignes. When we decided to create the business, we wanted to be clearly focused on high-end resorts.”

Nicolas’ background was in banking, but he always had an enthusiasm for skiing. The combination has helped turn a chalet business into Les Etincelles: “To operate is a delight for us both,” he agrees. “It is a stark contrast to my previous career as General Secretary of a bank. However, it was my passion for snow sports that led me to help create a ski company. We built this platform and scaled up and diversified into hotels and hospitality solutions and are expanding.”

Guerlain added. “We had a few chalets in Tignes to begin with, but Nicolas and I had a vision to expand. Tignes is always good for skiing, but the development of infrastructure has been quite slow. We agreed that Nicholas would join from Paris to accelerate the business and we would start to also develop hotels and residences.”

Whats happening

Now Les Etincelles already incorporates 14 hotels, 19 chalets, 20 restaurants and 10  residences in six resorts: Tignes, La Plagne and Val d’Isère, Les Arcs, l’Alpe d’Huez et Val Thorens Some of the hotels, such as VoulezVous which launched in Tignes le Lac in December 2021 and Tetras Lodge which opened in Tignes Les Brévières in February 2022, are new builds. Others including Le Levanna in Tignes le Lac have been extensively renovated and the rest are marked for refurbishment soon.

The imminent integration of Lodge & Spa Collection’s three luxury properties, which are located in Val Thorens, Arc 2000 and Alpe d’Huez, into the group will further expand Les Etincelles’ growing footprint in the French Alps. By the end of 2026, the group is aiming to operate 30 hotels, as well as 100 chalets and 20 residences. Furthermore, Les Etincelles currently has 25 projects of 100,000 m² on the go in high-altitude resorts in all the above resorts as well as La Rosière and Les Deux Alpes.

Nicolas shares: “We are focused on six ski resorts. We have a crystal-clear vision focused on destinations where there is a resilience of the snow. We made all our projects around this. We want to develop new resorts with a product approach, we aim to improve the experience. We want to reshape and redesign the experience outside the hotel to simplify the life of our guests. We want to enrich their experience throughout their stay.

“We believe that it all starts from the warranty of the snow. When people are working all year it is important they have snow when they visit and so many of our destinations have snow for 23 weeks a year so when people rent a chalet or hotel room, they know skiing is guaranteed.

Secondly, it is all about creating experiences that set them apart from the competition. While renovating or design buildings Les Etincelles keep the needs of the client in mind. “It is all about providing the best amenities and experiences for our guests. We really believe this is important.”

All Les Etincelles hotels are four-to-five-star, so always ‘premium luxury is their positioning. Luxury can be found in the quality of the hotel and chalet, but it is not enough. it is all about the experience which is why we are creating exclusive ski services in the hotel to deliver high-quality services.

The five star Carte Blanche chalets all offer something different; from the funky Rock and Love chalets to the Banksy Tribute suites, Charlie and Husky properites, and more, all feature uber cool designs and artwork. Each one is stunning and stand out from the crowd, their edginess pushes them to another level. They particularly appeal to a younger and hipper clientele with deep pockets who want something different.

To expand upon this, Les Etincelles operates a vertical model informed by research that skiers in the luxury market want tailored and specific experiences. “We are creating different segments to target to different clientele who want entertainment and we specifically cater to families. We have created and launched universal brands representing different concepts because we want diversity in our offer. says Nicolas.

For example. their Hotel VoulezVous in Tignes embraces the Follie Deuce concept. It is designed around being an entertainment hotel. We have entertainment spaces from karaoke rooms and entertainers for the kids, dining areas and dancing space as well as al fresco opportunities They also are looking at flying over well-known artists for private concerts.

Luxe Trends

Part of the shift towards luxury is providing services that enhance skiing like automated check-ins so their guests don’t have to queue for ski lifts. There is also an increased appetite for nonski activities such as moon biking and the luge. Furthermore, more people are travelling in groups and booking chalets.

Demand for more luxurious and high-end services is being driven by international clients in the French Alps. The influx of visitors from the UK and Belgium is changing the expectations of experiences. Since the lockdown, 40 percent of their clients are British clients and the trend is booking resorts that are ‘snowsure’ for longer and the group has seen an upsurge in accommodation bookings for spaces exceeding 200 square metres which generally accommodate families of six to eight. A prime example of one of the clients offering these services is Village Montana in Tignes, a resort that families have visited for over 20 years.

Les Etincelles is reshaping the French Alps as it transforms the low to mid-end ski destinations into new premium to high-end luxury resorts. Prime examples are Tignes, La Plagne, Les Arc and Val Thorens, but as Nicholas shares, “Every year we see a new market for high-end products. Val d’Isère changed from an emerging market in 20 years. We want to transform the resorts in the mid-term view in five years we expect to roll out this high-end luxury offer by providing all the services you will find in Courchevel and Val d’isere. Nowadays, in Val d’Isère 70 percent of hotels are four to five star and Les Etincelles shares the vision to find new emerging markets in the French Alps and transform even more resorts from low to high-end.”

For the moment their sights are set on the Alps and France, but once their vision is complete, they might focus on other destinations in the future. For now, Les Etincelles is a tour de force in France, and it is exciting to watch their journey as they remodel more luxurious destinations.