Andrea Alberti
Google
My partner and I stayed at Hotel Les Chamois in Verbier on January 4–5, 2025. The structure, room, and amenities fully met our expectations, and we were initially very satisfied with our choice. However, our experience took a disappointing turn during dinner at the hotel's restaurant, which operates under the same family management.
After returning from a day of skiing on January 4th, we decided to try the hotel's restaurant for dinner. We inquired at the reception about reserving a table and were informed that dinner service was divided into two sittings. We were offered a table during the second sitting, starting between 9:00 and 9:15 PM. At 8:40 PM, after a short walk through the village, we asked if we could sit at the restaurant's bar to enjoy a glass of wine while waiting for our table. We were accommodated at the bar, where we immediately noticed that several tables were already available: two tables for two and one larger table for 4–6 people.
Choosing to be patient, we decided to enjoy our wine and wait as instructed. Approximately 10 minutes later, guests (external to the hotel) began arriving for the second sitting. To our surprise, as they arrived, they were promptly seated at the available tables. This prompted us to ask if we could be seated as well, given that we had been waiting. We were curtly told to wait. As more tables became available and additional guests arrived, these newly freed tables were also allocated to the incoming guests, with the option to choose their preferred table.
After more than 35 minutes of waiting, we were finally offered a table near the restroom entrance. At this point, my partner expressed frustration, pointing out that despite being the first to arrive and wait, we were given the least desirable table, while all other guests were accommodated ahead of us. She politely requested a different table, only to be brusquely told by the restaurant manager that, as we had been the last to make a reservation, we had no right to choose our table.
I intervened, noting that we had been waiting for over 35 minutes while multiple tables were assigned to others. I argued that if a reservation is accepted over an hour in advance, it should guarantee fair treatment and seating comparable to other guests. If this wasn't possible, the staff should have informed us upfront, allowing us to decide whether to wait or not. Instead, we were made to feel like an afterthought. The manager raised her voice and replied, "This is how it works here. If you don't like it, you're free to leave."
At that point, I lost my patience. Angry, humiliated, and with the evening ruined, I firmly stated that we would leave immediately and that this was no way to treat customers. We paid for our drinks and left without dining.
I have never experienced such treatment in my life. Regardless of whether their reasoning was valid, the tone and aggression displayed by the manager were unacceptable in any setting, let alone in a professional relationship between a customer and a restaurateur or hotelier. We are deeply upset by how this ruined what should have been an enjoyable weekend. The disregard and lack of respect we experienced were appalling.
For these reasons, despite the quality of the hotel itself, we will not return and cannot recommend this establishment to others.
