TRAVEL
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When I was 16, I told my parents I would only want to work for 2 people; myself, or Sir Richard Branson.
There are fifteen staff working at the Lodge. Why so many? The level of service that we offer is one of the highlights of your stay at The Lodge. We have dedicated drivers, hosting staff, Chefs and a beauty therapist, all on hand 24 hours a day to ensure you never go hungry, thirsty or want for anything. What activities could I enjoy at The Lodge? In Winter we offer Skiing, Snowboarding, Paragliding, Snow Shoeing, Ice Karting, Heli Skiing, Heli Skydiving and Ice Skating as well as Yoga, Spa Treatments, Swimming, Hot tub parties and Curling. In Summer we offer Biking: Road, Mountain and Downhill. There’s also Walking tours, Hiking, Paragliding, Golf, Tennis, Yoga, Spa Treatments, Heli Golfing, Heli Paragliding, Heli Skydiving, Canyoning, Rock Climbing and Mountain Scooters. And for extra special activities we can arrange custom made day trips or experiences using our partners and knowledge of the area. If I wanted something specific to eat, can I just ask the chef to prepare? Of course! We have 4 Chefs working, and they prepare a menu every day, based on the preferences of your group, whether you would like 7 nights of tasting menus, or 7 nights of home cooked favourites, whatever we prepare will be the very best.
BECAUSE QUALITY MATTERS
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I see there is a wine cellar. How do guests know which wine to choose - what is the most expensive bottle you have to serve? We match a Red and a White wine with the evening menu every day, and base it on your preferences and what the Chefs have prepared for that evening. We often have requests for incredible wines, and have a couple of special wines in the cellar here. Any ‘important’ guests come to stay? All of our guests are special guests! We welcome everyone with the same importance and special attention. So Gareth, how did you end up as General Manager at The Lodge? When I was 16, I told my parents I would only want to work for 2 people; myself, or Sir Richard Branson. When I was doing my first ski season in Verbier in 2005, I met the management couple who were setting up The Lodge and after a few months of interviews and chats with them I started working at The Lodge in October 2007. I started as one of the 9 staff, as the Activities Coordinator, ensuring all of the guests had the means and tools to do exactly what they wanted, when they wanted. I worked my way up to Assistant Manager and then in 2011 the opportunity to work on Necker Island came about, and after a grueling few months of interviews I was offered the Deputy Manager position. I stayed on Necker for one year, at which point the GM position at The Lodge was available, it was a natural progression, and I started here again in June 2012. After gaining the ‘Patente’ or Licensee of The Lodge it was official and I have been here since!
Were you present during the well documented lightning strike on the island? I was indeed. I was running the Island at the time of the fire, as the General Manager was on vacation. The incredible thing about the fire was the reaction from the staff we had on the island at the time, who pulled out all the stops and incredibly, just 10 weeks post fire, we welcomed guests back onto the island. I remember holding a staff meeting the day after the fire and all I had was a tatty piece of paper and a pencil I had found, that was the start of the rebuild process! The family was also incredible and within a day or so after the fire we sat and started to rethink the new house with the whole family. Testament to that is the incredible effort that has been put in by all of the rebuild team, who managed to reopen the house just 2 years post fire.
If you want to stay at The Lodge simply visit www.thelodge.virgin.com for more information on how to make a reservation. Many thanks to Gareth Chandler & Charlotte Tidball at Virgin Limited Edition.I’ll be lucky if I get to have dinner in RED this winter.
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