Job Introduction
Location: Sauze D'Oulx, Italy
Season: December – April
Experience Required: Previous customer service experience is essential. Hospitality, hotel or chalet experience is highly desirable.
Eligibility: EU passport holders and/or the Right to Work in Italy
Salary: Competitive seasonal salary, plus accommodation, meals, travel to resort and an excellent overall package.
Due to the visa limitations in Italy, we can only consider people who hold a valid EU passport or already have the Right to Work in Italy.
In a Nutshell
- Be the right hand to the Chalet Hotel Manager and help keep one of our Neilson Mountain Collection hotels running brilliantly.
- Help lead, motivate and support the hotel team while staying firmly involved in the day-to-day operation.
- Take responsibility for the hotel and team when the Manager is off duty or away from the property.
- Keep standards high across guest service, food and beverage, housekeeping and the overall presentation of the hotel.
- Build your management experience in a hands-on role where you’ll learn what it really takes to run a successful seasonal hotel.
About Us
For almost 50 years, Neilson has been creating unforgettable active holidays in some incredible destinations.
During the winter, our Mountain Collection hotels put our guests right at the heart of some brilliant European ski resorts, combining days on the mountain with the relaxed, friendly hospitality Neilson is known for.
Behind every great hotel is a great team – and that team needs strong leadership.
We’re looking for an Assistant Chalet Hotel Manager who can work alongside the Italian Operations Manager to support the people, standards and day-to-day operation that keep everything running smoothly.
You’ll already have good hospitality experience behind you. You might have supervised a team before, acted as a senior member of a hotel, chalet, restaurant or bar team, or be ready to take the next step into management.
Either way, this isn’t a job where you’ll spend your season sitting in an office.
We’re looking for someone who leads from the front, gets stuck in and understands that sometimes the best way to support your team is to roll up your sleeves and work alongside them.
About You
You’re ready for more responsibility.
You’ve built solid hospitality experience and understand what good service looks like, but now you want the opportunity to develop your leadership skills and learn more about running a hotel operation.
You’re confident enough to take charge when you need to, but you don’t need to be the loudest person in the room.
You build respect by being reliable, approachable and willing to work just as hard as everyone around you.
You’re comfortable giving direction, helping organise a busy shift and stepping in when standards start to slip. Equally, you’re happy serving breakfast, helping turn around rooms, supporting the bar or tackling whatever else the team needs.
When something goes wrong, you don’t panic or immediately pass the problem to somebody else. You establish what’s happening, work out what you can do and take sensible action.
You’re organised enough to keep track of rotas, stock, guest requirements, team priorities and all the other moving parts of hotel life.
You’ll also understand that becoming a good manager isn’t about knowing everything from day one.
You’re willing to learn, take feedback and develop throughout the season.
Most importantly, you care about your team and your guests and you take pride in helping create an environment where both are happy.
Role Overview
As Assistant Chalet Hotel Manager, you’ll work closely with the Operations Manager to support the day-to-day running of the hotel.
You’ll help coordinate the team, maintain service standards, look after our guests and make sure the different parts of the hotel operation work together effectively.
A big part of your role will be supporting and developing the hotel team.
You’ll help organise shifts and daily priorities, provide guidance and feedback and make sure everyone understands what’s expected of them.
When the Operations Manager is off duty or away from the property, you’ll step up and take responsibility for the hotel operation.
That means being confident making day-to-day decisions, supporting the team, dealing with guest queries or concerns and knowing when something needs to be escalated.
You’ll also start getting exposure to the operational side of hotel management – including rotas, stock control, ordering, budgets, health and safety, food hygiene and team administration.
But this remains a very hands-on role.
You’ll spend plenty of time out in the hotel, working alongside the team and our guests rather than managing everything from behind a desk.
It’s a brilliant opportunity for someone looking to take the next step in hospitality and gain genuine management experience while spending a winter in the mountains.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Oversee the day-to-day running of the hotel.
- Help lead, motivate and organise the hotel team.
- Take responsibility for the hotel operation when the Operations Manager is off duty or away from the property.
- Help coordinate daily duties, shifts and team priorities.
- Lead by example and maintain high standards of guest service throughout the hotel.
- Be a visible, approachable presence for both guests and the hotel team.
- Build relationships with guests and encourage open and honest feedback.
- Help resolve guest questions, concerns and complaints professionally and practically.
- Know when an issue can be resolved yourself and when it needs to be escalated.
- Support breakfast, afternoon tea, evening meal and bar service.
- Help ensure food and beverage service runs smoothly and meets Neilson standards.
- Support housekeeping operations and ensure guest rooms and public areas are maintained to a high standard.
- Monitor the overall presentation, cleanliness and condition of the hotel.
- Help coordinate guest arrivals and departures.
- Support luggage handling, ski fit and other changeover-day responsibilities.
- Help ensure dietary requirements and allergens are communicated and managed correctly.
- Support staff rotas and help ensure appropriate cover across the hotel operation.
- Provide day-to-day guidance, feedback and support to members of the hotel team.
- Help onboard and train new team members where required.
- Support regular team meetings and daily briefings.
- Help create a positive, supportive and professional team environment.
- Assist with ordering, stock control and regular stocktakes.
- Help monitor wastage and maintain sensible cost controls.
- Develop an understanding of hotel budgets and commercial performance.
- Support in-resort sales opportunities across food, beverages, ski packs, spa treatments and après activities where applicable.
- Follow and help maintain hotel health and safety procedures.
- Support food hygiene, HACCP and allergen-control procedures.
- Identify maintenance, safety or operational issues and make sure appropriate action is taken.
- Help ensure company procedures, standards and policies are followed consistently.
- Work closely with other Neilson teams around resort to support the overall guest experience.
- Represent Neilson professionally both inside the hotel and around resort.
- Be flexible and ready to get stuck into wider hotel operations whenever required.
Skills & Experience
You’ll be great at this if you…
- Have strong previous experience within hospitality, hotels, chalets, restaurants, bars or similar environments.
- Understand what excellent guest service looks like and know how to deliver it consistently.
- Have previous supervisory, senior team member or team leadership experience – or can demonstrate that you’re ready to take that next step.
- Are comfortable taking responsibility and making sensible day-to-day decisions.
- Can confidently give direction and support to other team members.
- Lead by example rather than simply telling other people what to do.
- Are organised and capable of keeping track of several priorities at once.
- Can remain calm and solution-focused when things don’t go to plan.
- Are comfortable handling guest concerns and difficult conversations professionally.
- Have high standards and aren’t afraid to address something when those standards aren’t being met.
- Are approachable and able to build positive relationships with different personalities.
- Can give constructive feedback and support others to improve.
- Have a proactive, hands-on approach and notice what needs doing.
- Are commercially aware and understand the importance of controlling stock, wastage and costs.
- Understand the importance of food hygiene, allergens and health and safety within a hospitality environment.
- Are confident with basic administration and IT.
- Are flexible, resilient and comfortable with the demands of seasonal hotel life.
- Have a strong work ethic and are willing to get stuck into all areas of the hotel.
- Have a good standard of spoken and written English.
It’d be a bonus if you also have…
- Italian language skills – either native speaker, or fluent.
- Previous experience as an Assistant Hotel Manager, Supervisor, Team Leader, Chalet Manager, Restaurant Supervisor or similar.
- Previous responsibility for staff rotas or organising shifts.
- Experience with ordering, stock control or stocktakes.
- Experience supporting budgets or other financial controls.
- Previous experience training or developing team members.
- Previous experience handling guest complaints or service recovery.
- Hospitality, catering or professional cookery qualifications.
- Previous overseas or seasonal work experience.
- Previous experience within a ski resort or mountain environment.
- Skiing or snowboarding experience.
What’s in it for you?
Joining Neilson is more than just a winter job. It’s an opportunity to challenge yourself, develop new skills, live in an incredible mountain destination and become part of a close-knit team creating unforgettable holidays every week.
You’ll work hard – seasonal hotel life certainly isn’t a permanent ski holiday – but you’ll also have the chance to make the most of living in the mountains, meet brilliant people and create memories that stay with you long after the snow has melted.
Alongside the experience, you’ll get:
- Staff accommodation, with no household bills to worry about.
- Discounted seasonal lift passes, with payment plans available.
- Meals while on duty.
- Travel to and from resort within Europe, subject to our staff travel policy.
- Visa and work permit support where applicable.
- Comprehensive training, including pre-season e-learning.
- Role-specific uniform provided.
- Allocated days off throughout the season.
- Friends and family holiday discounts.
- 24/7 independent mental health support.
- Staff discounts in Neilson-ran bars and spas.
And, of course, the chance to spend a winter living and working in one of Europe’s incredible ski destinations.
It’s a season that gives you far more than a payslip. You’ll come home with new skills, new friends, incredible memories and plenty of stories from life in the mountains.
Please note: All Neilson Active employees are required to complete a DBS check as part of our safer recruitment process.