Chalet rental in Courchevel plays out over a few winter weeks, between the opening of the ski area, announced for 4 December 2026, and its closure on 18 April 2027. Christmas, New Year and the February holidays concentrate most of the expectations of guests used to hotel service. Preparing the season therefore means deciding on the calendar, checking the local rules, getting the chalet ready and organising staff and transfers well before the first snow.
Chalet rental in Courchevel: reading the winter season calendar
Since 2017, the new commune of Courchevel has brought together the former communes of Saint-Bon-Tarentaise and La Perrière, and its villages, from Courchevel 1850 to Moriond, Courchevel Village, Le Praz, La Tania and Saint-Bon, open onto the Three Valleys ski area. For the 2026-2027 season, the resort announces an opening on 4 December and a closure on 18 April, dates always subject to snow cover. Between these two markers, no two weeks are alike: their value, the length of stays and the profile of guests vary considerably. Before opening the calendar to bookings, an owner must decide which weeks to keep for themselves, which minimum stays to impose and which arrival day to set. A luxury concierge in Courchevel generally sets this sales calendar from the summer or early autumn, in line with the chalet’s positioning.
Christmas and New Year, the two pivotal weeks
The festive season forms the heart of winter for a prestige chalet. These weeks are generally booked well in advance, often for the full week, by an international clientele that compares only a few properties and expects a fast, precise answer. These two weeks shape the rest of the season: a chalet let at Christmas but empty at New Year, or vice versa, loses a significant part of its winter value. An owner who wishes to stay there must decide before bookings open. Preparation follows the highest standard: seasonal decoration, a tree in place before arrival, restaurant bookings for New Year’s Eve, staff confirmed for the exact dates. Cancellation terms must be set in writing, because a late cancellation on these dates is hard to replace.
The February holidays, a different clientele
In 2027, the winter school holidays run from 6 February to 8 March, according to the three school zones: zone C opens the period on 6 February, zone A follows on the 13th, then zone B on the 20th, until 8 March (2026-2027 school calendar). This window attracts a family clientele, French and European, whose expectations differ from those of the festive season: children’s bedrooms, organising ski lessons, adapted mealtimes, safety equipment. The length of stay often follows the week, with arrivals concentrated on a few days, which puts pressure on cleaning and linen logistics between stays. For a large chalet, the balance between children’s rooms and parents’ suites weighs heavily in families’ choices.
January, March and April, the periods to build up
Outside these peaks, the calendar can be worked with more flexibility. The first fortnight of January, after New Year, and the weeks before February lend themselves to shorter stays, to guests seeking a quieter ski area or to executive retreats. March offers longer days and spring snow popular with experienced skiers; Easter, which falls on 28 March in 2027, creates a final week of strong demand before the closure on 18 April. Over these periods, a relaxed minimum stay, a flexible arrival day or special terms for stays of three or four nights help fill the gaps. The key is to remain consistent with the chalet’s positioning: too visible a discount on a quiet week can blur the property’s image with festive-season guests.
Letting your chalet in Courchevel in winter: the local rules
To our knowledge, Courchevel has not introduced a local procedure for change of use for furnished tourist accommodation: the town hall page makes no mention of it and no resolution to that effect was found in the municipal council minutes up to the end of 2025. The situation is very different in Les Allues, the commune of Méribel, on the other side of the ski area: since January 2024, any property let as short-term furnished accommodation there requires a three-year prior temporary authorisation, issued with a registration number. An owner with properties in several Three Valleys resorts therefore cannot transpose the rules from one commune to another. In Courchevel, the national baseline applies, supplemented by the local urban plan, and the situation may change from one season to the next.
Declaration and registration number
Furnished tourist accommodation is declared at the mairie (town hall), through the commune’s tourist tax portal. The town hall states that no local number is issued at this stage and refers to the future national number, expected in the fourth quarter of 2026 according to service-public.gouv.fr. Once the online service opens, every listing will have to display this number, and platforms will be required to remove non-compliant listings. If the chalet is your résidence principale (main residence), which remains rare in a resort, letting is capped at 120 days a year, Courchevel not having lowered this threshold to 90 days. For a second home, no cap on days applies in the absence of a local regime. The declaration, made before the first letting, remains a simple declaratory obligation, but one that carries penalties.
The local urban plan and the UV zone
The new local urban plan, approved on 26 February 2026 for the La Perrière sector, includes tools designed to favour permanent housing, according to the municipal newsletter of summer 2026. Concurring sources indicate that, in the UV zone, within a defined perimeter, it introduces a main residence easement provided for by the planning code since the Le Meur law. This mechanism targets new buildings: the homes concerned must be occupied as a main residence, and the easement appears in the deeds of sale. An existing chalet is not affected, but a plan to buy in a new development or to build on a plot in this sector must be examined closely, as it may prohibit any tourist letting. Reading the written rules of the PLU and talking to the notary before signing the preliminary sale agreement are essential.
Tourist tax, DPE and co-ownership
The taxe de séjour (tourist tax) is levied on an actual basis in Courchevel, and the ceiling rate published by the town hall reaches €5.28 per day per adult from 1 January 2027. The platform that takes payment collects the tax; for direct bookings, this falls to the landlord. On energy, the requirement for a DPE (energy performance certificate) rated A to E is attached to change of use applications and therefore does not currently apply in Courchevel, but on 1 January 2034 all furnished tourist accommodation that is not the landlord’s main residence will have to be rated A to D. Finally, an apartment in a co-owned building requires checking the co-ownership rules, informing the syndic (building managing agent) of the letting and following the votes, as a ban can be adopted by the double majority of article 26.
Local rules change fast in the mountains: Chamonix, Les Allues and Les Contamines-Montjoie have adopted recent regulations. A concierge based in Courchevel follows these changes from one season to the next and prepares the formalities as soon as the commune modifies its rules.
Preparing a luxury chalet in Courchevel before December
Preparing a prestige chalet begins in the autumn, while tradespeople are still available and the road is free of snow. It requires close coordination between technicians, the cleaning company, the laundry, the photographer and, where applicable, household staff. Owners looking for more conventional rental management, with a less hotel-like level of service, can also compare the offers of a concierge service in Courchevel listed by an introduction service specialising in the resort. In every case, the chalet must be ready several days before the first arrival, to test each piece of equipment in real conditions and fix any faults found without urgency. A full inspection visit, room by room, concludes this phase.
- The heating, hot water production and spa have been recommissioned and tested.
- The snow clearing contract covers the access, parking and emergency exits.
- The photo inventory and linen sets are up to date for the season.
- The insurance explicitly covers holiday letting and valuables.
- The listing, photos and welcome book reflect the chalet’s current condition.
Technical recommissioning
A chalet that has stayed closed during the off-season must be brought back into service methodically. The heating and hot water production are checked first, because a breakdown in the middle of Christmas week is hard to repair when every tradesperson in the valley is in demand. Wellness equipment, spa, sauna, hammam or indoor pool, requires specific maintenance and heating up in advance. The roof, gutters and access must bear the snow load, and a reliable snow clearing contract determines the arrival of guests as well as staff. The ski room deserves particular attention: boot warmers, storage, lighting and cleanliness often form the first impression for a sporty clientele. Finally, the home automation, wifi and screens must be tested with the codes guests will receive, under the supervision of a trusted technician reachable throughout the season.
Inventory, linen and photographs
Before winter, the photo inventory of each room is updated, particularly for works of art, fine tableware and designer furniture, which some owners prefer to place in a locked room during the season. Household linen must be provided in sufficient quantity to run back-to-back weekly stays without shortfall, with a number of sets per bed calibrated to the rhythm of turnovers and the laundry’s turnaround time. Bathrobes, spa towels and throws are part of the expected standard. The listing photographs are worth retaking under snow, by day and at nightfall, to reflect the real atmosphere of the chalet in winter. The welcome book, translated into the guests’ languages, is updated at the same time.
Insurance, access and winter equipment
The chalet’s insurance must explicitly cover holiday letting, valuables and the owner’s civil liability, as the guarantees offered by platforms remain limited. It is wise to check with the insurer the cover for damage caused by snow, frost or a leak occurring during a stay. Access deserves the same rigour: Courchevel is among the Savoie communes where winter equipment is compulsory from 1 November to 31 March, suitable tyres or chains, which guests arriving in a hire car should be reminded of. Parking, covered or not, and any space for the driver’s vehicle should be specified before arrival. If the listing mentions ski-in ski-out access, the wording must match the reality on the ground, or risk a dispute from the very first stay.
Luxury chalet rental in the Three Valleys: staff and transfers
In the prestige chalet segment, service is part of the product let, just like the bedrooms or the spa. Guests often expect a chef, a household team and transfers organised from end to end, from the airport to the chalet door. This organisation is decided before the season, because qualified staff and suitable vehicles are booked early in a resort where demand is strong and seasonal housing hard to find. The chosen concierge generally coordinates these providers and invoices them under its offer; conciergerie.luxe limits itself to the introduction, free for the owner, and carries out no services. The diagram below shows the main gateways to the resort, the choice of which depends on the weather, the arrival time and the amount of luggage.
Chalet staff
A high-end chalet let by the week frequently operates with a dedicated team: private chef, house manager or chalet host, daily housekeeping staff, sometimes a driver and childcare. Two arrangements coexist: using providers coordinated by the concierge, or direct employment by the owner, which entails employer obligations to be examined with a professional. In both cases, staff accommodation is the real difficulty in a resort: an adjoining studio or a dedicated room in the chalet makes recruitment considerably easier. Hours, days off, the division of tasks between service and upkeep, and rules of discretion must be set in writing before the first week. Continuity matters too: loyal guests appreciate finding the same team from one season to the next.
Transfers from the airports and the station
Three airports mainly serve the resort: Geneva, about 180 km from Courchevel 1850, Lyon-Saint-Exupéry about 185 km away and Chambéry about 110 km away. Moûtiers station, at the bottom of the valley, is about 24 km away, and the altiport, a few kilometres from the centre of Courchevel 1850, receives helicopters and light aircraft. Road journey times vary greatly depending on snow and the crowds on February Saturdays. A chauffeur-driven transfer is booked as soon as the stay is confirmed, with a vehicle suited to luggage and ski equipment, and flight tracking to absorb delays. Helicopter transfers depend on the weather: a fallback road solution must always be planned. The welcome at the chalet, with handover of keys and introduction to the equipment, is coordinated with the actual arrival time.
Stay services to anticipate
A successful week in Courchevel also depends on services booked before arrival: ski passes delivered to the chalet, equipment delivered and fitted on site, lessons with an instructor, tables at the most sought-after mountain restaurants and New Year’s Eve reservations. The concierge gathers guests’ wishes a few weeks before the stay, then confirms each service and its billing, generally recharged to the guest under its offer. Families expect childcare solutions and equipment for the youngest; groups of friends, evening transfers. The quality of this preparatory work shows in the reviews left after the stay. This general information is up to date as of October 2026, to be validated with a legal or tax professional according to your situation.
Frequently asked questions about chalet rental in Courchevel
Do you need change of use authorisation to let a chalet in Courchevel?
No local procedure was found in Courchevel in October 2026: a declaration at the town hall is enough, pending the national number. In Les Allues, on the other hand, a three-year temporary authorisation is required.
When should bookings open for Christmas and New Year?
The festive calendar is ideally set from the summer or early autumn. The end-of-year weeks are sought very early by guests who compare few properties.
Which airport is best for reaching Courchevel?
Chambéry is the closest, Geneva and Lyon offer more international flights. The altiport allows arrival by helicopter or light aircraft, weather permitting.
Our guides help owners of high-end properties understand short-term rentals in France: regulations, tax, and choosing and overseeing a concierge company. They are for information only and do not replace advice from a legal or tax professional.