Hotel MiL8 — Hotel in Thonon-les-Bains

We've just returned from a 5 night stay at Mil8. First impressions were great, the room was clean (although the air was somehow really dusty, perhaps due to the low humidity in the area). We paid £400 per night so were expecting a high end experience, unfortunately Mil8 didn't quite measure up. The staff, while friendly were not particularly well trained, some felt casual, other were good and 'on the ball,' all were friendly and pleasant. Other points:

The bad:

We ate in the restaurant one evening and were surprised to see them filming for the website - not what you expect from a high end establishment. Despite telling the staff that I'm allergic to peanuts I was presented with an amuse bouche which contained peanuts. Rather than taking it away, the waiter quickly gave it to my friend! I found on checkout that we'd also been charged for the amuse bouche!? The food portions were also way too small, over £20 for a single langoustine ravioli - in which the langoustine didn't taste fresh. We ordered two of the same main courses, salmon. One was almost raw, the other well cooked.

We received one bottle of water each on the rooms at the start of the trip, then no more water in the room. The mini bar was empty.

The children.. it seems a popular hotel for families, including those who have nannies raising their children. There were children as young at 3 playing the sauna and the pool. Although supervised this made both the pool and sauna very unappealing. The pool was also not warm enough for a small pool that you can't swim in. It seems like an Instagram gimmick, 5 minutes in there and you'll be shivering.

This is perhaps more a point about food in ski resorts but the amount of fresh, whole foods or vegetarian options were very limited, both at breakfast and in the two restaurants. The brasserie was actually a nicer experience than the 'fancy' restaurant.

On checking out of the hotel we'd expected our bags to be taken to the pick up point where they're loaded into the car. This is because there are no roads in Avoriaz, just snow paths. We were told that the hotel vehicle couldn't be used on the snow that day as it was too warm so we were told that a horse drawn sleigh (common in Avoriaz) would pick us up BUT we'd have to pay the driver in cash ourselves and be refunded the 13 Euro. Being the end of the holiday we had no cash so the receptionist said we'd have to go to the cash machine.. Why couldn't they arrange the payment themselves - it's their own service they've rescinded! Again, service not worthy of the price tag.

The noise in the room was a little intrusive. There was a separate corridor door adjacent to ours and the other residents just let the doors slam. Traffic noise is pretty bad too as the hotel in on a main thoroughfare to the service areas.

The bed was too firm for me but not for others.

The good:

The boot room. Warm, secure enough and well kept.

The room had a great view, the separate bath was welcome.

The breakfast, while lacking in fresh food options, was tasty and provided just enough variety to last us 5 days.

The location for skiing is ideal.

We ordered a bottle of wine which wasn't available so the waiter gave us the one up in price for no extra cost, which was a nice touch.

Conclusion:

Overall it was a fairly pleasant experience and the issues listed here I'm sure could easily be ironed out with some refinement at what is a hotel in its infancy. However, the adage, 'you get what you pay for' doesn't seem to ring true in all so called high-end hotels anymore. This one is style over substance in the...

Let down by a grumpy staff member. The last two days of our holiday were ruined by a really grumpy older lady who works at the hotel. She could not take any type of feedback of any kind. Instead of taking some criticism on board and using it to change her customer service and product in future, she continued to make me feel very upset and looked at me like I was a piece of dirt on the bottom of her shoe for the rest of my holiday. She made no attempt to see my view and instead made me feel very awkward and uneasy. Our whole family felt upset, including our younger children who were spoken to badly by this lady because they did not want to eat in an area with screaming children. Such a shame because the hotel was actually really lovely and location was ideal for anyone who wants to stay in Avoriaz. Let down by bad customer service and an argumentative staff member. Came away feeling really upset and wishing we could go home early. She continued to speak badly about us in her native French language whenever we were in earshot, not knowing we understood that she was being very rude about us. Awful lady.. I would not wish anyone to be treated the way our family was. I do hope the owner or manager get this person some more training in effective customer service because she was a real let down to a...

This a gem of a boutique hotel in a splendid location. Pricey, but the delightful atmosphere, facilities and tasteful design deliver a high end experience far in excess of its cost. The staff are utterly charming and nothing is a problem or too much trouble. Being a small hotel they remember you and treat you like familiar and welcome guests. There’s a small inside/outside pool with wonderful views, and sauna and small gym. Two restaurants both with delightful food, and a ski in ski out locker room. |Only down side, which has nothing to do with the hotel, is that being a car free resort massive snow cat delivery machines, piste bashers and snow mobiles roar past day and night. So forget that lovely alpine experience of sleeping with the window open unless you have industrial level ear plugs. ( oh the irony of a ‘pollution free’ resort)|In short this is a fabulous hotel and simply cannot...