Le Viking Hotel

just returned from a week at the viking. fantastic location,conditions fantastic. there were 7 of us 4 adults and 3 children. staff were all young but nothing was any trouble and all requests eg extra towels, special meals for fussy eater were handled very well.would benefit from having an on site manager to deligate and organise, especially when it is a lovely day and the terrace is busy.menu was varied and being rather fussy there is always something for me to choose from.wine flowed freely!!
i would recommend this hotel for families that partake in lessons, especially 5yrs-12years as they meet the children on the doorstep of the hotel. don't book expecting luxury rooms and upperclass service but book if you want the best location, a decent room, friendly young staff you can chat to who also love the activities and if you are lucky loads of snow.
will return in the future.

We booked to stay the last week in Jan through Crystal and like many writers before we were a bit concerned about the low scores posted on this site.
For those of you that haven't been to Morzine before this hotel is situated a further 600 meters up the slope out of the town, reached only by a gondala. The disadvantage is that you are a little limited in where you can go on an evening, the major advantage is that you are already ahead of the skiers in a morning and have the slopes all to yourself and the ski-school is right outside the front door, avoiding the hassle of carrying ski boots/skis in lifts first/last thing at night. If you book a balcony then expect to be on the front south facing side overlooking the slopes. All other rooms would appear to look back dowen the valley into Morzine - neither is bad.
The food for a three star is good. Breakfasrt was a mix of cold meats, cheeses, crouisants, fresh fruit, yogurts as well as bacon,egg,tomato etc. Afternoon tea was a selection of cakes and hot drinks and dinner was a three course meal which changed every night. Our worst fear was that the kids would get served English rubbish - nuggets/ burgers and chips etc. It was a very pleasant suprise to find a varied selection of hot/cold meals inc veggie meals. Well done to the hotel for providing a hearty meal after a days skiing.
A pint of beer in the hotel is about 7 Euro's (£5.50ish) so not cheap but it never is!!
Various comments were made about the size of the room. In our opinion there were generally smaller than that of a standard Travel Inn room and possibly in need of a minor makeover, but the bathrooms were noticably smaller. But hey how long do you want to spend in them when there's skiing to be done!!
Swimming pool - I don't think it ever works. We were also told that the recent snow fall had affected the chlorine levels and a part had bust. By the time an engineer had "fixed it" and the pool was drained and re-filled it had snowed again!! Comments have been made about the pool and yes it would have been nice to have a go, but given the size and number of people in the hotel I wouldn't have been able to move in it even if it had worked. We didn't book this hotel specifically for the pool so when were were told it wasn't working it was no great loss.
The staff are young and you would be lucky to find one over 25yr old. But, there are plenty of them and all very helpful.
Overall, for a 3 star hotel it ticked all the right boxes for a family of 4 and we would have no problem in recommeding it.

We stayed at le viking Jan 2007 and would have rated it 10/10 the food was excellent and staff were brilliant,organised and helpful .The rooms were clean and tidied daily and on 1 occasson tey accidently brole my glasses before i was even aware the had taken them to an opticain to have them fixed that is far beyond my expectations they were fantastic hence our eagerness to return again the hotel is in a fantastic postion especially if you have children.
Unfortunatley this year we were left disappointed with the experience esp in view of how much money these holidays cost . The rooms were dirty not tidied and you had to ask for clean towels and then have to wait a couple of days. some of the staff treated you with contempt even if asking for a drink at the bar the resturant was corned off at 12 midday inside and we were told it was to get it ready for eve meal at 7.30??? they only had to put out knives and forks ! The most dissappointing though was the food the childrens food serves at 5.30 was abismal every day the veg was green beans carrots and sprouts !! not a chip bean or fish finger in sight they were served lasagne veg pie fish in parsley sauce hense not many of the children ate. last year it was buffett style much easier quicker and thoughrougly enjoyable and much easier for the staff it was all over in 30 mins rather than the long hour it took this time we had to ask for drinks and desert a complete shambles in my view and im not the type normally to complain.the food in the eve was ok and arrived hot and timly and the waiters/waitresses very good and breakfast was fine apart from dirty plates etc but if your there by 8 you can normally find some that are clean
here were a couple of the staff who were really good chatty and efficient otherswere there for the snow.
think the place needs a good manager as it really was brilliant last year hopefully they can turn it around because the location is unbeatable.
Nic the rep and other entertainment staff were excellent as were the creche staff.
Snow excellent this year and ski school brilliant for all ages
Pool still closed dont think it has ever been open
on a positive as we were leaving they were preparing the rooms for the next guests with soaps ,shampoos etc so hopefully as the season is progressing there learning.

Just come back from a fab week at Le Viking. We were in a party of 6 "adults" 4 kids and 2 babies. Needless to say we tried out most of the family services on offer and all bar none were excellent. Our little ones were well cared for and the kids got on really well with the staff ( Jade especially ). The hotel has the best location in Morzine which means no early rush to ski school and a traffic free first run. The ski school meets and returns right next to the hotel which makes it easy to meet up with friends for lunch afterwards . When the chair lifts finish at 5pm the slopes are your own to sledge and have great fun with the kids. This really is a ski in ski out hotel, infact with a bit of luck you can ski straight into the locker room ! The breakfast was a mix of cooked and numerous pastries and cereals which was fine. Evening meals had a decent mix of fish meat and veg dishes. Yep rooms were not big but were clean and had fantastic views. The big winner for this hotel was the staff that tried and very often succeeded in making our holiday special (Leon Ben etc ). If you go expecting Michelin star cuisine and silver service you will be disappointed. If like us you accept this is a hotel run by helpful young staff you will have a ball. Snow was pretty good too !!!!!

Visited this hotel last week. Overall you cannot fault the location - ski in ski out and the snow at this level is generally good. The limited telecabin back to town is a little restrictive, running every 30 minutes and finishing at 8pm (miss it and it's a long walk back) but it does run until 2am on two evenings (Tuesday and Thursday) which coincides with events in the town, e.g ice hockey and ski demonstrations. The hotel provide lift passes on the first day to enable collection of hire equipment etc at no additional cost, which is good.
The service at the hotel was unprofessional. Staff are young and enthusiastic but don't seem to have grasped principles of customer service. I reported a faulty heater in my room and was told it would be fixed but it wasn't - not good when you have wet ski gear. The restaurant is too small to accommodate the amount of people in the hotel so dinner is served in three sittings - there is a feeling of panic with staff dashing around serving and there is always something missing, e.g. soup served but no soup spoon on the table - so you have to flag the staff down or go and get it yourself. This isn't difficult to rectify and yet they made the same mistake time and time again. I asked for our dinner sitting to be changed to an earlier time and the staff forgot to change it. Breakfast is chaotic with things missing, e.g. no knives, no napkins, no teaspoons - and this is every day. Worst of all is the fact that tables aren't cleared promptly at breadkfast and afternoon tea - so you have to remove someone else's debris when you find somewhere to sit.
Food quality is OK but If you're expecting food with a French flair, look elsewhere. It is heavily anglicized - good for some perhaps but we would have at least expected some local options to be on the menu, particularly given there is a children's menu available to satisfy kids.
Despite there being no heater in our room, towels weren't replaced daily - one change during the week!
The pool is OK, small but so heavily chlorinated it's uncomfortable to use. And should the water be green?
There are excellent hotels and chalets in Morzine which are of a comparable price or cheaper and are far better in terms of cleanliness and quality of service.

In summary, if you're getting this hotel cheap it's a good deal given the location - but that's really the only thing going for it. If on the other hand you value good service and staff who are interested in your stay, look elsewhere.

As previous reviews we too have just returned from a weeks holiday at the Viking Hotel and i also had my own concerns after reading the reviews before we departed.. However, we had a fantastic holiday, the room was clean if alittle on the small side but we had a balcony overlooking the front of the hotel and the nursery slopes and the sun was on the balcony all afternoon, the food was very good in the evening if alittle fussy for the children as some of the nights my daughter was struggling to find something she would like, the restaurant staff if i can find fault were very hit and miss in the evening and i often had to chase them for bread, drinks, menus and some nights just to take the order but in general it didnt spoil the holiday.. The hotel is situated in the most amazing spot on the mountain and I would agree that it would be helpful if the lift was running on more nights than just the two until 2am.. please also be aware if you are a non-skier that you still need a lift pass to get to and from the hotel down into the village of Morzine (something the brochure does not advise) and make sure you have booked your child places in the creche and the clubs before you arrive as spaces are very limited.
All in all we had a great holiday and the staff throughout the week were extremley helpful and friendly and we would definatley return next year.

Stayed in the Viking last week and had a fantastic time, previously reading the comments posted on here I was concerned about whether to amend my booking to another resort. I decided however to go with my first instinct and continue with my holiday booking. I'm so glad I did, I had a fantastic time. There was plenty to do, the reps were really helpful, and I feel management has improved since the previous comments and was equally helpful. The rooms were small but adequate for a ski holiday, as we obviously spent most of our time on the pistes. I feel the lift running two nights a week could be improved however again our main priority was skiing. Thanks to everyone at the hotel for making our holiday most enjoyable.

I stayed at the Hotel Viking the year before it was taken over by Crystal and had a fantastic stay, in a good quality hotel that had genuine French charm. Unfortunately the hotel is unrecognisable since Crystal have taken over. It lacks any form of management and was regarded by the guests as 'Faulty Towers'. Unfortunately this is where any form of humour has to stop when you consider how much you are spending on what should be a fantastic holiday.

The majority of the problems lie with the serious lack of leadership and management at the Hotel Viking. Very young staff work exceptionally hard but ultimately don't know what they should be doing (Staff even admitted this on numerous occasions, stating that there was no communication and that they would be grateful if we could complain and get in a manager who knew what he was doing).
We had numerous problems during our stay,
- Rooms were dirty (Cleaning consisted of wiping the door knob, patting the bed and emptying the bin).
- The lift constantly broke down.
- The boilers failed (We had no hot water for 3 days!).
- There were only 3 working high chairs in a hotel full of very young children.
- High chairs were NEVER cleaned.
- Main course meals would arrive up to 40minutes apart.
- Only one vegetarian option was available each evening (This was ratatouille in various forms for the first three evenings).
- Don't expect toast, they haven't got a toaster!
- Take your own butter/margarine as they often run out.
- There were only six teaspoons in the entire hotel for the first 5 days of our stay!
- The ski boot heater system doesn't work.
- Diarrhoea was splattered across the wall in the downstairs ladies toilet (It was cleaned after 4 days when my sister finally complained).
- Children's meals are served on very hot adult plates (They don't even fit on the high chair tables).
- The communal microwave was never cleaned (I'm not going to even try and describe it).
- No children's meals were available at lunchtime.
- No drinks were served with children's meals during the evening.
I could go on and on but must mention the one outstanding feature of the hotel. The Pepi Penguin crèche was outstanding. It was with no great surprise that I realised the manager has no input into it.
I have been skiing for over twenty years staying in accommodation from the most basic (Bulgaria!) to some of the most exquisite (5star Austrian luxury). This was the worst by far. Hugely disappointing, outrageously expensive and a memory that is not wanted.
In a nutshell, the Viking is dirty, food is very poor, service is dire and very young staff haven't a clue what they should be doing. For a hotel that promotes itself as being child friendly, it fails again and again.

Stayed at the Viking in Morzine and was concerned after reading the review online, however all the problems that were highlighted seem to of been addressed.
There is new management there, a young guy but seems very capable, food was great, rooms clean, bum boarding was fantastic, there staff are so helpful, pool was warm every night.
We loved the hotel and will def be back.

The Viking hotel is in a great location and the Morzine and Avoriaz ski area has to be amongst the best in the world.
Unfortunately that’s the best that can be said about our stay at The Viking Hotel. The fact that the rooms were small and the heated swimming pool was not all that hot are things that in themselves could have been overlooked.
The hotel seemed to be being run by a staff of teenagers, friendly helpful and enthusiastic but none the less inexperienced, poorly managed and it has to said more interested in skiing and snowboarding than in working in a hotel. No one big thing can be highlighted as the main problem but the catalogue of small irritations just mounted up. No hand soap in the bathroom (although we were told we could purchase some from reception), no afternoon tea on the first day when we were told there would be.
At breakfast every morning without exception one item or another would be missing, if you could find a plate then there would be no cutlery, if you managed to get plate and cutlery then it would one of the food items that had run out and not been replenished, having gathered as many breakfast elements as you could the next challenge would be to find a table not littered with the remains of other peoples meals, and all this while two or three members of staff stand chatting about the previous day’s events on the piste.
I could go on but one last thing that must be mentioned was the food, The Viking being a club hotel we did not know whether to expect the wholesome no nonsense home cooked fare of a chalet or the elegant cuisine of the type you can expect from even a three star French hotel. Sadly it failed miserably on both counts and could in the end only be described as mediocre. The real problem of course was one of management and it’s a shame because The Viking has real potential. All said and done I would not stay there again and would most definitely not recommend it to others.