Where LIVES change course
Perhaps you don’t believe in FATE. But there’s more than a whiff of it about Hotel Coutettaz. Our owners and general manager arrived at the manor house doorstep through chance encounters and SEIZED opportunities, driven by an appetite for change and adventure. Whatever brought Dorrien, Di and James here, though, one thing is for certain. Together, they just WORK.
Meet Dorrien Ricardo
Dorrien has run Hotel Coutettaz for more than 30 years. But he’s called the Alps home for even longer. He first arrived in 1982 to run a hotel in Chatel, eventually managing 15 hotels for a top tour operator. Then Coutettaz came calling. In 1993 Dorrien seized the chance to lease the property, then bought it at the turn of the millennium. And in 2009, he and Di married here, too; another chapter in our Hotel’s romantic history. If you’ve an appetite for adventure, Dorrien knows where to go; find him in the mountains skiing, ski touring, cycling and hiking.
Meet Di Ricardo
Di met Dorrien here in Morzine, first locking eyes over the Hotel’s garden fence. Since then she’s become part of the Coutettaz fabric, working with Dorrien to transform the space into the eleven eclectic rooms you see today. But in the spring and summer, Di’s heart takes her outdoors; she leads our productive kitchen garden, planning each year’s fruit, vegetables and herbs. Spot her taking coffee beneath the cherry tree with hens and cat, Mimi, in tow. Or follow her lead and rise early to swim in Lac Montriond, watched by the quiet trees. She rarely misses a morning dip.
Meet James
James, the Hotel manager, has a long history with Morzine. He first visited at 16 years old, and skied here almost yearly since. But it wasn’t until 2008 that he turned up on our doorstep. Seeking a new adventure, he fortuitously quit his career in financial services just before the financial crash. Luck, he says, rather than judgement. So what was next? He had two ideas: Morzine and skiing. But he couldn’t spend the rest of his life in ski boots, and his research brought him to Coutettaz. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, supported by righthand men Sam and Duncan, James is the heart of Hotel Coutettaz, delivering unforgettable experiences that keep guests coming back year after year.
