Finlay & Wendy Hunter
Our Story: Family, The Alps & A Passion for People
We built Hunter Chalets on a simple principle: to share our love for Morzine and Les Gets with you, our guests. As a husband-and-wife team, we didn’t want to create a faceless chain. We wanted to build a passion project based on a deep, personal knowledge of this beautiful resort and a genuine, on-the-ground connection to the community.
We don’t just sell holidays; we lived in Morzine for nine years and still visit frequently. Together with our three children, we immersed ourselves in Morzine, which means our hospitality comes from a place of genuine, lived experience.
Our company, Letaba Sales and Marketing Limited, is the sales agent for both Hunter Chalets and our sister company, The Safari Edit.
Meet Finlay & Wendy: Your Hosts in Morzine
With over two decades of combined experience at the highest levels of luxury hospitality, we bring a wealth of expertise to Morzine and Les Gets. We’ve managed properties featured in prestigious lists like Condé Nast’s “Top 20 Hotels in the World,” so we have a profound understanding of what makes a truly exceptional holiday.
We’ve poured this knowledge into every aspect of Hunter Chalets. While I, Finlay, focus on perfecting the luxury experience from a broader perspective, my wife Wendy’s personal philosophy of “anything is possible” defines the seamless, hands-on service you receive.
We don’t just run this business; we live it. This hands-on, personal involvement, combined with our shared experience of raising a family in Morzine, ensures a holiday that is both expertly curated and genuinely cared for.
The Hunter Chalets Difference: Why Being Family-Run Matters
In a world of corporate holiday companies, we believe that authenticity and a personal touch are the greatest luxuries of all.
Lived Experience & Local Insight: We are not an outsourced booking agent. The advice and recommendations we give come from a deep, personal knowledge of the slopes, restaurants, and resorts that only a true local would know.
A Personal Guarantee of Quality: We built this company ourselves, and our reputation is everything to us. We personally manage each of our chalets to ensure they meet our exacting standards for comfort, design, and service.
Truly Bespoke Service: As a family-run business, every holiday is tailored to you. We are personally invested in ensuring your time with us is seamless, memorable, and everything you dreamed it would be.
Award-Winning Service & Recognition
Our commitment to providing a truly exceptional holiday experience has not gone unnoticed. We are incredibly proud to have been recognised by leading industry bodies with a whole host of awards and accolades, including:
- Chalet Company of the Year 2024 – Morzine (LuxLife Travel & Tourism Awards)
- Accommodation Rentals of the Year (CorporateLiveWire Global Awards 2023/24)
- Best Luxury Ski Experience 2023 (LUX Global Excellence Awards)
You can see the extensive list of our awards here.
We look forward to welcoming you to Morzine and sharing our beautiful home from home with you. To start planning your luxury escape, please get in touch with our team.
Our team
Feel free to get in touch with the Hunter Chalets team.
Sian Joy-Clavis
General Manager
Originally from Australia, Sian first moved to the Alps in 2007 and has had a diverse career in the hospitality and tourism industries in Canada, Australia, and Europe. Her experience spans nannying, chalet hosting, managing ski lodges, running her own childcare company, and bookkeeping.
Now working as our General Manager, Sian combines her organisational skills with her passion for people to ensure every guest experience runs smoothly. Having settled permanently in Morzine, she brings both local knowledge and a genuine love for the area to help elevate our guests’ experience.
Helen O’Hara
Finance Manager
After graduating university, Helen spent 10 years travelling the world, gaining hands-on experience in a variety of roles both in finance and tourism. She has worked in France, Switzerland, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Asia.
She is a qualified mountain leader and has always had a passion for the mountains, despite having grown up in somewhat flat East Yorkshire. Her first ski experience was on a school trip to Italy and she’s been hooked ever since. Her love of the mountains led her to the Haute Savoie, where she now lives with her Anglo-French family. She moved permanently to France in 2014 and acquired her French nationality in 2023.
Matt May
Sales & Commercial Manager
Matt has worked in the travel industry for over 20 years. He was most recently Senior Commercial Manager at one of the UK’s leading luxury tour operators and is bringing his skills to join the Hunter Chalets team.
Matt is passionate about luxury holidays and has been around the world seeing first-hand some of the world’s best hotels and chalets.
If you would like to book a holiday, you can call Matt directly on 0203 745 3452 to discuss which of our stunning chalets is right for you.
Elysia Meinke
Properties & Resort Manager
Elysia brings over 10 years’ of experience in the property industry. She started her career in estate agency before moving into the new-build sector in 2016, where she spent the following decade managing sales and on-site operations. Her experience across the business and in management has given her a real eye for detail and a passion for delivering the highest levels of customer experience.
Having grown up partly in Australia, Elysia has always loved travelling and experiencing different cultures. She rediscovered her love of skiing as an adult and is happiest outdoors, whether skiing, biking or hiking in the mountains. Having visited Morzine for many years with her husband Karl, the opportunity to make it home felt like a very clear next step.
Matt Higton
Resort & Driver Services Manager
As Driver Service and Resort Manager at Hunter Chalets, Matt is passionate about providing a personal, dependable service and making sure guests feel looked after from the moment they arrive.
With a passion for the mountains and a genuine love of looking after people, Matt brings a calm, practical approach to resort life. He knows the area inside out and takes pride in making sure guests can relax, enjoy their time in the Alps and experience the very best chalets.
Daron Rubin
Assistant Resort Manager
Daron is originally from South Africa and has always had a passion for creativity, travel and working with people. With a background in hospitality, architecture and marketing, he brings a creative eye, plenty of enthusiasm and a genuine passion for creating memorable experiences for guests.
With a warm personality and a practical, can-do approach, Daron enjoys making sure guests have everything they need to relax and enjoy their time in the Alps, from sharing local recommendations to helping with the finer details of a stay.
When he’s not working, you’ll most likely find him exploring the mountains, enjoying a coffee or making the most of everything Morzine has to offer.
Cara Griffiths
Concierge
Cara started out in the travel industry as soon as she left university. She began her career as a holiday rep in Spain, before working as a chalet host in the mountains. One season quickly spiralled into five!
Cara joined Hunter Chalets in 2022 as one of our Senior Chalet Hosts and thrived on learning how a leading luxury chalet company works. She loves mountain life and decided to move to Morzine, working as a Resort Manager and Concierge at Hunter Chalets. Cara welcomes many of our guests year-round and is on hand to ensure our customers have the best possible holiday experience.
Ellie Mather
Concierge
Ellie has lived in Morzine for the past six years. With a background in hospitality, she has experience across chalet hosting, chalet management, booking coordination and guest services, giving her a well-rounded understanding of what goes into creating a great holiday in the mountains. She particularly enjoys working with people and takes pride in making guests feel welcome and well looked after. Ellie’s local knowledge and passion for Morzine mean she loves sharing her favourite spots, experiences and everything that makes the mountains such a special place to visit. Outside of work, she enjoys snowboarding in the winter and hiking and biking in the summer.
Laura May
Marketing Manager
Laura is our Marketing Manager at Hunter Chalets. She is a professional copywriter and marketing consultant based in the UK, and has been the editor of an award-winning travel magazine.
She started off as an adventure travel writer and went on to swap a tent for five-star luxury, with a particular passion for boutique hotels and chalets that go the extra mile to make you feel welcome. She has worked in the luxury travel industry for over 20 years and is the go-to for any marketing, partnership opportunities, press trips and PR requests.
Karl Meinke
Maintenance
Karl joins Hunter Chalets after almost 20 years running his family’s landscaping and building supplies business. With experience across building, landscaping, logistics, design and project management, he’s a hands-on person with a keen eye for detail and a passion for doing things properly.
Karl first discovered snowboarding as a teenager in Whistler and has been hooked on mountain life ever since. He’s been visiting Morzine in winter for many years and has also spent the last few summers enjoying the biking, so moving to the mountains felt like a very natural next chapter.
When he’s not snowboarding or biking, Karl loves getting stuck into a project – including restoring a vintage tractor!
Shaun Vary
Maintenance
Shaun brings a wealth of experience in both hospitality and property maintenance. With a background spanning over a decade in plumbing, heating, and general maintenance in the UK, combined with several years in the French Alps, Shaun ensures our chalets are always kept to the highest standard.
From hot tubs and chalet facilities to day-to-day upkeep and quick solutions when unexpected issues arise, Shaun takes pride in making sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. He has a calm, hands-on approach and commitment to high standards, so guests can relax.
When he’s not keeping our chalets running smoothly, you’ll most likely find Shaun outdoors – snowboarding, mountain biking, or enjoying time in the mountains
Our ski chalet staff
We pride ourselves on the quality of our service and dedication to ensuring you have a truly memorable stay with us. A large part of this is down to the professionalism, skills, passion and friendliness of our team. Each year we create a team of the very best chalet hosts, chalet managers, drivers and private chefs for our stunning catered chalets. You can find our latest vacancies here. Our chefs and chalet managers have worked in some of the finest restaurants and hotels, and our drivers have had winter conditions training and take great pride in ensuring you reach your destination safely. Their professionalism and local knowledge are second to none and they are on call 24 hours a day.
