Camille, Laurent, Potiron and Pumpkin
Welcome to our home
We’re Camille and Laurent, and Les Écrins is both our home and the guesthouse we had dreamed of creating for many years. The house itself has a story that began long before ours. Built at the end of the 19th century for Maître Seiler, the local notary, it later became home to the Chiodetti family, who remained here until 2015. With its generous proportions, original character and sense of history, it is the kind of house that feels as though it has always been meant to be lived in and shared. And today, we’re delighted to share it with you.
we had our own guesthouse?
We had been saying it for years.
Camille is from Alsace and Laurent from neighbouring Lorraine, and the idea of creating a place of our own, somewhere we could welcome people, share the region we love and offer the kind of hospitality we appreciate when travelling ourselves; had long been at the back of our minds.
Then, at the end of 2024, a fortunate series of events brought us to Les Écrins.
We immediately fell for the house and for what its previous owners had created here with such care. In 2025, we took over Les Écrins, with the desire to preserve its character and continue its story while gradually making the house our own.
There are still plenty of ideas we would like to bring to life here. But at the heart of everything is something very simple: we want to welcome you in the way we ourselves like to be welcomed when we travel: warmly, genuinely and with a personal touch.
Camille, Laurent, Potiron & Pumpkin
You’ll most often find Camille looking after the house, baking homemade cakes and treats for breakfast, or chatting with guests about what to see and do during their stay. She loves sharing the places we enjoy ourselves, whether it’s a favourite restaurant, a walk in the mountains, a local producer or somewhere a little less obvious to discover.
She is also passionate about crochet, and you may spot some of her creations around the house. If you’d like to bring home a little piece of the warmth of Les Écrins, some are available to take with you as a sweet reminder of your stay.
Laurent’s work takes him beyond Alsace. He is a consultant in health and sport, working with professional sports clubs and healthcare practitioners in areas including movement, performance and rehabilitation. His work also takes him to Australia several times a year, where he works closely with English-speaking colleagues and clients.
Those regular stays have given him much more than fluency in English. They have made him familiar with Australian culture, expressions and ways of doing things (including knowing that an invitation to a “barbie” doesn’t involve a doll) and, more broadly, with the questions and expectations international guests can have when travelling in France.
So if you are visiting us from Australia or another English-speaking country, you can feel completely at ease asking questions, discussing your plans or simply having a chat. English is very much part of everyday life at Les Écrins. Don’t be surprised if you hear a meeting in English coming from Laurent’s office while you’re here!
And for guests coming to the area for cycling, hiking, running or another sporting activity, Laurent can also offer an assessment of physical and functional abilities, followed by personalised advice on movement and performance.
Then there are Potiron and Pumpkin, our two cats and fellow residents of Les Écrins. And yes, potiron means pumpkin in French. Their matching names were entirely accidental; there’s a story behind it, and we’ll happily tell you over breakfast!
A home made for sharing
For us, staying in a guesthouse should feel different from staying in a hotel.
There is no reception desk and no large team behind the scenes. It is simply the two of us welcoming you into our home, preparing your breakfast and helping you make the most of your time here.
We enjoy getting to know our guests, but we also know that everyone travels differently. Some people love sitting down over coffee and talking through their plans for the day; others simply want a key, a good recommendation and the freedom to explore.
Both are absolutely fine with us.
Whether you are looking for a beautiful hiking route, a winery to visit, a restaurant for dinner, a day exploring Alsace or simply somewhere peaceful to slow down for a while, we are always happy to share what we know and what we love about this part of France.
Our aim is not to plan your holiday for you, but to help you experience the region in a way that feels right for you.
Breakfast, our way
Breakfast is an important part of mornings at Les Écrins; and something we genuinely enjoy preparing.
We have chosen to serve a vegetarian breakfast, reflecting both our concern for animal welfare and our desire to consume more thoughtfully.
Whenever possible, we choose local and seasonal ingredients and work with producers from the surrounding area, favouring short supply chains and products whose origins we know.
A vegan breakfast is also available on request.
But above all, we want breakfast to be something to look forward to: good food, a generous table and time to enjoy the start of the day without rushing.
For us, that is very much part of the Les Écrins experience.
We look forward to welcoming you to our home.
Camille & Laurent