Hostess on board: role, sleeping arrangements, price

Her daily role

The hostess prepares breakfasts and lunches on board, manages the daily provisioning runs, handles the daily upkeep of the boat (deck, salon, heads) and the table service. She does not, however, stand watch, does not take part in technical maneuvers and in no case replaces the captain. Dinners at restaurants ashore generally remain free and at the customers' expense, this is the most widespread practice in semi-cabin chartering. If you want the hostess to also cook dinners on board, specify this from the quote stage: it may increase the service cost and requires a clear job brief with your Filovent representative.

How does contact work before departure?

The hostess contacts you directly about a week before departure, by email or phone, to review your preferences (dietary requirements, allergies, culinary expectations, usual schedules) and finalize the provisioning list. This is the moment to ask any practical questions. If you have specific requests (a birthday to celebrate on board, a gourmet dinner on a particular evening, severe allergies), do not wait until check-in to communicate them: flag them from this preparatory exchange, which gives the hostess time to organize the necessary purchases. Also note: most charter bases have a luggage storage facility where you can leave your suitcases before official boarding, your Filovent representative will confirm this depending on your destination.

Which profile level matches your expectations?

The hostess profession actually covers a fairly wide range of profiles, and both rate and availability vary clearly from one tier to another. Here are the three categories we distinguish internally to frame your expectations:

1.  Classic profile: in charge of service, daily shopping, upkeep and preparation of breakfasts and simple lunches (market cuisine, salads, sharing platters). By far the most represented category among our partners and the easiest to obtain, including 2-3 months before departure. Perfectly suited to families or groups of friends seeking to free themselves from logistical burden without particular culinary demands.
2.  Confirmed cook profile: covers the entire previous scope and adds genuine culinary skill: refined regional cuisine, elaborate dinners on board, careful presentation, food-wine pairing suggestions. Plan $35 to $55 more per day. Relevant for a gastronomy-oriented cruise, a family event to celebrate at sea or a corporate stay.
3.  High-end yachting and multilingual profile: intended for premium charters (large catamarans of 5 cabins and more, motor yachts, cruises in Polynesia or the Seychelles). Fluent practice of several languages, luxury yachting service codes, experience of expanded crews. The supplement is priced case by case, depending on the profile identified, to be studied directly with our concierge service.

Dietary requirements and allergies on board

If one of the passengers has a food allergy (gluten, lactose, tree nuts, shellfish, eggs, soy, etc.) or follows a particular diet (vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal, pork-free, alcohol-free), it is essential to mention it from the quote stage. Our concierge service then directs to a profile that has already handled this type of requirement and reconfigures the provisioning list with the local partner so that it is compatible.

For severe allergies (anaphylaxis, strong gluten intolerance, peanut or tree nut allergy) on cruises in remote areas (Grenadines, BVI, Polynesia, Seychelles), we additionally recommend bringing an emergency medical kit (epinephrine auto-injectors, antihistamines) and briefing the captain before setting sail. Medical facilities can be several hours of sailing away. If necessary, our concierge service can also request a more thorough provisioning check by the local partner to avoid any risk of cross-contamination on board.

What she does, what she does not do

To find your bearings quickly and avoid any misunderstanding at check-in, here is the clear distribution of duties:

Sleeping arrangements: to anticipate as soon as you book

This is the most important point to validate beforehand, frequent source of disputes at check-in if poorly anticipated. Here is the complete matrix according to your boat's configuration:

Concretely, a 4-cabin monohull sailing yacht certified for 9 people in bareboat only accommodates 7 or 8 passengers once the captain and the hostess are integrated into the crew. This data must be validated explicitly with your Filovent representative at the time of the quote to avoid any boarding refusal.

Special case Dream Yacht Charter and some operators: they now require that the captain and the hostess sleep together in the forepeak. This rule, validated by our concierge service, must be verified and accepted by the two crew members before booking. To validate explicitly with your Filovent representative at the time of the quote to avoid any boarding refusal.

Provisioning: who handles it?

Three scenarios exist depending on the destination and your preferences, and the hostess adapts to all three:

1.  Free self-provisioning: you arrive with your shopping (online order delivered to the base, purchases made on the spot on the day of boarding). The hostess then takes over for the daily fresh shopping. This is the most economical and flexible option.
2.  Full board offered by the operator: some partners (in particular Dream Yacht Charter, ACM, etc.) offer a full-board package with a fixed menu. You are not required to take it if you prefer to manage your provisioning freely with the hostess, it is a choice made at the time of the quote.
3.  Provisioning pack by Filovent local partner: in Naples, Athens, Marseille or Mahé, we work with local providers who deliver a complete basket on board before boarding (basic $85-$130, standard $195-$270, gourmet $325-$485 for 4 people one week in the Mediterranean, more in Polynesia and the Seychelles). This option covers dry groceries and beverages, the hostess then handles the daily fresh shopping. To request at the quote stage.

Prices and associated costs

Rates vary mainly according to destination and seasonality. Here are the ranges observed in recent Filovent files (concrete cases observed):

Here additionally are the ancillary costs to anticipate on all files, regardless of destination:

What exactly is the gratuity calculated on? The rule is unambiguous: the 15 to 20 % percentage applies to the hostess service rate only, and not to the overall amount of your boat charter. To set ideas, for a week of hostess invoiced $2,260, the envelope to plan revolves around $340 to $450. The gesture is made hand-to-hand with the hostess, in cash and ideally in the country's currency, at check-out time. And this remains a gratuity in the strict sense: no obligation. If the service has disappointed, you are free to reduce the amount or to give none at all. Note that American customary tipping rates (15-20 %) are higher than European norms (5-10 %), reflecting the standard practice in U.S. service industries.

How does invoicing work, what about taxes? The hostess service is carried on a dedicated invoice, separate from the boat's. Depending on the profile retained, the issuer is either Filovent (when we manage the hostess via our concierge service) or the local country partner. The initial quote specifies which case you are in. VAT follows the tax regime of the provider issuing the invoice: French VAT when the hostess is French and the boat sails in the Mediterranean, and frequently exemption in destinations located outside the European Union. If you are a company and you need an invoice in the company's name, inform your representative from the quote stage so that the details are entered correctly. U.S. corporate customers should note that French VAT may be reclaimable through your tax advisor depending on your structure.

Total budget to plan for a week, hostess service + gratuity included:

1.  Mediterranean high season (Saint-Raphaël, Croatia, Greece, Sardinia, Balearic Islands in July-August): $2,475 to $2,905 all in.
2.  Caribbean high season (Martinique, Guadeloupe, BVI, USVI, Grenadines in December-March): $1,725 to $2,520 all in.
3.  Polynesia or Seychelles high season with multilingual profile: $1,920 to $2,905 all in excluding transport costs.
4.  Seychelles off-peak (May-November): from $1,170 the week all in, this is the most economical option.

And what if something went wrong during the cruise?

A legitimate question when the service represents several thousand dollars. Our concierge service applies three protocols depending on the nature of the problem encountered:

1.  Human tension or service judged below expectations: call our concierge service without delay at +33 1 70 80 97 35 or write to concierge@filovent.com. We take over with the local partner to identify the best-suited way out: a clear instruction to the hostess, a profile change if another person is available in the area, or a redesign of the service scope. Critical point: you must reach out to us while the cruise is in progress, not on your return ashore. Once you have disembarked, the room for maneuver shrinks considerably and no compensation can be negotiated.
2.  Hostess sick or unable during the stay: the local partner generally triggers an accelerated replacement procedure. The lead time depends on the density of the network on the ground: it is a matter of a few hours in the Mediterranean and in the Caribbean where the freelancer pool is dense, and rather 24 to 48 hours in Polynesia or the Seychelles where it is more limited. You do not pay for the days during which the service did not actually take place.
3.  Rhythm or lifestyle mismatch on board: some situations are more about cultural mismatch than real dysfunction (meal times, noise level, presence in common areas). If the discomfort settles in over time, it is better to flag it to us quickly to calibrate an adjustment. In most cases, a direct and early exchange is enough. Conversely, taking it in silently for five days and then submitting a complaint on return generally does not unlock a solution.

When to book her?

It is recommended to book your hostess 3 to 6 months in advance in high season (July-August), and up to 6 to 12 months for highly demanded destinations (Croatia, Greece, BVI, Polynesia). The hostess profile is rare, especially for multilingual profiles with cooking experience or corporate trips with specific requirements (allergies, dietary needs, service level). At 2 months out, availability drops drastically and we can no longer guarantee a hostess assignment on high-demand destinations.

Where does this strong anticipation come from?

The explanation lies in the structure of the profession: the vast majority of hostesses operate as independent contractors, and they build their seasonal calendar from the end of the previous season. Concretely, by the end of February, it is estimated that nearly 8 out of 10 Mediterranean hostesses have already signed their summer schedule. The same pattern repeats in the Caribbean and in Polynesia, but on a shifted cycle since the high season there runs from December to April.

Booking late means exposing yourself to three concrete scenarios:

1.  Inheriting a profile whose experience is below your initial expectations;
2.  Losing the desired language combination (English, Italian, German);
3.  Having nothing available anymore — in which case you will have to take back the cooking and provisioning yourselves, when you had built your budget incorporating the service.

Our recommendation: if your project is firm, lock in the hostess at the same time as the boat, in the same conversation with your Filovent representative.

For what type of cruise?

The onboard hostess is particularly suited for:

1.  Family cruises with children: she relieves the parents of meal and provisioning logistics, which transforms the experience.
2.  Groups of 6 people or more: kitchen coordination quickly becomes time-consuming for several, the hostess streamlines daily life.
3.  Gourmet cruises where the culinary experience on board is an integral part of the journey.
4.  Corporate trips and incentives where the service and the quality of the offering are essential.
5.  Luxury charters on large catamarans where the crew cabin is in any case provided for in the boat's configuration.

Conversely, the hostess is generally not relevant for all-inclusive cabin cruises (Egypt, Mekong, Croatia cabin), where the full crew is already provided by the cruise operator, nor for short weekends where the cost/duration ratio is not optimal.

Corporate cruises and incentives: specific support

When the cruise is part of a professional context (seminar, MICE event, client gift, incentive trip for sales staff), simply booking a standard hostess is not enough. Filovent puts in place a reinforced setup that covers the specific expectations of these files:

1.  Multilingual profiles selected on their luxury yachting experience, able to switch to English, Italian, German or Spanish depending on the group's composition.
2.  Detailed brief on the offering drafted in advance with you: required dress code, expected service level, culinary register (local or international cuisine), reference currency, dietary constraints or guest allergies.
3.  Administrative aspect adapted to the company: quote and invoice in the company's name, detailed breakdown by line item, compatible payment terms (deposit, wire transfer, administrative mandate for public bodies).
4.  Connection with other providers on request: photographer to capture the stay, sommelier for gastronomic aspects, masseuse, diving instructor, entertainer, depending on the scenario you want to build.

Filovent regularly handles this type of file, from team-building outings of 6-8 people to operations on several boats chartered in parallel. Our concierge service is well-versed in dealings with companies' purchasing, HR and event departments, and knows how to produce the accounting documents required internally. For a tailor-made study, write to concierge@filovent.com or call +33 1 70 80 97 35.

To go further

To go deeper into your crew composition and prepare your cruise, consult our dedicated pages:

1.  Charter with skipper: how our skipper service works and its interplay with the hostess;
2.  The extras to book in advance: complete matrix of extras (skipper, hostess, transfers, provisioning) and booking timing;
3.  Provisioning and shopping: everything about provisioning managed by the hostess or by our local partners;
4.  Our concierge service: your single point of contact from the booking form to the return from the cruise.

For any question about booking a hostess for your cruise, contact your Filovent representative or our concierge service at +33 1 70 80 97 35.