Missing hiker faces huge bill for rescue operation after he was found in luxury hotel

Instead of heading home after his hike, Chamley checked into the Omni Mount Washington Resort. Photo / Getty

A missing hiker who sparked a huge search operation when he checked into a luxury hotel rather than returning home is facing a bill of thousands of dollars for wasting rescuers' time.

Christophe Chamley, 70, an economics professor at Boston University in the US, planned a solo hike over two mountains in New Hampshire last month but failed to return home once he had completed the trek.

The 70-year-old opted to rest his legs at a luxury hotel and sent his wife a message at 1am to let her know he was fine and well.

However, the message failed to send - prompting his panicked wife to call mountain rescue services and report him missing.

Christopher Chamley faces a bill from authorities for the rescue operation that was launched after his wife reported him as missing.

A National Guard helicopter, 25 rescuers in snow vehicles, and specialist cold weather equipment were used to look for him. The hiker began his trek across Mt Adams and Mt Jefferson, in New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest about 7.45am on April 22.

He managed to summit both mountains but then headed for the Omni Mount Washington Resort hotel, officials told local media.

He checked in about 1am, which is when he sent the message to his wife, but failed to check if it had gone through.

Hours into their search, rescuers were alerted to Chamley's whereabouts by staff at the hotel.

The hiker has now been warned he will likely be billed for the operation for negligent actions, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Colonel Kevin Jordan, chief of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, said the final amount is still to be approved, but will likely run into the thousands of dollars.

State law allows officials to recoup costs for rescues if the person involved is judged to have behaved "recklessly".

In 2009, teenager Scott Mason was issued a US$25,000 ($35,000) bill for a three-day mountain search - the largest since the law was introduced in 2008.