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Diversification is the key for ski resort hotels, according to Winter Sport Tourism co-author, Dr Simon Hudson.
Diversification is the key for ski resort hotels, according to Winter Sport Tourism co-author, Dr Simon Hudson.
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| Courtesy: Washington School House Hotel, Park City, Utah |
Bang for Buck:
In
an article for HotelExecutive.com, he explained how hotels in ski resorts are having to offer their guests more than
just skiing and snowboarding these days in order to keep them satisfied.
Downhill Diversification:
Over
the last decade or so, mountain resorts have made significant capital
investments in developing alternative activities to downhill skiing and
snowboarding. These activities range from the high-energy (like ice-skating,
fat biking or snow-tubing) to the more passive (such as moonlit snowshoeing or
hot air ballooning).
Downhill
Demographics:
Three factors
are driving this diversification
of winter sports. Firstly, an analysis of market
trends suggests that an increasing percentage of those who take winter sport holidays
on a regular basis do not ski at all. Secondly, even avid skiers are typically skiing
less. On average,
they are somewhat
older and new high-speed lifts enable
a skier to attain his/her
physical stamina quotient
much more quickly.
Lastly, climate change is having a negative impact on snowfall for many
resorts, especially those at a low altitude. In fact, the National Resources Defense Council argues that
without any intervention, winter temperatures are projected to rise an
additional four to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, with
subsequent decreases in snowfall amounts and shorter ski seasons. Given the
predicted and increasingly serious effects of climate change after the 2050s,
downhill skiing and snowboarding may become niche products in the second half
of this century.
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| Whimsical Washington School House Hotel, Park City, Utah |
Utah
Trend-Setters:
“On a recent visit to the ski areas of Utah, I was
fortunate enough to stay at a couple of quality hotels responding to these
trends,” says Hudson. “The first was Washington School House, in ParkCity, one of the town's newest luxury boutique hotels. The hotel’s website
features 18 winter sport activities (see table below), ranging from the
high-energy sports of bobsledding, ziplining, heli-sking and dogsledding to the
more sedentary activities of yoga, hot-air ballooning and a therapeutic soak in ‘The Homestead Crater’ a 55-foot
tall, beehive-shaped limestone rock that nature has hollowed out and filled
with 90-96°F water.”
Winter Sports Activities at Washington School House in
Park City, Utah
(Source: Washingtonschoolhouse.com)
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Ride in one- or
two-person toboggans through the aspen glades on the coaster’s elevated track
as it winds through nearly 4,000 feet of breathtaking curves, bends and loops
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Bobsled
Rides
on “The Comet” at Utah Olympic Park
|
Ride
with a trained pilot through 15 curves, reaching speeds up to 80 mph, and
pulling close to 5Gs of force over the equivalent of a 40-story vertical drop
|
Cross
country ski
|
Ski
though Park City’s gorgeous tracks for one of the best workouts of your life
– all skill levels welcome
|
A
unique experience for you to play with the pups, learn how to drive the sled
and spend the day experiencing an interactive family adventure
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Fly
fish
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Fish on the Provo River, Weber River or other area streams and creeks on a custom,
guided trip
|
The Park City Mountain Resort allows you to soar to new heights all winter long
on this two-person ride full of fun for both kids and adults
|
|
Takes
the advanced skier and snowboarder to new heights. Head into the mountain
areas where you can ski and board in untouched snow, cutting through deep,
fluffy, Utah powder
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Historic
Mountain Tours
|
Takes
you through Park City’s intriguing mining town past with a complementary
guided, historic, on-mountain tour of the Park City Mountain Resort
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The
Homestead Crater
|
A
55-foot tall, beehive-shaped limestone rock that nature has hollowed out and
filled with 90-96°F water. Swim, scuba dive, snorkel or enjoy a therapeutic
soak
|
Horseback
ride
|
Ride
through breathtaking scenery as you traverse through the pristine mountain
terrain of Park City
|
Hot
air ballooning
|
A
thrilling experience that takes you a mile up in the sky for amazing views of
Park City, the beautiful Wasatch and Uinta Mountains and Salt Lake City
|
Ice
Skate
|
One
of Park City’s two skating venues – a great way to enjoy time together off
the slopes
|
A
unique winter excursion and can be combined with special dinner experiences,
even in a Viking Yurt, where the thrill of being the only ones dining on the
top of the mountain is breathtaking
|
|
Snowmobile
|
Experience
unsurpassed views, unmatched scenery, the best snowmobiles, and professional
guides committed to excellent experiences and your safety
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Through
the absolute stillness of the winter woods, whether you are looking for a
scenic aerobic experience or just a peaceful escape
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Tubing
|
A
downhill blast for the whole family, with lift-served tubing lanes and snowy
play areas for the little ones
|
Invites
you to explore the place where Olympic dreams came true in 2002 and are still
motivating today's aspiring Olympians
|
|
A
one-of-a-kind adventure off the ski hills, yoga paddleboarding or a yoga and
snowshoeing trek is sure to entertain your adventurous spirit
|
|
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| Yoga Paddleboarding at the Homestead Crater (courtesy: Washington School House Hotel) |
Michael
Gregory, General Manager at Washington School House, suggests that it is a
general trend in the industry overall that the amount of people that are
getting involved in skiing is declining: “So we want to be ahead of the curve
and see that we provide options for the non-skiers.” Gregory says that most of
the companies providing these alternative activities will reach out to him. “We
do have packages where we do incorporate activities but in general we just want
to let guests know of all the possibilities aside from skiing. A lot of the staff
around the hotel are also very active, too, doing many of the activities that
we are advertising, and that helps.” Gregory says that snowshoeing, in
particular, has been really popular, as well as traditional mountain hiking.
“Stand-up paddle-boarding in the Homestead Crater is very popular and also many
families take kids out to the crater just to experience it. We also have snowmobiling
expeditions just outside of town,” he adds. The average stay at the WashingtonSchool House is four nights in the winter, compared to two in the summer.
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| Thirty Winter Wonders to explore with The Montage DeerValley, Utah |
The
second hotel Hudson visited that is diversifying its offerings to winter
visitors was The Montage, Deer Valley. Here, alternatives to traditional
downhill skiing run the gamut from cross-country skiing, snowcat and helicopter
skiing, to snowshoeing, tubing, ice-skating, snowmobiling, dog sledding and
train rides. For the 2014-15 winter season, The Montage produced a Winter
Wonders guide with a full list of 30 activities in Park City that
are ideal for non-skiers.
Dan
Howard, Director of Public Relations for the hotel at the time, said that the
trend towards people engaging in activities outside of skiing inspired The Montage to issue this new brochure. “It’s very straightforward – we wanted to
answer the question ‘I would love to
go to Deer Valley but I don’t ski’ – and now we have given them things to stay
here for two weeks,” Howard explains. “We even offer a Montage to Moab day trip
to hike and mountain bike, break up the ski trip and get a change of scene – it’s
by private plane and so you get back to The Montage by dinner time. It’s only a
45-minute flight but it would be impossible to drive there and back in the same
day.”
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| The Montage Deer Valley, Utah |
In
contrast to the Washington School House, The Montage organizes most of these
activities itself from its Compass Sports shop. “We curate them for our Montage guests, ensuring first that there is a high standard of quality and level of
service,” says Howard. The program of activities began in the summer, he adds,
but they then began to realize that winter guests were also looking for variety.
“We started to see that having all these things to do means the grandmother can
come, and so, too, can the grandchildren. Multi-generational winter vacations
are definitely on the up.”
Howard
admits that winter vacations at The Montage are usually motivated by skiers but
that many of these skiers would not bring the family without alternative
activities. “We needed to have a program to show guests that they will be
satisfied regardless of skiing. They have to know this in advance otherwise they
wouldn’t risk bringing a family. They start to learn about all the options
after a few visits.”
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| Spa at The Montage, Deer Valley, Utah |
The
spa at the hotel remains a key feature and attraction for the hotel. “It is the
largest spa in Utah, and is a huge part of Montage culture,” says Howard. “Our
associates really take the time to personalize the experience - no two spa
treatments at The Montage are anything alike.” Howard says a very high percentage
of guests use the spa. “We charge no daily fees as we want to encourage people
to use it; imposing tall walls of cost discourages people. We have complimentary
instructor-led classes every day to keep people in their health routines. We
want people to leave feeling better than they came.”
And
it’s not just the complimentary facilities, The Montage has also used prime
hotel space to house the huge spa complex. “We have dedicated the heart of the
hotel to the spa – that’s a commitment. Other hotels would have made that area
into guest rooms. Most hotels tend to use unusable spaces for spas,” Howard
says. The spa has a signature treatment
called SURRENDER in which the first 45 minutes is a conversation between a
dedicated therapist and the guest to review health, exercise, diet and
hereditary factors prior to being prescribed with a specialized spa ‘diagnosis
regimen’ that is specific to the guest. All of the notes are maintained in The Montage database so that guests traveling to other Montage properties can
continue their spa routine without needing to repeat themselves or start from
the beginning.
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| Bowling Alley at Montage Deer Valley, Utah |
Both
Gregory and Howard avow that, although it may be the winters that originally
draw people to Utah, they often come back in the summer and fall in love with
the area. In fact, some guests end up purchasing property at The Montage to
experience the mountains all-year-round, and the hotel has a dedicated property
sales and management team on site. “We
want our guests to feel so completely at home here that they ultimately want to
buy a property in order to have more ‘Montage’ in their life”, says Howard.
With all the activities going on in the area, they will certainly never get
bored!
