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Building New “Guestinations”

Bold new buildings and emerging technologies are ushering in a new era of customer-centered guest services. New resort facilities coupled with the latest technologies are already turning traditional “guest service” concepts upside down. The mountain resort industry is quicky approaching a future where tickets sell themselves, customers don’t stand in line to buy anything, and…
Training Gains

A simple formula to help operators make the business case for staff learning and development intiatives—and measure the ROI. Each fiscal year, resort leaders gather in the conference room to slog through budget meetings, ensuring that every dollar is well invested. Difficult compensation decisions are made. Capital projects, mountain maintenance, and improvements to guest-facing amenities…
The Data Made Us Do It

Mt. Hood Meadows uses technology, data analysis, and messaging to manage visitation, improve the guest experience, and increase revenue. Some thought the April 1, 2018, announcement declaring “No More Unlimited Passes at Mt. Hood Meadows” was an April Fool’s joke. Among the passholder community, many of whom had held their Unlimited Pass for decades, there…
New Products :: September 2022

A collection of new tools, activities, and equipment. MND: ADRENAZIP The new AdrenaZip trolley from MND Leisure uses new in-line braking technology that can adapt to slope steepness, up to a 30 percent grade. Two braking blocks on the wheels and non-contact braking eliminate wear and tear on the system, according to the company, and…
Going All In

Snow King Mountain and Sundance Resort have made hugh investments in nearly every aspect of their operations in order to secure their long-term success. It’s a watershed moment in a resort’s life: The time to go all-in on capital investments and level way up. But how does a resort know it’s the right time? What…
We Need Women in Operations

Female mountain ops pros are breaking into the boys’ club. Here’s why our industry will be better off with more women in the field. The maintenance shop at your ski area is likely a male dominated space—and likely always has been. Our industry’s complacency about that fact is starting to shift, though. The antiquated idea…
Construction Site :: July 2022

Major projects are underway at resorts across North America, all designed to improve and enhance the guest experience. CABERFAE PEAKS, MI Caberfae Peaks, Mich., began planning for the new East Peak Triple chairlift in early 2020. The East Peak Triple, a new Doppelmayr fixed-grip, was the first 2022 order Doppelmayr received, according to Caberfae GM…
Strength by Association

Regional and state ski area associations have evolved their roles amid changing times, finding new strengths. Just as ski areas have weathered the Covid-19 storm over the past couple of years, regional and state associations representing the ski industry have had to adjust to meet the demands of such rapidly changing conditions. In-person meetings were…
The Voice of Our Guests

A deeper dive into the guest experience feedback from winter 2021-22. In the May issue of SAM, Guest Research, Inc., previewed how ski area visitors responded to the 2021-22 winter season based on our research partners’ Net Promoter Scores (NPS), focusing on the two most important guest experience attributes: “likelihood to recommend” and “overall visit…
SAM’s Annual Best and Worst in Marketing 2021-22

Panelists share hits and misses from a season where honesty and humor reigned. If 2020-21 was all about brands establishing trust with their guests, 2021-22 was about keeping it through authentic (and sometimes funny) communications. Based on the reviews from our “Best and Worst in Marketing” panelists, honest, genuine messaging in all marketing channels was…