Slump likely will bring hot ski deals

By The Associated Press

Published: November 9, 2008

BEAVER CREEK, Colo. — Mike and Pam Mathe have taken their two children skiing at Beaver Creek over Christmas break each of the past five years. It’s their one big vacation for the year, a luxurious re-spite from Mike’s traveling and the children’s classes.

No way are they going to let the economic downturn stop them this year.

"We need this vacation; this is what we look forward to every year,” Pam Mathe said. "Realistically, it hasn’t been a toll on us business-wise as it has for a lot of people, but if I had to buckle up and save for this, I would.”

The good news for the Mathes, and anyone else who wants to go skiing, is that the penny-pinching might not be so bad this year thanks to the creative measures ski resorts are taking to combat the slumping economy.

Extra nights’ lodging, ski rental packages, cut-rate lift tickets, stay-and-ski deals, upgrades — all are part of the promotions resorts are using to lure people to the mountain.

But there always will be a portion of the population that will be going to ski, no matter what.

For the rest of us, skiing is a luxury, something easily cut from the budget when things get tough. Paying rent or skiing? There isn’t much debate.

Ski resorts are aware of the competition for consumer money, and they’re doing everything they can to hold onto their share.

"There’s all kinds of tactical responses the individual areas are going to make, lots of energy within the industry to kind of counter the reasons why people might not ski this year,” said Michael Berry, president of the National Ski Areas Association. "There’s a lot of people paying a lot of attention.”

There’s plenty of reason.

Hotel bookings in Vail are down significantly, and skiers who do show up are expected to spend less money per person. Some industry watchers are predicting one of the worst winters ever for the town’s economy.

Though the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek isn’t expected to be hit too hard by the economic downturn because of its affluent clientele, holiday bookings are down from a year ago.

Many resorts also are seeing a shorter booking window from guests who normally make reservations early, keeping early-season money off the books.

"We’ve definitely seen a falloff in pace from last year, even over some of the key holiday periods,” said Scott Gubrud, Park Hyatt’s marketing and sales director.

"I think there are people still planning on doing a vacation; they’re just kind of on the fence a little bit in terms in waiting to decide what’s happening in the economy, what’s happening in the election, before they make a decision.”

The key is luring those people off the fence.

The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek has taken the unprecedented step of extending some of its discount offers to the holidays, a time when the hotel fills up without much effort.

"This year’s going to be very different, so we’ve had to get a lot more promotional and provide a lot more of a value proposition as it relates to our guests,” Gubrud said.

"The good news for them is I think there’s going to be a lot of great opportunities in the travel marketplace — particularly here — to take advantage of some deals they weren’t able to get before.”

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