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March 2015

A Perfect Match

Resorts have exactly the characteristics marrying couples seek.

Written by Catherine Doucette | 0 comment
Resorts across the country are increasingly finding themselves in the business of weddings, and apparently, business is good. Homewood Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe reports that wedding business has doubled in just the last year. In Illinois, Chestnut Mountain is now filling its hotel on summer weekends with destination wedding guests.

It’s not surprising. In addition to natural beauty and a variety of activities, ski resorts are uniquely positioned to meet most, if not all, wedding venue requirements. Often, resorts are able to offer not only a ceremony site, but also a place for the rehearsal and reception, lodging, and food and beverage services. Many have staff in place accustomed to dealing with the logistics of large events. And, resorts can offer amenities like a spa for preparation and relaxation, tubing, skiing, and golf, not to mention elements that speak to current wedding trends, such as “barn” weddings and the ability to have cere- mony and reception in one place.

For many ski areas, the growth in wedding business has been rapid. “Not too many years ago, weddings were just something we thought could help maintain our staff and generate some revenue in the off-season,” says Anne Weimer, marketing director at Liberty Mountain, Pa., which already has 80-plus weddings on the calendar this year. “Very quickly, weddings have become a significant portion of our business, and the potential for growth in this market has helped shape how we are viewing and planning the future of our year-round operations.”

That many ski resorts have the ability to offer various venue options is a boon for customers looking for choices. Liberty, for example, offers three locations for wedding events, and is adding a fourth, says sales director Deanna Painter. Each venue includes a ceremony site plus an indoor alternative and reception facility. And each has its own banquet kitchen, which means that three weddings can take place simultaneously. It’s not uncommon for the resort to host five or six weddings in one weekend. Because every venue is separate, each couple feels like they are having their own, private wedding, and can choose from a variety of price points. Liberty is renovating an historic manor as a fourth venue option, further extending its capacity.


One-Stop Weddings
Resorts also capitalize on weddings by selling all-inclusive packages, a cost- effective way to include everything from the venue to staff and made-on-site food. These packages offer one-stop shopping, and are a draw that have become commonplace at many ski areas.

“[Customers appreciate that] with one phone call, all the major hassles of wedding planning are solved,” says Dig Chrismer, marketing manager at Idaho’s Schweitzer Mountain Resort, where summer packages range from $2,398 for a mid-week, village patio wedding to around $5,000 for a top-of-the-mountain Saturday wedding. Prices include bridal suite, cake cutting, room rental, reception and rehearsal dinner, ceremony sound, up to 20 rehearsal lift tickets, wedding day lift tickets, and weather back-up room.

Chestnut Mountain also offers a range of packages. Many hinge on the same fundamentals: inclusive options, flexibility, and the natural beauty of the mountains. “We offer two different price packages. These are all-inclusive packages that include hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and a full dinner,” says general manager Erin Murphy.

Staffing comes into play with couples that are relieved by the idea of on-site help (and maybe a little hand-holding). Having a devoted sales and wedding planner on staff can increase business and offer personal attention.

“The trick to managing wedding receptions is to have the person that sells the wedding be the main contact throughout the entire process, including the event itself,” says Murphy. “You need a person that has the patience and concern to work with the bride and groom.”

At Saddleback, Maine, general manager Chris Farmer eases the planning process by meeting with a couple to review all the options available to them, then building a custom budget that meets their needs. Saddleback also encourages a longer stay with a promotion that gives customers their third night of lodging free.

“One great advantage of offering wedding receptions is that we are able to fill our hotel rooms on summer weekends,” adds Chestnut Mountain’s Murphy. She says that a typical wedding at the resort accounts for 25 to 50 percent of room nights on weekends, with leisure travelers booking the rest of the hotel. Before Chestnut started catering to destination weddings, typical occupancy rate was around 50 to 60 percent total on a summer weekend.


Challenges (Beyond Bridezillas)
While the financial benefits of the wedding market are tangible, challenges exist. One issue, especially at resorts capable of hosting several weddings simultaneously, is how to comfortably meet the demand.

Liberty’s three venues offer a combined capacity of around 750 guests (300, 200, and 240). To resolve related capacity issues, the resort offers shuttles to nearby lodging for wedding guests staying elsewhere. In addition to helping alleviate a potential problem, the shuttles offer one more convenience for guests, and one more billable service for the resort.

It can also be challenging to sell a resort location. Sometimes it’s hard for a couple to look at ski lodges and see the potential for a romantic setting when all they can picture is sloppy snow and ski boots. To combat this, many resorts are publishing print or online wedding guides as a resource. A good imagination and loads of pictures can show exactly how a lodge can be transformed.

Chrismer says Schweitzer has evolved its business by truly focusing on wedding marketing. “We have put a lot of focus on attracting weddings to the mountain in the last few years by attending regional wedding shows, placing strategic ads in various regional wedding guides, and through building strong relationships with wedding planners in the area,” says Chrismer. “These efforts have definitely helped grow our overall wedding business.”

The logistics of a mountain environment can also be problematic. Katie Brauer, event sales coordinator at Homewood, says factors like the timing of a wedding group riding a lift to the top of the mountain should be considered. “The lift ride for all of the guests [who also need to sign releases], plus the ceremony and the ride down, can sometimes take hours. This turns a 30-minute ceremony into a two- or three-hour event,” says Brauer.

And let’s not overlook perhaps the biggest challenge of a mountain environment: weather. “That’s the biggest challenge for a resort wedding,” says Chrismer. “It’s not uncommon to have intense thunderstorms roll in during the summer afternoons, right when guests would be heading to the top of the mountain for the event. The safety and security of our guests has to be weighed against the expectations of the bridal couple. Also, when our couples marry on top of the mountain, often their family and friends have dressed for what would be expected at a more traditional wedding location. Colder temps, rugged terrain, and mountain weather can be challenging for high heels and formal wedding attire.”


Worth the Effort
Still, the benefits of a successful wedding business outweigh any challenges. Murphy says that a big advantage from an HR perspective is that Chestnut Mountain is able to keep on key food and beverage staff who would typically be laid off during the summer months.

Saddleback’s Farmer adds that weddings provide a great feeder for the winter season. Wedding guests who have never been to the area see Saddleback for the first time, enjoy it, and return as skiers, he says. Summer weddings offer a great opportunity for exposure—they continually bring new people to the resort.

Schweitzer Mountain has actually seen an uptick in winter ceremonies, including a growth in demand for top-of-the-mountain winter weddings, says Chrismer. “Our winter weddings before 2013 were sporadic. In 2014 we had two, and this winter, we have five—a 200 percent growth, if you will.”

Weddings and ski resorts may be a perfect match. And ski areas across the country are capitalizing on this opportunity to bump their year-round revenue—a natural move for resorts that already have the infrastructure, and scenery, in place.