“The first year or two when this trend first surfaced were pretty scary,” says David Fields, PR manager at Snowbird, Utah. “We didn’t know what we were going to have on the books in January in November. Now we can bank on those last-minute decision makers.”
One reason is Snowbird’s comprehensive website. Over the last few years Snowbird has invested heavily to create an online reservation system where people can book everything from airfare and ground transportation to lodging, lift tickets, rentals, lessons, and the spa. “There’s no encouragement to book early,” Fields says. “We’re just making it very easy for people to come at any time.”
Resorts everywhere are offering encouragements to those who book late. Stowe has created a “vacation rewards program” that gives skiers booking within 72 hours of arrival 10 percent off any multiday lift ticket package, along with a variety of other perks (free ski demos, night skiing, child tickets, etc.) depending on the length of stay. “We recognized this trend toward last-minute bookings and responded to it by creating a program anybody can participate in up to three days prior to arrival,” says Jeff Wise, Stowe communications director.
Betting on the Web
Even the media are reacting. Ski Press Media has launched www.Skipressworld.com, a new website aimed at the last-minute traveler. Ski resorts, travel providers, even individual properties can post their best deals, which are usually last-minute, on the site. “People are increasingly motivated by snow, price and opportunity,” says Jean-Marc Blais, president of Ski Press. “Ski areas need to respond to this trend. If they have excess rooms, they need a fluid way to get them out there. The website enables them to be in a marketplace where skiers can comparison shop.” By mid-November, 26 resorts had signed up to use the service.
The site is set up for ease of use, by both areas and guests. Ski areas can post their deals on the site whenever and for however long they want. They can put stops on the number of responses and cancel the deal at any time. Skiers and riders can search all this data by price, region or departure date.
Resorts are also using their own websites to push deals aimed at last-minute decision makers. Copper Mountain has launched www.Coppersavers.com to post hot deals and other packages. It also lists room availabilities in its weekly print newsletter for daytrippers who decide at the last minute to stay over.
Shanty Creek, Mich., puts last-minute deals on its home page and sends blast e-mails to guests who have indicated an interest in receiving this kind of information. “We use the electronic media to get at these people because it’s quick and cost-effective,” said Dave Nyquist, marketing director.
Kim Rielly, director of communications at the Lake Placid Visitors Bureau, likes the web as an excellent proactive tool (through blast e-mails and e-newsletters) that encourages reaction. “The web is the way people are making reservations and making trips,” Rielly says. “Having information at the ready, updated and available is critical for people making last-minute decisions.”
As late as Wednesday or Thursday, Mount Snow, Vt., may post a deal to fill rooms for that weekend. “We do a lot of short-drive business,” says Kelly Pawlak, VP for brand management. “It makes sense for us to yield on Wednesday or Thursday and see what we can do to fill in.” She said discounting is not as important as creating a sense of urgency. “Price matters, but you don’t have to discount a lot. Combine lift and lodging, make it easy to book, and call it a weekend special. ”
Advertising the Web
Ski resorts are also gearing their advertising budgets and campaigns around the Internet. “Our website is prominent in all forms of our advertising—print, radio, TV,” says Julie Ard, communications director for Boyne, Mich. “Our mix has not changed, but the industry has changed. People go to the Internet now to find out their travel options.”
Stowe has greatly expanded its advertising budget this year—all of which is used to direct skiers to its website. “We know that over 90 percent of our customers research Stowe and ski trips on the Internet,” Wise says. “So we tell them to go there.”
Other advertising shifts in response to last-minute booking have been more subtle. Says Pawlak, “We have changed our buy—how many spots we buy and when we buy them. We’re buying later in the week, for example.”
But nothing beats the immediacy and last-minute reach of the Internet itself. When Snowbird opened two weeks earlier than planned, it ran a special lift and lodging package on its website. “We expected a couple of dozen people, all locals,” Fields says. “We had four or five times the number of people we expected, not just locals, but from out-of-state as well.”
Bucking the Trend
Not everyone is happy about the late-booking trend, and some are trying to reverse it and encourage sliders to book earlier. A few note that waiting too long left some skiers out in the cold last year.
“We’ve started working on people when they check out to avoid missing out by putting down a small $25 or $50 deposit and booking then for next year,” says Kelley Davidson, VP for sales and marketing at Wintergreen, Va. “If people want a certain time period and it’s not available, we work with them to try and move their dates around.”
Crystal Mountain, Mich., offers free upgrades to people who book early, and pushes midweek business by offering free skiing and lodging to kids and grandparents, the idea being that these groups come with full-paying adults.
Boyne sticks to the old-fashioned way of doing things: it yields its rates so that the farther one books in advance, the more attractive the rate. “Guests are rewarded for calling in advance,” says Ard.
Perhaps once that word gets out on the Internet, it will start a new trend.
