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November 30, 2007
New "Plan B' when flights cannot land
United Express will divert some non-stops to Grand Junction
Scott Condon
Aspen, CO Colorado
November 24, 2007
ASPEN - United Express is developing a better "Plan B" for times when bad weather prevents aircraft from landing at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport.
SkyWest Airlines, which operates most of the airport's United Express service, will divert flights from Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco to Grand Junction rather than Denver whenever possible if they cannot land in Aspen, said Marisa Snow, SkyWest's director of corporate communications.
"It will be on a case-by-case basis," she said. "The intent is to use Grand Junction for those long hauls."
The change in strategy is part of an initiative by SkyWest and United to improve service in Aspen. There were 335 canceled flights into the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport last winter - often because of poor flying conditions in Aspen or Denver.
When nonstop flights couldn't land in Aspen, they were diverted to Denver. Dumping more passengers in Denver added to the confusion and frustration because services were already inundated with passengers of canceled flights between Denver and Aspen.
When possible, passengers were loaded on buses to make a long drive into the mountains, often in treacherous conditions.
SkyWest has facilities at the Grand Junction airport, but it didn't have a way of transporting its customers to Aspen last year. That changed. A contract with a ground transportation company was expected to be signed any day, Snow said this week. That will make two or three state-of-the-art buses available for transporting passengers to Aspen.
Bill Tomcich, president of Stay Aspen/Snowmass and the local business community's liaison with the airlines, said SkyWest's move is significant. A number wasn't available on how many of the 335 canceled flights between December and April last winter involved diversions to Denver, he said.
"It created havoc when flights were diverted to Denver when Denver was having its own problems," Tomcich said.
Diverting to Grand Junction avoids the mess in Denver and shortens the drive for customers of flights that cannot fly in. The trip to Denver International Airport can stretch to five hours or more on a bus in snowy conditions. The drive from Grand Junction is about two hours, and it doesn't require travel over high mountain passes.
Air Wisconsin, a previous operator of United Express service in Aspen, tried diverting flights to Grand Junction with mixed success during the 1999-2000 ski season, Tomcich said. Most of its service was between Denver and Aspen, so using Grand Junction didn't always make sense.
Now, the volume of nonstop service from major markets outside of Denver has grown to the point where a second diversion point is worthwhile, Tomcich said.
The number of nonstop flights is growing this winter, so the potential for diverted flights also is increasing. There will be three nonstops from Chicago during weekdays and four on weekends. There will be two nonstop flights daily from Los Angeles. There will be one flight from San Francisco on Friday and Sundays and two on Saturdays.
That means there will be five nonstops daily into Aspen from those markets on weekdays and eight on Saturdays.
A better diversion plan is one of several ways SkyWest hopes to improve service to Aspen this winter. The carrier will increase the number of self-service check-in kiosks at the Aspen airport, Snow said. There were three last winter and possibly as many as 10 this winter.
SkyWest also created a lobby assistant position to help answer passengers' questions. It's looking into adding a second lobby assistant position.
The carrier also secured employee housing for the season and hopes to retain staff throughout the winter.
For more information on flights, rates and travel options, please visit us at www.stayaspensnowmass.com
Posted by Dina at 07:52 AM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2007
ESPN HD Goes Big With Winter X Games 12
ESPN and ABC Combine to Televise 15 Hours of Live Event Coverage For The First Time Ever In High Definition
ESPN HD and ABC HD will continue to expand their programming line-ups by offering all 15 hours of Winter X Games 12 in high-definition, January 24 through January 27, 2008 live from Aspen, Colorado. X Games 14 will also be presented entirely in HD and will air in early August, 2008. XCENTER, the daily highlight show for both the X Games and Winter X Games, will also be shown in HD on ESPN2 HD.
The annual Winter X Games is the premier winter action sports event featuring more than 250 of the world's best athletes competing for medals and prize money in Skiing, Snowboard and Snowmobile competitions.
"Offering Winter X Games 12 in high definition raises the bar and allows us to further enhance the experience for our viewers and all action sports fans," said Rick Alessandri, senior vice president, ESPN consumer products and X Games managing director. "Winter X Games 12 is the first ever multi-sport winter action sports event to be presented in HD. This move and our collaboration with Olevia as the HD sponsor of Winter X Games 12 further demonstrates why ESPN is the leader in HDTV."
Buttermilk Mountain at Aspen/Snowmass will continue to host the Winter X Games through 2010. The event includes day and evening competitions and is free to the public.
WINTER X GAMES 12 BROADCAST SCHEDULE BY DAY - All times listed below are Eastern Time (ET)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
9:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. ESPN HD
Snowmobile Speed & Style Final Skiing SuperPipe Men's Final
Friday, January 25, 2008
10:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. ESPN HD
Snowmobile SnoCross Round 1
Snowboard SuperPipe Women's Final Skiing Big Air Final
Saturday, January 26, 2008
2:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ABC HD
Snowboarder X Men's & Women's Finals
Snowboard Slopestyle Men's & Women's Final
Snowmobile SnoCross Round 2
8:15 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. ESPN HD
Snowboard SuperPipe Men's Elimination
Snowmobile SnoCross Final
Snowboard Big Air Final
Sunday, January 27, 2008
1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ESPN HD
Skier X Men's & Women's Finals
Snowmobile Freestyle Elimination
Skiing Slopestyle Elimination & Final
Mono Skier X Final
9:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. ESPN HD
Snowmobile Freestyle Final
Snowboard SuperPipe Men's Final
This schedule is subject to change. Please visit www.stayaspensnowmass.com for the most updated schedule.
Posted by Dina at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)
Aspen - Snowmass: Mountain Update
Thanks to the hard work of crews on Aspen Mountain the following terrain opened for the season today: Gretl's, Silver Dip, Pussyfoot, Upper Buckhorn, Blondies, Easy Chair and the skier's right part of the Dispy Headwall. Crews positioned the mountain to capitalize on natural snowfall and that's what happened. Aspen Mountain will have 109 acres open. 22% intermediate terrain, 2 of 8 lifts, 15 of 76 trails open
Trails currently open are:
Upper Bellissimo, 1&2 Leaf, upper Copper, Silver Bell, Easy Chair, Pussyfoot, Silver Dip, Deer Park, Silver Dip Swing, Buckhorn, Buckhorn Cutoff, Gretl's, Blondies, and upper Dipsy Doodle, North American, Midway Road, and Midnight
The World Cup snow control decision has been postponed until Thursday. The course looks great and skis even better with 6" of natural snow on top of a hard race surface.
As of now Snowmass Mountain will remain the same as yesterday.
For the most up-to-date information on weather and snow condition, visit us at www.stayaspensnowmass.com
Posted by Dina at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2007
Q&A: Aspen resort official Bill Tomcich discusses air service, lodging outlook
Bill Tomcich, president of Stay Aspen Snowmass and the resort's liaison to the airline industry, says there's room for additional airline service to Aspen. As for bookings, snow would help, he says.
Aspen Times Staff Report
Aspen, CO Colorado
November 27, 2007
Editor's note: Inside Business, published Tuesdays by The Aspen Times, posed some questions to Bill Tomcich, president of Stay Aspen Snowmass, an organization that books lodging reservations for the resort. Tomcich, who also is the community liaison to the airline industry, offered his insights on the upcoming season. Here are his responses:
Aspen Times: Could you tell us a little about your background?
Bill Tomcich: I was originally hired by the Aspen Skiing Co. from Vail Associates in June of 1995 as managing director of travel services, and was responsible for managing the relationships of all the airlines that were serving our market and recruiting new airlines and routes. In 1998, I was appointed to the position of president of Aspen Central Reservations, although I continued to maintain my role as this community's primary liaison with the airlines. In October 2001, Aspen Central Reservations merged with Snowmass Central Reservations to create Stay Aspen Snowmass, the reservations company owned one-third by the Skico, one-third by the Aspen lodging properties, and one-third by the Snowmass Village Resort Association.
AT:Delta Air Lines recently announced it's going to fly direct into Aspen from Atlanta. You said it was the most exciting announcement in your 12 years here. Why?
BT:Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline (317 cities in 55 countries to be exact). Atlanta is not only Delta's largest hub, it is in fact the world's largest single connecting hub with overseas nonstop flights to more than 50 destinations throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America. Direct connections from the world's largest airline hub into Aspen/Snowmass will open up more convenient connecting opportunities for international visitors than any other conceivable route.
If passengers prove willing to pay the premiums that will be required for this flight to be profitable enough to overcome the weight-restrictions that will be imposed on the outbound flight so it can take on enough fuel for the 1,304-mile flight to Atlanta, I could see this flight expanding to daily service in the future with one-stop connections from markets we have never dreamed of.
AT: What are the potential impacts locally if Delta and United merge?
BT: Thankfully, it appears this news was nothing more than a rumor.
If it were to happen, a Delta and United merger would result in reduced competition and likely increased fares for communities that rely on competing service from both airlines, especially for communities like ours that rely on competing service from both the Denver and Salt Lake City hubs.
AT: What are the three most attractive U.S. markets that Aspen doesn't serve? Are you doing anything to capture them?
BT:New York City, served by three airports, is by far the most attractive market not currently served by nonstop flights into Aspen/Snowmass, but the performance of today's aircraft relative to our existing runway length and surrounding terrain render that route impractical for commercial airlines in the foreseeable future. Other than reinstating service recently lost by Northwest Airlines from their hubs in Minneapolis/St. Paul and Memphis, the three most attractive and realistic markets that I see as viable nonstop routes from Aspen/Snowmass are American's hub in Dallas/Ft Worth, Continental's hub in Houston, and even U.S. Airways' hub in Las Vegas.
In every case, the limiting factor is the aircraft performance within each carrier's fleet relative to the amount of fuel required to reach each market. For example, Northwest Airlines’ 76-passenger aircraft on a short hop to Denver would not be a problem. But Northwest's nearest hub is 802 miles away in Minneapolis, and in order to take on enough fuel to operate that flight nonstop, the airline would have to restrict their sales to fewer than 45 seats per flight in ideal conditions. To quote Northwest's director of schedule planning, who I regularly stay in touch with just like his counterparts at American, Continental, Frontier and US Airways, "I'd be back in Aspen in a New York minute if we had an aircraft that could fly in without a weight restriction."
Maintaining my contacts with the commercial carriers and staying totally on top of emerging opportunities is what I am doing to capture those new market opportunities.
That is exactly how we recently captured Delta Air Lines. Within days of sharing the news that SkyWest had figured out a way to overcome the operational hurdles of flying the CRJ-700 to and from Aspen for United Express, I had a commitment from Delta's senior vice president of network planning to launch new flights from their Salt Lake City hub.
AT: How many airline carriers would be optimal in Aspen?
BT: As a general rule, the more airlines we have serving Aspen, the greater the competitive pressures will be to provide improved service and lower fares. That said, it is very important that the airlines be able to continue to operate here profitably.
This winter, we are going to see more service from more cities than United has ever flown into any single ski destination other than their Denver hub. On Saturdays, for example, United alone is going to have up to 26 flights both in and out of Aspen/Snowmass - 18 from Denver, four from Chicago, two from Los Angeles and two from San Francisco.
Why are we suddenly being awarded with such extraordinary service? Because Aspen/Snowmass is a very profitable market for United, and with a fleet of 52 new CRJ-700s being flown for United Express, United now has more opportunities to operate aircraft and crews that were never before possible when Aspen was served by Air Wisconsin's very limited fleet of BAE-146s.
So, how many airline carrier's would be optimal for Aspen? Certainly more than the three we have serving our market today. I am certain that a Frontier route from Denver with a Q-400 timed for optimum connections from our top domestic markets could do very well here year-round.
Could our market support all this service? A return from Northwest from Minneapolis and Memphis, plus maybe some American flights from DFW, Continental flights from Houston, and expanded US Airways flights from Phoenix and even Las Vegas?
I would say that it would ultimately be a function of how successful United is in fulfilling their promises to improve their service here this winter.
If United truly delivers the best air service we have ever seen in Aspen this winter to go along with what is truly the best schedule they have ever built for our market, then I believe United will be successful in defending this lucrative market against potential competitors and the optimum number of airlines from what we have today - may be just one or two more. If we see a similar or repeat performance from United of what happened last winter, then I believe every single aforementioned carrier and route, and then some, would do extremely well here as passengers flock to avoid repeating the travel nightmares so many have experienced in the past on United.
AT: How will the increases in oil and gas prices affect airfares
into Aspen this winter?
BT:: Other than a recent $10 roundtrip fuel surcharge recently imposed by United Airlines for all domestic travel, I do not expect the recent increases in oil and gas prices to affect airfares in Aspen this winter at all.
I expect more discounted fares to be offered into Aspen than were available last year. In fact, I would say that because of the high cost of gasoline, flying into Aspen will never have been such a bargain relative to the cost of driving than it will be this winter.
As crazy as that may sound, airline pricing is seldom a function of the costs of delivering the service. It is generally a function of what passengers are willing to pay given other competing alternatives available.
AT: Do you have a breakdown on how guests arrive here? How many people fly into DIA and drive from Denver, or fly into Eagle/Vail or Aspen?
BT: Based on the most recent research conducted by the Skico, roughly 39 percent of winter visitors fly directly into Aspen. About 11 percent fly into the Eagle County Airport and either take ground transportation, or rent a car from there, while 36 percent of our winter guests now fly into Denver and drive from there. That number has been growing significantly in recent years as lower fares have made the drive from Denver a more tolerable option. With increased flights and more attractive fares into Aspen, I would expect more people to choose to fly directly into Aspen and fewer rental cars from Denver. This also is why we believe the market exists for a lot more commercial flights directly into Aspen than what is currently offered.
AT: How are lodging bookings looking for the winter?
BT: Winter bookings were originally off to a really strong start, but since the end of October, our pace relative to last year has diminished with our snowpack relative to average. Let's face it, from now until Christmas, lodging bookings look pretty lousy, and that isn't likely to change unless we see a phenomenal change in our weather patterns.
International bookings are really strong this year because of the weak U.S. dollar, and for that reason, things look great from Christmas through Carnival, which is the second week of February. From the second week of February through the third week of March when Easter week falls, things don't look so hot at the moment. We have a lot of rooms and airline seats left to sell during what is traditionally our high season.
AT: Since you have been in the valley, what year was the ideal winter season in terms of business? Why?
BT: The 1997/98 was truly the perfect season as everything came together. We had a strong economy, amazing early snow and great snow all winter, five airlines flying into Aspen, and more hot beds to sell in Aspen/Snowmass than we have seen for a long time since.
AT: Could we ever get back to those numbers?
BT: Certainly not this year. After more units come online in the future with the Limelight redevelopment and Snowmass Base Village, another perfect season may well be possible in the future.
AT: How have the demographics of Aspen's guest changed in the past 10 years? How do you think they will change in the next 10 years?
BT: With the disappearance of most of Aspen's economy lodges, a lot of guests who used to stay in those traditional ski lodges have disappeared. At the same time, there has been a remarkable shift toward younger demographics with the opening of Aspen Mountain to snowboarding and the hosting of the Winter X Games at Buttermilk. It's too bad we couldn't have seen this demographic shift of demand 10 years ago, before the supply of rooms ideally suited for them started to disappear.
AT: How do fractional ownership condos get into the rental pool?
BT: In many cases, the economic incentives for fractional owners to make their unused units available to short-term renters are strong enough for them to figure out a way to make it happen. In most cases, those units are offered for sale through property management companies like Frias Properties.
AT: Have the negative effects of Sept. 11, 2001 leveled off locally?
BT: In my opinion, the primary negative effect of 9/11 was a fear of air travel. I feel for the most part, those fears are long gone. Relatively speaking, air travel has never been safer, more convenient, or more affordable than it is today.
It appears that the TSA is doing a far superior job at airport security than what existed prior to 9/11, and modern technology, electronic check-in units, and even Internet boarding passes has made the entire travel process of boarding an airplane more convenient.
Air travel certainly isn't as pleasant as it used to be as airplanes are more crowded than ever, a lot of planes are smaller and more cramped, and premium in-flight services are a thing of the past except on overseas flights. But it in most cases, you have to admit that it has never been cheaper or more convenient to fly from point A to point B than it is today.
AT: What is your opinion on the overall state of the resort?
BT: When I came to Aspen/Snowmass 12 years ago, this resort offered a great on-mountain product. There were plentiful options of accommodations available for our guests to stay, but air access was this resorts No. 1 limiting factor and perhaps this community's greatest weakness.
Today, the on-mountain product has never been better, but the availability and affordability of accommodations is far more limited, and we are coming off a year when airline service into our resort was a complete debacle.
I believe that in very short order, air access into this resort is going to be transformed from what was once our greatest weakness to possibly our strongest selling point.
But the availability of affordable accommodations, whether they be for our visitors to sleep or for our resort's service employees to live, is going to continue to become a greater challenge.
Posted by Dina at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)
November 27, 2007
FIS Alpine Ski World Cup: Schedule of Events
subject to change
Friday, December 7
8 am to 4 pm Free Public Shuttles - Run every 20 minutes from Rubey Park - St. Regis - Venue
10 am to 4:30 pm Sponsor Village Open - Gondola Plaza
10 am Venue Open
11 am RACE START: Women's Downhill - Ruthie's Run(awards ceremony immediately following)
2:00 pm to 4:30 pm Apres Ski Street Party - Music, Entertainment, Free Snacks & Beverages - Gondola Plaza
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm All Out U.S. Ski Team Autograph Signing - Gondola Plaza
6 pm to 9 pm Budweiser Dine Around - Downtown Aspen Participating Restaurants
Saturday, December 8
8 am to 4 pm Free Public Shuttles - Run every 20 minutes from Rubey Park - St. Regis - Venue
10 am to 4:30 pm Sponsor Village Open - Gondola Plaza
10 am Venue Open
10:45 am RACE START: Women's Super G - Ruthie's Run.(awards ceremony immediately following)
2 pm to 4:30 pm Apres Ski Street Party - Music, Entertainment, Free Snacks & Beverages - Gondola Plaza
3 pm to 4 pm All Out U.S. Ski Team Autograph Signing - Gondola Plaza
4 pm to 6 pm Hyatt Grand Aspen's 2nd annual Community Holiday Skating Party - Silver Circle Ice Rink
4:15 to 5 pm Powder Girls Autograph Signing featuring Jonna Mendes & Donna Weinbrecht - Gondola Plaza
6 pm to 9 pm Budweiser Dine Around - Downtown Aspen Participating Restaurants
6 pm to 6:30 pm Awards Ceremony for Super G Winners & Presentation of Bingham Cup to Downhill Winner and Public Bib Draw for Women's Slalom Racers - Bud Light Hi-Fi Stage/Upper Gondola Plaza
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series featuring Blues Traveler
8:30 pm Fireworks Extravaganza - Little Nell
Sunday, December 9
8 am to 4 pm Free Public Shuttles - Run every 20 minutes from Rubey Park - St. Regis - Venue
9:30 am Venue Open
10 am to 2 pm Sponsor Village Opens - Gondola Plaza
10:00 am RACE START: Women's Slalom Run 1 - Strawpile
12:15 pm Halftime Entertainment & Prize Giveaways - Finish Area Stadium
1:00 pm RACE START: Women's Slalom Final - Strawpile(awards ceremony immediately following)
For more information on the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, please visit: www.stayaspensnowmass.com
Posted by Dina at 03:25 PM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2007
Private hotel' concept introduced in Aspen
Brent Gardner-Smith - Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Sun 11/25/2007 11:00PM MST
An international company is now offering visitors to Aspen the option of staying in a "private hotel" for more than $7,000 a night.
A company called Villazzo has three "VillaHotels" in the Aspen area that have all the five-star amenities of a luxury hotel such as The Little Nell. These private hotels are part of a growing mix of expensive services and accommodations in Aspen.
"If people like being pampered and like being waited on hand and foot, they will enjoy our experience," said Sean Hayes, general manager of Villazzo's Aspen properties.
The cost of a private hotel in peak season ranges from $5,300 per night for a home in Old Snowmass to $7,000 per night for a 10,000-square-foot home on Smuggler Mountain with Aspen views.
By comparison, the rate for the 2,500-square-foot slopeside Paepcke Suite at the five-star/five-diamond Little Nell hotel is $5,100 per night for much of the winter, climbing to $6,185 from Dec. 18 to Jan. 1. Holiday rates for the Nell's Pfeifer Suite are $6,625 per night - and going up to $7,200 per night next year. Both suites are booked for this year, according to Justin Todd, director of sales and marketing for The Little Nell.
Last winter, the average cost of an overnight stay in an Aspen hotel room was $467, according to Stay Aspen Snowmass President Bill Tomcich. That figure includes all levels of lodges and hotels booked by SAS, but does not factor in rates for private homes - or private hotels.
Included in the base price of a Villazzo private hotel are such items as: a uniformed bellman and maid, a welcome bottle of champagne and appetizers, unpacking service, bath slippers, shoe-polishing service, daily fresh fruit and flowers, newspapers and magazines, Godiva chocolates, and a personal computer with high-speed Internet service.
Items that come at an extra charge include a uniformed butler, room service, a private chef, waiter or bartender, shopping service, cigar selection, mini-bars, personal security personnel and a gift shop.
HISTORY
Founded by Christian Jagodzinski of Germany, Villazzo also has villas in St. Tropez, Marbella, Courchevel, Paris and Miami. Jagodzinski - who created Europe's first online bookstore and then sold the business to Amazon.com - frequently rented expensive homes when he traveled, and often failed to find reliable Internet service, a decent espresso machine or a working home theater. So he started Villazzo to try to provide a consistent and reliable product for fellow high-end travelers.
A review of a visit in January to a Villazzo private hotel in St. Tropez by a reporter with The Times of London was not all positive. The reporter's biggest complaints, however, were that no cream was served with his tea, the water in the pool was much too chilly, and the hired chef's culinary skills "were largely fictional."
Jagodzinki hopes eventually to have about 10 homes serving as private hotels in each of the resort markets the company has selected so far, including Aspen.
Rather than buy the homes it uses as hotels, Villazzo makes arrangements with homeowners to bring their properties up to the company's standards, and then rents them out on a nightly, weekly or monthly basis.
It seems to be a popular idea, according to one industry watcher.
"The trend of 'private hotels" is huge, not just in high-end ski resorts such as Aspen, Whistler, Lake Tahoe, Telluride, Vail, Jackson Hole, Park City and Courchevel, but also in fashionable beach resorts and urban centers," said Christine Gray, editor of Luxury Travel Magazine. "It's a worldwide trend and the fastest-growing segment of the luxury travel market."
OTHER TRENDS
In addition to private hotels, approximately 10 homes and condos in Aspen and Snowmass are now managed as components of destination clubs, where members pay a one-time membership fee and annual dues and can stay at a range of luxury properties at no charge.
An increasing number of recently built luxury homes are also available for rent in Aspen and Snowmass at breathtaking prices. Many offer services such as a driver, chef or masseuse, although the service levels generally do not attempt to emulate a five-star hotel experience.
"The properties we represent are already managed by the homeowner's staff or a property management company," said Carrie Bryant, a broker associate and marketing director with Aspen Signature Properties. "Those vendors know the house and they treat people as if they were the owner's guests."
However, those drivers and maids might not report for duty in a traditional maid's or butler's uniform, as they will at a Villazzo property, where a formal uniform is no small matter.
"It is a challenge finding the right people who will wear a bellman's uniform," especially given the casual nature of most local jobs, said Villazzo's Hayes.
But even without maids in spiffy uniforms, people are willing to pay quite a bit for a home rental in Aspen.
Aspen Signature Properties offers rentals of large private homes in Aspen at rates of $20,000 per night over the holidays and up to $160,000 for one month during the winter. The average holiday stay at a large Aspen home costs about $40,000 per week, according to Bryant, and a strong demand exists for homes in that price range.
Bryant said it was not unusual for a wealthy family to have the attitude, "We might be billionaires, but we're just a normal family. Just put us on Red Mountain for $10,000 a night and we're good."
She also said that for some, an expensive rental is still cheaper than buying a luxury home in Aspen. In other words, she said, those clients are happy to spend $100,000 per month to rent, rather than $8 million to own a property.
Greg Shove, CEO of The Helium Report, which tracks luxury travel trends such as destination clubs and private hotels, says the market for luxury ski home rentals and private hotels with very high levels of service is strong and growing.
"More and more, affluent travelers are less satisfied with one-off vacation rentals," said Shove. "There is a desire to know that a property is as advertised and that there is some consistency of service."
Shove also said that a five- or six-bedroom home or private hotel can be competitive with a five-star hotel, from a price standpoint, especially if a family needs to rent three or four hotel rooms to accommodate the whole family plus friends and a nanny. In addition, many heads of wealthy households need, and want, to do some office work while they're on an extended ski trip.
"People are working more while traveling and they want a place where they can work from," he said. "A house can do that and a hotel room doesn't do that very well."
The growing popularity of high-end home rentals might mean that there are more "hot beds" in Aspen than are counted by central reservation agencies like Stay Aspen Snowmass.
"There has always been an uncounted percentage of our visitors who stay in accommodations like these, whether they pay for it or whether they are guests," said Tomcich.
But he doesn't think the growing number of high-end, multiple-bedroom homes in Aspen has offset the steady loss of lodging beds the resort has seen during the past 20 years.
www.stayaspensnowmass.com
"I think it should certainly factor into our thinking, but there is no question that we have seen a significant net loss of beds," he said.
Sean Hayes of Villazzo feels that the private hotel concept will continue to be popular in Aspen and Snowmass, especially among very wealthy travelers.
"Our clients don't fly commercial -why should they stay commercial" he asked.
For more information on luxury properties, visit www.stayaspensnowmass.com
Posted by Dina at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)
November 23, 2007
Winter X Games Competition Schedule and Additions
Winter X Games 12: January 24-27, 2008; Live Coverage on ESPN and ABC
LOS ANGELES Winter X Games 12 - to be held January 24-27, 2008 in Aspen/Snowmass, Colo., and aired live on ESPN and ABC- will feature new events, a new stage and enhanced coverage across ESPN platforms. Three new disciplines will make their debut - Snowmobile Speed & Style, Skiing Big Air, and Snowboard Big Air. Fifteen hours of live programming on ESPN and ABC will be offered as well as Winter X Games 12 coverage on ESPN International, EXPN.com, ESPN360, SportsCenter and ESPN2's X Center.
Modeled after Winter X mainstays Snowmobile SnoCross and Snowmobile Freestyle, Snowmobile Speed & Style combines the air of Freestyle and the speed of SnoCross in to one discipline. Competitors will go head to head around the course hitting multiple jumps and obstacles. Final scores will be based on difficulty of tricks pulled and amount of time racers take to ride around the full track.
Big Air contests have also been added to the Winter X pillars of Skiing and Snowboard. Featuring only four competitors in each contest, the scoring of every run will be fan interactive: 50% of each competitor's score will come from live fan text voting and the second half will be judged by the analysts calling the competitions live on TV.
"As the Winter X Games always looks to follow the athletes in the progression of their sports, we are excited to introduce these new disciplines to our prime time telecasts this year and look forward to building on the interactive text voting success we had with skateboarding at the X Games" said Ron Semiao, senior vice president, ESPN content development.
With the addition of the three new disciplines to the competition schedule, all events will be held at the base of Buttermilk Mountain. No spectator events will be held in downtown Aspen or Wagner Park. "It is always our goal to present our viewers and spectators with the best event and experience possible." said Rick Alessandri, senior vice president, ESPN consumer products and X Games managing director. "The concert venue at Wagner Park has been a great location and we hope to possibly return to the venue in the future. However, this year we have decided to move all of our events and our music stage to one venue. We invite all spectators, fans, and the Aspen community to join us at Buttermilk Mountain."
The annual Winter X Games is the premier winter action sports event in the world and showcases more than 250 of the world's top athletes. Buttermilk Mountain at Aspen/Snowmass will continue to host the Winter X Games through 2010. Winter X Games 12 is free to the public.
For more information about the X-games, please visit us at www.stayaspensnowmass.com
Posted by Dina at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2007
Gondolas free on Turkey Day
The Silver Queen Gondola at Aspen Mountain will run for free from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, the Aspen Skiing Co. announced Tuesday. SkiCo officials had already decided to run the Skittles gondola at Snowmass Ski Area for free as well, due to limited terrain openings on Fanny Hill.
Warm weather prevented the Aspen Skiing Co. from making any new snow on its mountains Monday night.
Foot passenger rates - currently $24 for adults - will apply for the Aspen gondola on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, or until the mountain opens for skiing.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Sundeck will be open and the new big-screen TV will be showing holiday weekend football games. Disc golf and food and drink specials are also part of the offerings at the top of the mountain, and entertainment will be scheduled in the gondola plaza including a House of Bounce for kids. Thanksjibbing will take place as scheduled on Saturday night from 6 to 8 p.m.
At Snowmass, Fanny Hill will be open from the Top of the Village to the bottom with a 2-foot base of manmade snow, and the Sky Cab (Skittles) will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with access for skiing ending at 3:30 p.m. The Lynn Britt Cabin will be open with a limited lunch menu from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with foot passenger access via the Burlingame chair. The Cirque will serve from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Posted by Dina at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2007
Delta Launches New Weekend Service to Aspen/Snowmass, Colo. Only Nonstop Service from the East
ATLANTA, Nov. 14, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) will offer customers more choices for a ski vacation beginning Feb. 16 with new Saturday seasonal service between the slopes of Aspen/Snowmass, Colo. and the world's largest airline hub in Atlanta. Delta Connection carrier SkyWest Airlines will operate the new flights using the Bombardier CRJ 700 aircraft. Delta is the only airline to offer nonstop service from the East and provides convenient connecting service from around the world to Aspen/Snowmass
"Ski aficionados will now have easier access to one of the world's most popular ski destinations," said Bob Cortelyou, Delta's senior vice president of network planning. "We are proud to be able to offer East Coast access to Aspen/Snowmass famous for downhill skiing and four fantastic mountains."
"The fact that Delta Air Lines is initiating a nonstop flight from Atlanta is the most exciting airline news I've had the pleasure of reporting in my 12 years here," said Bill Tomcich, president of central reservations agency Stay Aspen Snowmass, and the resort's primary airline liaison. "Not only will this be the first commercial flight offered into Aspen/Snowmass nonstop from the Eastern Time Zone, but it will also provide connections to the East Coast and international markets."
Flights to Delta's ski destinations, including its new service to Aspen/Snowmass, are now available for sale to customers on www.stayaspensnowmass.com. Delta's new service from Atlanta to Aspen/Snowmass will complement daily service from Salt Lake City and will operate based on the following schedule:
Delta's new service* between Atlanta and Aspen/Snowmass, effective
Feb. 16, 2007 on Saturdays only
Flight Departs Arrives
4093 Atlanta at 1:55 p.m. Aspen/Snowmass at 4:35 p.m.
4094 Aspen/Snowmass at 8:00 a.m. Atlanta at 1:15 p.m.
*Operated by Delta Connection carrier SkyWest Airlines
Posted by Dina at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)
