KingM
New member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2004
- Messages
- 977
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Warren, VT (Sugarbush, MRG)
- Website
- www.goldenlionriversideinn.com
Billski made some excellent points in the 2007/2008 season thread and I realized as I was responding that I was writing enough to hijack the thread, so I thought I'd start a new thread.
That is very true. When it's snowing on the Boston/NYC corridor, the phone rings off the hook up here, regardless of what's happening outside. If it's dumping here, but raining on the coast, it is much quieter.
It's been a better than average season in the MRV, at least. The weather has been pretty good right around the holidays, which is critical, as those are the big money makers for everyone in the business. We had a couple of rough patches, but compared with last year, which started terribly and ended fantastic, it's been more consistent.
The same goes for SB (and I would guess MRG, in spite of a few challenges). Ticket numbers at SB were fantastic for President's Weekend, and I was at MRG that Sunday and it was packed.
It's too early to say for sure, though, as March is a surprisingly important part of the business. If the snow is good, we'll fill up every weekend, plus there are some races that bring in ski teams, and fresh snow can bring a fair amount of midweek business as well. It's often the second best month of the season for us, after February. December only makes money in the last couple of weeks, and in January people are tapped out, plus the typical January thaw.
Very true. April, money wise at the inn, is in the same category as May and November. Once it starts warming up in the south people think about getting their boat in the water, not skiing. Doesn't matter if we get twenty inches on April 6, it's not going to fill us up. I can't figure out, however, why more people don't come skiing in early December on a year like this, when the snow is excellent. I know we're skiing outliers, but here on AZ we're so anxious to start the season that there's no way we'd pass up the opportunity.
One other thing that people don't think about is that a good chunk of your lift ticket/lodging pays for all of those facilities to idle during the off-season. As an inn, we've got to make enough money in winter to pay our mortgage, electricity, property taxes, etc., in months when nobody is staying. Things start picking up in June, but it's not until the middle of July most years when there's enough business in the north country to support these businesses. Then you've got August, September, and the first half of October that pay for themselves and two more slow months.
The ski resorts face even more of this pressure. Their costs drop way down in the off-season, but their revenue falls further. You've got to make enough in the winter to last all the way until the following Christmas before you make money again.
That is very true. When it's snowing on the Boston/NYC corridor, the phone rings off the hook up here, regardless of what's happening outside. If it's dumping here, but raining on the coast, it is much quieter.
It's been a better than average season in the MRV, at least. The weather has been pretty good right around the holidays, which is critical, as those are the big money makers for everyone in the business. We had a couple of rough patches, but compared with last year, which started terribly and ended fantastic, it's been more consistent.
The same goes for SB (and I would guess MRG, in spite of a few challenges). Ticket numbers at SB were fantastic for President's Weekend, and I was at MRG that Sunday and it was packed.
It's too early to say for sure, though, as March is a surprisingly important part of the business. If the snow is good, we'll fill up every weekend, plus there are some races that bring in ski teams, and fresh snow can bring a fair amount of midweek business as well. It's often the second best month of the season for us, after February. December only makes money in the last couple of weeks, and in January people are tapped out, plus the typical January thaw.
Very true. April, money wise at the inn, is in the same category as May and November. Once it starts warming up in the south people think about getting their boat in the water, not skiing. Doesn't matter if we get twenty inches on April 6, it's not going to fill us up. I can't figure out, however, why more people don't come skiing in early December on a year like this, when the snow is excellent. I know we're skiing outliers, but here on AZ we're so anxious to start the season that there's no way we'd pass up the opportunity.
One other thing that people don't think about is that a good chunk of your lift ticket/lodging pays for all of those facilities to idle during the off-season. As an inn, we've got to make enough money in winter to pay our mortgage, electricity, property taxes, etc., in months when nobody is staying. Things start picking up in June, but it's not until the middle of July most years when there's enough business in the north country to support these businesses. Then you've got August, September, and the first half of October that pay for themselves and two more slow months.
The ski resorts face even more of this pressure. Their costs drop way down in the off-season, but their revenue falls further. You've got to make enough in the winter to last all the way until the following Christmas before you make money again.
