there’s a lot with regard to labor that is completely untouched. The shortages aren’t Vail alone. It’s definitely global and the pandemic and the great resignation are part of it. But what exacerbations are there? They mildly touched on the housing crisis and traffic crises. The traffic is also not just mountain towns … the pandemic has changed the way we travel, live and work and it’s definitely leaving it’s mark on the ski/snow industry.
Great points. At Sunapee yesterday, the crowds were big and the lodge lines were insane, even by holiday standards. There was a counter that had grab-and-go snacks on one side and bar service on the other (with a big black curtain dividing them for some reason). There was ONE poor man staffing both lines all day, for $13/hr, in a huge open lodge full of both vaccinated and unvaccinated people not wearing masks. The Waffle Cabin line looked to be about a 30 min. wait; I didn't see how many people were working in there.
There's a housing shortage in this whole region, and entry level jobs are thick on the ground at $17/hr. Within VR, the food service departments seem to be the hardest-hit. Instructors and patrollers will come for the work, but there are plenty of other, better opportunities in food service/restaurant work.
I don't know why Vail doesn't just allow some resorts to outsource food service. It drove me crazy this summer watching them try to get a "beer garden" atmosphere going at the bike park.
The place had all the ingredients for a win-win situation: customers could sit at picnic tables and watch the mountain bikers, or play cornhole or mini-golf. There were lawn games for kids and plenty of space for them to run and play. There's a whole little wooden "skills park" where kids can ride their bikes. There's a first-class and very beautiful disc golf course, nice little hiking trails, and the resort is in an area where tons of people come to recreate in the summer. The place should have been packed, bringing in revenue and serving as a sort of visibility-based feeder program for the bike park.
And yet, the resort was shackled to the low-tier food and bev options that Vail allows them. The result was an expensive, limited, and terrible food selection, and an absolutely garbage beer list. There was no reason for customers to hang around. No music, live or otherwise, and nothing edible was at all interesting or worth the expense. Soooooo close, but just no vibe. And not for lack of trying on the part of some great people who were trying their best.
One or two food trucks and some acoustic music would have made that place hop, but it won't happen because VR won't let it. It's such a wasted opportunity.
Anyway, the bottom line for VRs eastern resorts is that the hourly wage V is offering is far below the regional average.
The other bottom line is the focus on shareholders rather than employees and customers. I'm not sure that many Americans understand how recent a trend this is and how it impacts not just the economy, but the culture; our understanding of work and its value, the way we view businesses and their obligations (or lack thereof) to society....ah, that's a rant for another time and place. But Vail is an exemplar of the nation in this regard.
