So how are the acquisitions working out?

[mustski]

I think BBMR is being really well run this year. It's a good snow year so that of course makes it better, but the new management has built two very nice children's adventure academy buildings, reorganized parking so that the handicapped parking was moved back up to the top of the hill, and moved the locker room down to the base area. As crazy as it sounds, the locker area used to be on the top floor of the building at the top of the hill! Traffic is still crazy on weekends (naturally!) but it so much more organized and flowing better than under the Mammoth management. I'm feeling pretty good about Alterra. Everything has been pretty seamless this season.

 

[AltaEgo]

First of all, I have to express my gratitude to Vail. I have an Epic Military Pass (retired dependent) and truly appreciate it. I could not afford to ski even one day at their resorts without it.
That being said, I agree with a @MilkyWookiee , @Abbi, @ski diva, and the others. I took the grandkids (4 and 12) to Stowe. The ski with a friend ticket for the 12 year old was over $75, but fortunately the 4 year old was free. It was -7 degrees and the distance from the children's carpet and bunny hill to the nearest lodge was about three city blocks. The children's center was just outside the carpet, but only kids in the program were allowed in. (Which I understand for security, but shouldn't something be accommodated?). We got to the kiddie lift, and my rfid wasn't working. His was. But they wouldn't let us on the 100 foot long lift to the bunny hill so we could at least ski back to the lodge to find it, or get it reissued. Remember, it was -7. So we went back to the lodge and after I got all my stuff off I found it and went back. Not very child friendly.

Not very handicapped friendly either. I asked employees but no one knew. One of our party needs a handicap space, and there were only one space available. The last day of our stay I managed to find a handicap lot that would have avoided the steps for our party, but it was in a lot with a "no cars" sign.

Their business model clearly is not focused on families, which is the future of the industry. But that is their choice. But at $147 for an adult one day lift ticket, I would have expected better customer service.

 

[marzNC]

Came across a recent podcast that addresses business integration and change management as it applied to Vail Resorts in the last few years. Covers issues from the viewpoint of HR, IT, and Finance executives. CEO Rob Katz is part of the program. Pretty clear that integrating W-B was the most difficult to accomplish. For 2019, the newest integration process is happening at Falls Creek and Hotham in Australia.

https://soundcloud.com/epicbynature%2Fintegrating-a-winning-team

 

[Christy]

Crystal tried to build up some hype by promoting an "exciting announcement" that would be released today. Drumroll...

IT’S A BRAND-NEW DAY FOR CRYSTAL​

As you are part of the larger Crystal community, we wanted you to hear it first. Over the last year, we have been on a journey of discovery to evolve our brand and our entire mountain experience. With the help of many loyal and passionate Crystal community members, we've refined our brand to match our extraordinary mountain. Exhilarating, beautiful, and soulful. And today, we are excited to finally launch and present our new brand to you, starting with this e-mail, the new logo, and the new website. We welcome you back to Crystal Mountain this season.​

BRAND EVOLUTION
WE HAVE A NEW LOGO
Crystal Mountain’s logo is based on the dramatic geography of our resort, with a nod to our rich heritage. The heritage is expressed through the evolved use of the C and M letterforms. We also found it important to include our iconic three summits and neighboring Mount Rainier through the playful interplay of ridges and peaks.
NEW COLOR PALETTE
Inspired by nature our new color palette includes colors like Huckleberry Blue, Indian Paintbrush and Sunrise Yellow. Colors that really drive emotion and connection to the Pacific Northwest Spirit.
NEW WEBSITE
You're currently experiencing the new site. We took a step back and tried to organize all the important information in a way that makes sense. A lot of stuff changed locations and names so make sure to look around and if you get lost use our helpful search bar. Also, we condensed the menu into the corner(three lines), put a weather widget in the heading, and made the search bar easy to find and use.
***

??
That's it? (Okay, there were some very minor "improvements" at Crystal too, but nothing very interesting, and they were buried after all the build up about the brand). Who cares about the "brand"? We care about the skiing. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come. It reminds me of all the emails I get from the Mariners organization about their "exciting partnership" with T-Mobile and all the bs magenta promotions at the stadium. How about fielding a good team instead of focusing on that stuff?

Too bad Crystal didn't spend the money on someone that could write a cogent email/website copy as part of their brand improvement.