This story is found in the 2018 edition of Milepost.
Bill Malone is optimistic for the tourism industry in Park City. Of course, that does come with the job as the CEO of the Park City Chamber/Bureau. “People are confident that they will have a good time here,” he says. And even with a less than optimal snow season last winter, lodging occupancy was only down 1 percent. “January was our biggest month,” he adds.
There are also a number of new lodging projects coming online. “There’s the doubling of the Goldener Hirsh,” says Malone, “and we’re waiting for the Mayflower project at Deer Valley,” referring to nearly 1,000 new skiable acres, lifts, hotels and condos. And if the Winter Games once again come to Park City in 2030, “Mayflower might possibly be a site for the Olympic downhill.”
And this year Alterra Mountain Company, the new owners of Deer Valley Resort, announced their IKON Pass, with ski privileges at all of its resorts, much like Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass. “The Epic Pass was a great move,” says Malone. “Of course, the question is, do the Epic and IKON Passes make the consumer more of a snow-watcher? Are they booking later dependent upon conditions?”
But that could just be a short-term reaction to last year’s snowfall, according to departing Deer Valley Resort President Bob Wheaton. “After a good snow year, bookings go up,” he says, “and in fact, lodging bookings at Deer Valley are up 12 percent so far this year.”
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