As the holidays approach, so do the tourists, though their presence won’t be significant until the week of Christmas, according to the latest Park City Chamber/Bureau monthly occupancy report.
Early winter numbers across 20 Park City establishments show a slower pace than last year. However, the figures are relatively similar and reflect the traditional visitor pattern over the holiday season. Dan Howard, the vice president of communications for the Chamber/Bureau, said the lack of early-season snow and delayed resort openings haven’t influenced local travel patterns.
Out-of-town visitors coming to Park City to ski tend to plan their trips around January and February, while the holidays and early December tend to see more locals in town.
“Most people who come to Park City in late November are Thanksgiving families,” said Howard. “Lots of folks do like to have Thanksgiving in Park City, but it’s not based on skiing.”
This year, Thanksgiving week is shaping up to be lighter than last year’s projections as current bookings sit in the 30-40% range, roughly 10 percentage points below 2024.
Current pacing suggests Park City may feel less crowded this year unless last-minute bookings materialize. Historic data shows that Thanksgiving has the potential for a late-stage surge; actual occupancy last year jumped up to the 65% range by the time the holiday arrived.
While some last-minute bookings may be motivated by good snow or resorts opening access, Howard said Park City isn’t a mountain town that draws powder hunters. Those types of bookings are merely a bonus.
“Park City doesn’t have that snow chaser demographic,” Howard said. “They’ll change their activities depending on weather. … I’ve been in Park City 15 years. It’s happened most years that we’re not really ready to ski (by Thanksgiving).”
The Chamber/Bureau report shows that early December remains a quiet period and this year’s on-the-books numbers suggest an even softer start to the month than usual. And for many of this town’s residents, it’s a blessed quiet.
“Those first couple weeks in December are really locals’ weeks, and we’d love for the mountain to be open because locals will feel like they’ve got the mountain all to themselves,” Howard.
Bookings for late December also reflect the usual visitor pattern, particularly around popular vacation times. Occupancy pacing climbs sharply beginning Dec. 20, with the steepest growth of the entire chart.
Current reservations rise from about 40% heading into the week before Christmas to the 60% range by the end of December, peaking around Dec. 30. That’s below last year’s mid-60% to mid-70% pacing. Still, historical actuals show occupancy can climb dramatically once late bookings come in.
“If someone gets on the books, they don’t generally cancel,” Howard said.
Montage Deer Valley’s own booking pattern shows a similar outcome, where travelers typically do not arrive until late December. During those first few weeks, bookings are offset by group sales.
“Pending ski season and ski trending snow, it differs a little bit on who the guest is,” said Malia Robinson, director of marketing and communications at Montage Deer Valley.
Like the broader lodging market, Montage Deer Valley experiences its most concentrated demand in the final two weeks of the year when families anchor the season’s busiest stretch. Robinson said the holiday demand ramps up Dec. 16, with guests staying for longer periods from Christmas through New Year’s.
“Our primary early December guests are not hardcore skiers. Some of them are just coming to experience the holiday magic,” she said.