Two weeks ago, the chamber launched a discounted dental plan for its members, a service that particularly served small and seasonally-based businesses. Earlier this year, the chamber also opened access to a cloud-based, month-by-month software service, the App Store run by SaaS Markets.

"Chamber Bureau members requested new benefits, and we are responding to that request," said the Park City Chamber/Bureau Member Services Director Craig McCarthy. "This is the first time we have ever offered discounted dental insurance service, which is part of a larger effort to offer more benefits to our members."

The Chamber partnered with National Affinity Services, which provides discount offers and insurance programs to more than 50 not-for-profit associations across the country, to expand services to business owners, employees and families. Whether downloading a free discount prescription drug card, shopping for a medical insurance plan or accessing discounted hearing aid and vision plans, the new partnership is doing more for members than ever before, more than what is typically offered through associations like the chamber.

McCarthy has recently returned from a statewide Chamber Bureau organization meeting where he discussed the new offerings.

"This is pretty new for chamber organizations," McCarthy said. " Some have a semblance that we are now offering but not as much as we do. I think we are on the front end in the wide variety of offerings we are getting to members."

More programs are on the way, McCarthy added, which will be added in the coming months as the chamber develops more programs with National Affinity Services. The additional services will not affect membership dues.

For more information on business options available to employees and their families, visit www.nationalaffinity.net/PCCB and click on the available tabs for insurance, discount programs and business services, or contact Kirke Oram with National Affinity Services at 435-729-9913 or kirk@nationalaffinity.net.

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"When it comes to liquor legislation, I don't know what will happen," said Bill Malone, the Park City Chamber/Bureau President and CEO. "We could end up with a bunch of bills passed or no bills passed.

"We have new senate leadership, and there is some longstanding, pent-up demand for bills relating to liquor on the docket. In previous sessions, there was not an atmosphere that was receptive to making changes. This year is an opportunity to talk again, to fiddle with idiosyncrasies. There are some great things out there."

The Park City Chamber/Bureau is also keeping a steady eye fixed on the Legislature, watching for bills that could impact the tourism industry, restaurants and lodging properties. Alcohol-related issues in Utah are a continual headache for local, tourism-based businesses, which often end up explaining to out-of-town customers the ins and outs of the state-run system. Whether it is stopping a hotel guest from carrying a drink from the bar to their room despite it all being under the same roof or explaining why there is a difference the alcohol percentage in bottled beer versus tap, the liquor laws in Utah continue to have guests scratching their heads a fact that reflects on businesses.

"I think most of us in the hospitality industry in this state look at liquor laws from the perspective of what it appears like to our guests, our consumer," Malone added. "It is hard for someone to understand all the laws because there is a lack of consistency. If I go into one restaurant without a Zions Wall but another restaurant I went to had one, it is confusing, the old and new dates on these laws changing what this or that location may have to do. Those are peculiarities, and we are striving for consistency."

Sen. John Valentine (R-Orem) is sponsoring a number of bills, among them the "Alcoholic Beverage Control Amendments," or S.B. 167, which would free up liquor licenses by creating a master license option for businesses with more than one location, addressing the growing concern among business owners that liquor licenses will run out.

"There is a rise and fall on the merits of this proposal," Valentine said. "We have opponents and supporters."

"There are concerns, and we have to recognize the social cost of the increased use of alcohol," he added. "I have tried to find a good balance, a companion bill to boost enforcement funding in terms of officers and money to the attorney general's office. This balance is very important with liquor laws."

When asked whether or not the Legislature may take a more liberal stance on liquor issues, Valentine said each bill would be taken into consideration, that no one direction would win without going through the standard process. Malone added to the thought, that determining what Senate leadership would look like at this point is too early in the game.

Hans Fuegi, a Park City restaurateur and board member of the Utah Restaurant Association met with Valentine before the start of the General Session to discuss liquor law issues and the concept of a master license. It is a concept he and other members of the association support.

"I think it is a solution if done right," Fuegi said. "What it would do, it would free up a substantial amount of licenses. If you had a multiple location operation, say 12 or 15 stores or restaurants that could operate under one license, that allows a lot more of these licenses to be available for new operations without having to change the whole formula."

Other bills the chamber and local business owners are watching include whether or not a customer may order a drink if they have indicated an intent to order food, swapping liquor licenses from the windely unused reception center license to a social club license and transferring $37.5 million from state alcohol sale revenues into the education fund.

"We have more liberalized liquor laws than other states, areas of the country that are completely dry," Valentine said. " There is a full spectrum, and Utah is on the conservative side. But that is because we are a controlled state, but taking down the Zions Curtain and removing requirements to enter a social club, we have become far more mainstream."

" There are a lot of views on how to control alcohol," he added. "What we are doing now is dealing with specific issues."

ALCOHOL-RELATED BILLS

SB167: Alcoholic Beverage Control Amendments - Sponsor: Valentine, J. Status: Senate, placed on second reading calendar on February 11, 2013 This bill creates a master restaurant license. It would be for a single owner of multiple restaurant locations. This is intended to free up many current restaurant licenses for new restaurants, while not changing the formula of licenses based on the state's population. While an earlier draft version was previously believed to address the "Zion Wall" requirement for new restaurants, SB 167 does not remove the "Zion Wall" requirement. HB228S01: Alcoholic Beverage Control Act Amendments - Sponsor: Wilcox, R Status: Was scheduled for committee debate last Thursday, but restaurant operators were too busy with Valentine's Day preparations to come testify, so the bill was pulled from the agenda. It will be heard this week. This bill addresses numerous DABC control issues that arose after last year's audit. Language to remove the "Zion Wall" requirement for new restaurants was amended in to the bill on Friday morning. HB0136: Alcoholic Beverage Control Related Amendments - Sponsor: Draxler, J. Status: House/first reading (introduced) on February 13, 2013 This bill proposes to increase the minimum markup on alcoholic beverages, increase the beer tax rate and provide for the distribution of the new revenue to increase alcoholic beverage control enforcement. HB0218S01: Alcohol Amendments - Sponsor: Froerer, G. Status: House third reading calendar for house bills. This bill addresses conditional liquor licenses during a start-up phase of an establishment; clarifies that a patron in a restaurant may order a drink if he/she has indicated an intent to order food; swaps liquor licenses from unused reception center licenses to social club licenses; and addresses treatment of guests at fraternal clubs and advertising by an equity or fraternal club. HB0240: Alcohol Service in Restaurants - Sponsor: Fisher, Janice Status: House/received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst February 15, 2013 This bill clarifies that a restaurant patron may order a drink if he/she has the intent to order food. HB0271: Funding for Public Education - Sponsor: Bird, J. Status: House/first reading (introduced) January 28, 2013 This bill transfers $37.5 million from alcohol sales revenues to the education fund. Hotel Alcohol Licensing - There is talk of creating a hotel license similar to a master restaurant license proposed in SB 167, but patrons would not have portability in the common areas of the hotel. The Utah Hotel and Lodging Association had asked Sen. Valentine to pursue a Hotel license that would allow portability within the Hotel property, but portability appears unlikely this session.

Information provided by the Park City Chamber/Bureau

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Imagine an afternoon filled with demiglazes and braised shanks, pot stickers and forest mushrooms, red wine reductions and black bean quinoa salad. Are you hungry? Because Shirin Spangenberg, the owner of Park City Food Tours, wants to both feed and educate you.

The new business offers tours of the fine dining options and history of Park City's Historic Main Street. Whether popping into the Wasatch Brew Pub for a starter or checking out the latest creation at Zoom Restaurant, Spangenberg walks groups down the street, stopping in this or that business while providing a touch or perhaps an avalanche of local color. And at the heart of the business is a concept any Main Street merchant could stand behind: get more people to come back, spend money and support the local economy.

"I know a lot of people on the street, which made partnering with businesses easier. My whole goal is to bring recognition to the restaurants and businesses on Main Street. Hopefully, people will be so enthralled they will go back," Spangenberg said, "and they usually do."

But even locals are realizing the benefits of the tour, that there is more to Main Street than meets the eye. With more than 20 years in the community, Spangenberg delivers on stories, from the Old West days of Mormon pioneers to recent events such as the Tour of Utah and the most recent celebrity sightings at the Sundance Film Festival. If locals are inviting out-of-town guests to stay, it's the kind of tour they should take and commit to heart, embodying an air of a know-it-all guide to all things Park City.

"It's so funny," Spangenberg said. "The street is so dynamic. It changes all the time, and people take it for granted. I've always enjoyed coming on to Main Street, but starting this business has opened my eyes, to what there is, to how wonderful our business owners are, to spending a good time in our home town."

The tour even includes less obvious "food tour" merchants, incorporating galleries where owners highlight a new artist, understanding how to properly taste olive oil or a personal hand treatment at the Mountain Body Spa. In each location, a server or manager steps up to explain what the restaurant offers and what the group will try.

"This is an opportunity for people to sell their restaurant, their business," she said. "You have a captive audience. They are here for food, so this is a golden opportunity."

Spangenberg first had the idea to start her business in Park City after a trip to Orange County where she used an online coupon to take her first food tour. An admitted foodie, she saw the potential for expanding this idea in Utah.

"We have so much personality on this street," Spangenberg said. "I knew I could do this."

"The point is to have fun, get to know people, enjoy others' company," she added. "and that is on top of enjoying the food and getting to know the area better."

In December, she gave the first tour, and each experience is a little different, she said. Large groups treat the tour like a party, with perhaps a few more cocktails involved. Small groups become very intimate, people swapping stories and really getting to know each other. And there is something for everyone. The Park City Food Tours works with a variety of special dietary needs, whether kosher or gluten-free.

As the winter season continues, Spangenberg will continue to offer an apres ski schedule, targeting tourists who are just getting off the slopes. As spring and summer approach, she hopes to change up the schedule and offer deals to locals and the Wasatch Front for a dinner experience.

Park City Food Tours

435-640-1271

www.parkcityfoodtours.com

info@parkcityfoodtours.com

Reservations can be made online.

Tour costs $64 per person.

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"Business is wonderful," said Randall Fields, the Park City Group's Chairman and CEO. "In part, retailers and suppliers are concerned with food safety, and more and more they are concerned with tracking out-of-stock and over-stocked products. We help them with that. You could say we are hitting on all eight cylinders; every part of the business is doing well."

"We had wins selling additional supply chain management services to existing customers, which is a validation for the value of our end-to-end supply chain solutions," he added " The scale of these retailers, all of which are among the largest in the world, is an order of magnitude greater than most of our existing customers and should provide for accelerated growth as we move through the phases of implementation."

The Park City Group Global Food Registry, which was created as a way to track food from shipment to shipment all along the food chain, works to provide a new system in pinpointing where food borne illnesses originate. And with the food tracking software, the company hopes to add ways to track medicinal drug manufacturing in the United States, ReposiTrak, Inc.

Before the software was launched, the system for tracking food borne illnesses was done manually, Fields said, and that there was no electronic system in place to track food. Because outbreaks are traced the old fashioned way, Fields said it would take a month or more to find the origins of an outbreak and all the places the contaminated food ended up.

"Food supply is very opaque," he said. "We try to make it apparent. When problems around food safety occur, people think about what we do."

Subscription revenue to the registry grew by 16 percent in the first quarter, a record $2 million in sales to new and existing customers, a press release from the company stated. The company also had a record in year-to-date subscription revenue, $3.9 million or a 14 percent increase from the previous year.

Other revenue streams from the company decreased slightly, an approximated $0.2 million, which was expected with the strategic shift to the recurring subscription revenue model, placing total estimated revenue increasing by 4 percent or $2.7 million.

"I think people should be increasingly happy with how we are performing," Fields said. "As a CEO, I am so pleased with the performance of our team and am very excited about our outlook."

"From where we stand today, we expect to achieve record results for the fiscal year," he added. " our business should deliver predictable and sustainable growth in revenue and earnings for the next several years."

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Initial meetings showed a strong support for the concept, drawing roughly two dozen business owners in Kamas and Coalville in late June with the hopes of offering a unified voice to the 850 or more businesses based the eastern portion of the county. In comparison to the number of business organizations already in the Park City and the Snyderville Basin area, Eastern Summit County businesses, which are largely based in the agricultural- and industrial-based industries, argued that the tourism economy of the West was overshadowing the economic potential in the East.

So the question nags: What happened?

"It has been a struggle getting people to get involved," said Carsten Mortensen, one of the Eastern Summit County Business Alliance founders and a board member, as well as the owner of the Coalville-based company Utelite. " We were hoping to get something like the Park City Chamber/Bureau over here, but we have not had a whole bunch of input. It is about ready to die."

"The board has tried to get others involved," he added. "There are several people from the first meetings who are on our mailing list, but when we send out notifications, no one sends anything back."

The notifications sent out by the group have centered on only one point: county council and planning meetings. Since those first meetings, a board was formed by the founders of the group, but the direction of the organization remains unclear, with nearly all contact to interested business owners those who attended the first meetings inviting them to public meetings revolving around building and tax code issues.

"I was at the meetings early on," said Coalville Mayor Duane Schmidt. "I haven't heard about a meeting for six months or more, nothing."

"I'm not sure why it has not succeeded," he added. "I can't put a finger on the problem. I do believe that to have an alliance a situation where a group represents the people on the East Side is a valuable asset to the business owners here. Basically, a healthy business community means a healthier community overall."

The Eastern Summit County Business Alliance started as an action item nearly two years ago in a Summit County Economic Task Force Committee, a group created by the county council and made up of county officials and community members. Four members of the task force, all of whom are active members of the business community in Eastern Summit County, started the business alliance and held preliminary meetings to survey local interest.

"It seems that (the organization) has become a tool to promote political agendas, not a tool to promote an economic agenda," said Pete Nixon a Coalville resident and owner of Apogee Consultants who attended meetings in June. " I was hugely disappointed. There really needs to be a common voice for businesses and a need for more economic diversity on the East Side."

"I'm disappointed," he added, "and the organization has itself to blame for its problems. A huge opportunity has been lost, to finally have the County Council backing the idea of the East Side organizing itself, and we blew it."

Summit County helped facilitate the first steps, advertising the meetings and paying for mailers sent out to East Side businesses, but stepped back from the picture when the board was formed. The board was quickly formed without input from those on the mailing list, by the founders who represented larger businesses in the area such as Utelite and Geary Construction. Dues were never collected, and bylaws have yet to be written.

"New organizations I think always have a challenge in defining their mission," said Summit County Economic Development Specialist Alison Weyher, who helped establish the group initially. "Generally, there is a kind of period of clarifying the vision for organizations. I think that may be where they are because every organization evolves, and I hope that is what is going on. I know I have not been involved for months now."

"The county was involved initially to help facilitate a voice for the Eastern Summit County business community," she added. "Once the organization got together and they had a chair and a board of directors, I felt it was important to let them go on their own without county interference."

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Those looking to heal faster, put less strain on joints or maintain muscle strength while working out, the center uses machines specially designed to make clients as weightless as if they were walking on the surface of the moon.

After years of working in sports medicine, from time spent working with the Norwegian Olympic Committee to today with the U.S. Ski Team, Dr. Jim Stray-Gundersen ventured into his first small business in 2009, officially opening the S-G Center last year. In October the center has already helped athletes and baby boomers alike, those working on post-operative recovery and chronic pain, weight loss and increased mobility.

"This is a tool that helps lots of people with lots of things," Stray said. " a unique system. To this point, it has been underutilized. This center is all about utilizing these tools correctly so that anyone who could possibly benefit from Alter G will be able to."

"Athletes, both former and current, those struggling with obesity, elderly, and the rest of us can exercise in a way that is better for us," he added.

using a specially designed system a treadmill originally patented with NASA-based technology to help train astronauts the equipment lightens the burden for training and trauma recovery using an air pump system that inflates. Stray has worked with hip-replacements and torn ACLs, weight loss and maintaining stamina and muscle strength.

As air is pumped into a special suit that encloses the hips and legs, the machine decreases the amount of body mass while running. While comparable to exercising in water, the Alter G equipment offers more flexibility and control than a typical swimming pool, allowing trainers to determine how much body weight, at what incline and through what program people will need to train.

"Water is a kind of all-or-nothing way to do it," he said, "either all or nothing."

"If someone has bad knees from playing football for years or bad ankles from basketball, they can get on this machine and exercise pain-free where they may not be able to otherwise," he added. "It is much easier on the joints, and helps those joints get into as good a shape as possible."

The Alter G equipment is intended to return athletes to functional activities such as walking and running sooner, normalize gait mechanics while protecting tissue and improve aerobic conditioning without the risk of stress-related injuries. Stray has developed several programs for different goals, including personalized training with the Alter G treadmills.

"One patient, an active Park City community member and alpine ski racer in the past, she has had lots of back and hip problems over the years," Stray said. "As long as I have known her, she has had some kind of problem with pain that has prevented her from being able to ski in the way she used to."

" Her muscles had deteriorated. We were able to get her on the machine, exercise pain free, and that is when the benefits are really obvious. Your body is training in the right way."

Incoming clients would go through a consultation process, Stray said, where goals are outlined and a number of weeks using the equipment would be outlined. With the process in place, regular appointments could be set up where people could use the treadmills under Stray's supervision.

"We started out in my garage, a real American story," Stray said, "but I believe in the idea since we started, we have grown the business to what it is now. We are getting busier, but we still want to get the word out, to let people know what we do. We need to spread the word."

S-G Center

1 Victory Lane Box

435-901-9308

jim@sgalterg.com

www.sgalterg.com

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As the now ninth lodging property at Canyons Resort, the Sunrise Lodge joined the ranks alongside other properties such as the Hyatt Escala, Westgate Resorts and the Waldorf Astoria, another property under the Hilton flagship. The Sunrise Lodge is the third Hilton property to open in Park City, but the first Hilton Grand Vacations Club to launch in any ski resort.

Hilton Grand Vacations markets and operates vacation ownership resorts in destinations across the nation, from Hawaii to New York City. Under the Hilton brand, the company also operates club membership programs, including the Hilton Grand Vacations Club which was launched in Park City, opening Park City to its more than 195,000 members.

"Sales began in late November," said Elena Norman, the Vice President of Communications for Hilton Grand Vacations. "What we have found is that this property has so much appeal to members. It is the first ski property in the Hilton Grand Vacations selling in portfolio."

"Hilton Grand Vacations is the entity that manages the resort, as well as sell the timeshare units," she added.

Current sales are outpacing the projected number, Norman said, bringing members and new guests into the brand and by extension into its only ski resort property in Park City.

The new property is located above the Sundial Lodge in previously constructed buildings that were sold to Centerbridge Capital Partners last year. The hotel and condominium project was originally completed in June 2009, dubbed the 'Sunrise at Escala,' but the property never came online due to a flood of condominium projects that were also introduced to the market that time.

"We are so lucky to have the partners we do in this project," Norman said. "We have been able to bring the property back to life. The right developers got involved, and we were selected to manage the property."

Prices for the vacation ownership packaged range $9,000 to $100,000 depending on what price point and availability owners are looking for, from a four-bedroom guaranteed over Christmas to a weekend getaway.

The Hilton Grand Vacations Club consists of 83 rooms ranging between studios and four-bedroom spaces, a total of 154 keys. Before opening, Hilton Grand Vacations invested in furbishing the space, including a complete build out of a new sales area. Amenities include a pool and hot tub area, a fitness center, ski valet service and shuttle service.

"We are implementing the Hilton Grand Vacations business model," Norman said. "We are reaching out to our loyal customers who have the propensity to travel and vacation, and the response has been that this is an appealing product."

"This is really a right-time and right-place scenario for us, " she added. "We need, and wanted, to be in Park City."

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It was the day after Christmas, the day Steven Bowers and his wife picked up their three children from Baton, Florida and moved the family to Park City. After years of visiting the mountain slopes, he and his wife decided to make the move, from beach front to mountainside, starting his brand new certified public accounting business, S.G. Bowers & Company.

Though he offers the traditional tax services, Bowers said he really likes to work with clients year round, helping to implement business strategies that will save come tax season. Whether it is staffing issues, payroll accounts, incorporating a business or setting up compliances, Bowers covers the day-to-day and getting started. Bowers sets up systems to track sales and business, analyzing those numbers, where he can work one-on-one to create an individualized plan for every client.

"You cannot do what they guy next door is doing," Bowers said. "Everyone's situation is different. You have to figure out what you are doing and strategize on how to make your situation, your life, your finances the best for you."

And he has worked with a gamut of businesses, from a reality show hair salon to airline pilots to real estate agents. In Park City, he is hoping to work with those running small businesses, such as real estate agents, to get the most out of their returns while still keeping an eye out for those legislative changes, tax codes and employer laws so many businesses may miss.

"If you come to me on January 1, I am just filling out forms," Bowers said. "If you talk to me throughout the year, we can work together to minimize your tax burden, and there are no surprises.

" I think business owners should be focusing on what they do best, their business. having an outside accountant come in and assist you, businesses can stay on top on all these changes, figure out what they are paying for and what to watch out for. It is about educating business owners."

For more than a year, Bowers had discussed making the move, whether it was the right thing to do, whether it would be the best thing for his children. Last year, during the annual trip to Utah, he took his daughter skiing for the first time. In her enthusiasm, he realized he was making the right call.

"We were in South Florida, and I was on the fast track," Bowers said. "My career was taking off. But it is not always about the money. The influence on the kids down there, it's too great. They grow up too fast. We didn't know who are neighbors were, and the sense of community was just not there."

"Getting here, this felt like home," he added. "It felt like the right decision."

Despite the dramatic shift in climate and culture, Bowers said the family is already getting a firsthand experience of the town, catching their first glimpse of a moose wandering through their backyard only two weeks ago.

"Seeing my kids embrace it here, that makes this whole move possible," Bowers said. "It is amazing being here."

But now he is facing any newcomer's greatest challenge, getting to know a tight-knit community. In the process of attending meetings, joining local organizations and getting to know his neighbors, Bowers is already on track to get his business rolling, and with tax season beginning he is hoping to make more connections.

S.G. Bowers & Company

1909 Roffe Road

435-214-7989

steven@SGBowersCPAs.com

www.SGBowersCPAs.com

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With more snow earlier in the season, properties across Park City and across the nation are enjoying higher reservation rates than this time last year as more people are taking advantage of the snow. But with more snowfall nationwide, competition has also ramped up.

"Traditionally, this is a very strong holiday weekend for us," said Bill Malone, the Park City Chamber/Bureau President and CEO. "The numbers may be a little off from last year, but it still looks very close.

"I am hearing that overall February reservations very strong. What is on the books in March is very strong. We have a good rest of season shaping up."

Estimated lodging numbers have dipped slightly this year, but the number of guests visiting remained relatively high during the weak snow season last year, meaning that drop is less significant comparatively.

Lodging numbers, or estimated visitor nights, are a key indicator of the number of guests in town. According to data collected by the Chamber, the 3.2 percent drop from this year to last a total of 97,777 estimated visitor nights remains relatively high. In the 2010-11 winter season, strong snowfall and a record-breaking season put estimated lodging numbers at 101,600 estimated visitor nights. During the 2011-12 season, that number dropped just more than 600 estimated visitor nights, a total of 100,993.

"We're near capacity this weekend," said Anthony Dartholomew, the general manager of The Lodges at Deer Valley. "The booking window is much more short-term this year we're finding, and that is based on the bookings from January and February. We expect March will be the same, but we are in good shape."

"Last year, people may have made reservations many months in advance. This year, they are waiting on the favorable snow reports, which we fortunately have."

The weeks in between holidays are performing stronger than last year. To date, the entire month of February has seen a positive trend in lodging numbers, with this holiday weekend the first to dip.

Last week, numbers for the month were up by 6.2 percent, a trend lodging properties expect to continue with the season. Even with the slight drop from previous years, Malone said he has heard positive reports for the rest of the month and into March.

"I think that generally there are two numbers that have a lot to do with our reservations in winter: snowfall and the stock market," Malone said. "Both are up from last year."

"Last year, we seemed to have a strong Christmas and then steadily underperformed throughout the year," he added. "This year, it is the exact opposite. We've been picking up momentum, in bookings and reservations throughout winter."

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In one of the largest expansion at the luxury-resort in more than three years, the Stein Eriksen Lodge is constructing a brand new ballroom, a multi-million dollar construction opening in the spring. As hard hats bustle near the main entrance, a crane carefully placing beams, the process is already well underway.

The project is the first meeting-space expansion since the 2002 Winter Olympics, the resort is doubling what was previously available, enclosing a larger portion of the space for guests.

"We're fortunate to have such amazing views of Flagstaff and Empire," said Sarah Myers, the Marketing and Public Relations Director for Stein Eriksen, "and that's what you would have as a backdrop to meetings and events here. This was a need in the area, and it doubles our conference space."

The new ballroom, which is set to open in May, will seat 500 guests, making it one of the largest meeting spaces in Park City, offering views of the slopes from the 6,000 square-foot space. An entire wall made of retractable glass opens onto an additional 3,700 square feet of outside terraces, allowing a more flexible use of the space that can be divided into three separate spaces.

"I feel like the space can be used to do something a little funkier, between the indoor and outdoor space," Norman said. "This is a product that the consumer can choose to make their own, to craft into their own and distinguish the event itself."

Estimated costs for the entire project are more than $5 million. The last major enhancement to the lodge was in 2009, where the property invested $4 million to the spa, expanding square footage from 4,000 to 23,000 square feet of space.

"This was a huge space that was not being utilized before," Myers said. "It was a mostly outside space, and that was due to the temperatures, weather, the sun, all these factors.

"There was this space that was rarely used, and in the Park City marketplace, there is a demand for spaces like the one we are creating."

Meeting and convention bookings in Park City are steadily even rapidly climbing from the year before. The Park City Chamber/Bureau, which serves as a popular contact point for meeting planners looking for information about properties in the area, has been flooded with inquiries, with the number from January to July in 2012 increasing by 100 percent from the same time period last year. Nearly half of all inquiries turn into actual bookings at hotels.

"This project will be one of the largest meeting spaces in Park City," Norman said, "and it has a view that is unique."

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