A Strong Off-Season for Colorado Ski Resorts Doesn’t Guarantee a Winter Windfall
Photo Credit: Ski resorts in Colorado posted strong October performance levels, but the winter could be volatile despite strong demand. Flickr / Grayskullduggery
Skift Take
Major year-over-year revenue growth at Colorado ski resorts last month doesn't necessarily mean owners should expect an avalanche of profits this winter, especially in light of surging coronavirus cases around the world.
Ski resorts in Colorado performed better this October than they did last year, an optimistic sign heading into the peak winter travel season.
Resort owners may want to hold off on financial celebrations, however.
Colorado resorts significantly outperformed the overall U.S. hotel industry last month, posting a nearly 26 percent increase in revenue per available room — the hotel industry’s key performance metric — since October of 2019, according to STR. U.S. hotels saw a more than 49 percent average decline in revenue per available room during October. Colorado’s off-season ski resort growth stems from travel trends favoring leisure markets and outdoor-focused destinations during the pandemic.
But rising coronavirus case counts threaten the strong performance longevity.
“There’s a big asterisk next to all this, and that’s the ski resorts being able to stay open and not have government-mandated shutdowns,” said Patrick Scholes, managing director of lodging and
