Tag: VailEpicFail

Don’t let the Northstar Resort name lure you

Don’t let the Northstar Resort name lure you. The late check-in was a hassle since there is no one onsite after hours. They did not send check-in instructions because they claim they do not receive email addresses when clients books through Expedia, so we were left trying to figure it out on our own. We had to track down a security for the entry code to the condo. The condo was not clean, the floor in the kitchen was sticky, like someone had spilled soda all over. We had to wear shoes in the condo because the floors were so dirty. The bed is a Murphy bed, which is not disclosed in the property description. It was surprisingly comfortable and the sheets were clean. The shower curtain was stained and the water pressure was barely enough to rinse shampoo from your hair. This condo is hugely overpriced for what you get, I won’t book here again.

Christina via Expedia.com

“was not exactly at the resort as pictured”

It was not clear that our reservation was not exactly at the resort as pictured. We were at Timber creek lodge which is at the back of the resort. It’s very dated and dirty carpet in the hall and the unit. The unit bathroom is tiny.

Sharon

“Very dirty”

Very dirty, no clean towels, most restaurants are closed and the one that we ate at was horrible and very expensive. Will never stay here again. Water in shower was brown, carpet in room was disgusting. Also if you are not an owner you have to pay for all amenities per person. To use the swimming pool area was $8 a person and $2 a towel. Rooms are very small and beds are very uncomfortable. For the price not worth it!

Maria

“not up to even low standards”

I thought the unit we originally stayed in was extremely sub par. Dirty, dated, not clean, not up to even low standards. We were then moved to another unit which was somewhat better, but still maybe 2 stars. I would’ve thought u had higher standards and would require owners to meet those standards.

Michael

“poor”

Check in was about 1 mile away from rooms. Limited underground parking because of ownership parking slots. Very few rental spots. The air conditioning was so loud we only used it when it was too hot not to. Could not use it at night and just opened windows. Had to use a fan in the other room, air conditioning not working well enough. Very small rooms.

Richard

“hotel from hell”

Hotel from hell. The northstar resort totally lied about the unit we booked. i told them steps were an issue and they told me only small number. when we got there , i counted there were 40 steps to the unit , my wife has bad knees and impossible to climb . i checked the unit and it had a murphy bed we were told a queen be. the mattress felt like it came from a homeless shelter . and the unit was no where near the town as the pictures indicated. it was so bad we could not stay and had to leave that night for other accomadations

Gary

Source: Expedia.com

Dirty, Dank and Depressing

“The rooms do not look like the pictures on the website”

We would not recommend this property at all. It is bare-bones and a room on par with a Motel 6. There is no vanity in the bathrooms, the carpet was stained, the bed was old and caved toward the middle (making sleeping virtually impossible). For a resort setting, these rooms are dank, depressing and bland. The rooms do not look like the pictures on the website. The Hampton Inn down the road would provide a much better option for travelers. Avoid at all costs.

Kyle via Expedia.com

“no one answers the phone when you need help”

The bathtub was very dirty. we tried to clean it but still could not get stains out so we could not use it. See photos 2. We left an expensive tupperware in the fridge and forgot it on check out. We called the place 3 times and each time they promised they would get back to us but did not. So we had to pay for a replacement out of pocket 3. It was very hard to find the hot tubs that are in the rec center in the village itself . More signage would be useful. And no one answers the phone when you need help.

Traveler Expedia.com

“..old stained carpet”

However our unit had old stained carpet. The lighting was very dim, with one lamp knob broken so you had to plug/unplug it to turn it on/off. The dryer vent wasn’t attached, and of course cold air would come through to chill the condo.

Kenneth Yuen-Jing Expedia.com

“The bathroom ceiling has mold and mildew”

– Michael via Expedia

Source: Expedia.com

“Extremely dated resort”

The particular unit we rented was extremely dated. Comforters were made into the bed under sheets and mine had oatmeal or something all over it. Furniture in living area was all torn up.(leather)

Susan

Too expensive for being old. We did not stay in the main resort, there were only 2 restaurants open and in one you had to make reservations. The pizza place packed and waiting 1 hr for pizza.

Mariana

The staff were unhelpful. I asked for assistance a few times by Phone email and no response. The tvs in the rooms did not work, there was a long winded explanation of how they worked, which did not actually work. Non of the shops were open and food and drink was expensive but a free bus ride, which no one was told about, on arrival, meant you could go to the supermarket and buy things cheaper

Lain

We had a mix of rooms it took hours to check in. Staff didn’t follow thru on getting keys to us they committed too. Floors were dirty. Beds were not comfortable.

Ellington

This was my third stay and I was really disappointed with the apartment I was assigned. The whole place needed a serious update. I was a little grossed out by the bathtub and the curtain shower to be honest. I understand that each apartment has its own decoration as they are privately owned, but it was a big step down from the apartment I stayed in last time. I also had a family upstairs that was very very loud and constantly running.

Silvia

They need to start remodeling there units. It’s time. Bathrooms, tubs and interiors need a major update

Antranig

Top bunk bed missing sheets and ladder. Smelled very stuffy in the house. Staff very unhelpful when we ran into an issue (at the village)

Alisha

Property is run down. Main element on stove would not light, dining room light not working, bathroom electric outlet not working. Property reviews said it was steps from the ski lifts, but actually you have to take a shuttle bus.

Stephen

Soon as you walk in you’re greeted with bugs crawling all over the floor and furniture.

Shashi

Service to get fans was a hassle, and one condo was about 3 miles away and was not cleaned had webs, lights not working, window screens were missing and no regular coffee. Very hot and no fans worked. Our family was not comfortable.

Reginajo

Not in village like booking showed. Bare minimum with amenities, towels etc. paying to get in pool. Was not that impressed with property

Monica

Dishwasher wasn’t working. We had to evacuate the room in a snow storm for maintenance. Lodging was not prepped before we arrived.

Roger

The 2nd bathroom was tiny and the shower head was not doable for a proper shower. The temp in the bedrooms was not consistent and blowing in one direction only. The TV screen was small. Everything was dated.

Lai

Source: Booking.com

How Vail Resorts Makes Its MONEY

“Vail is in the business of selling season passes not managing their resorts.”

“Yep, their CEO only knows to sell stuff, not deliver what’s been promised”

“The whole consolidation of all these resorts has been a huge negative. I hate the hoops they make you go thru to buy the pass. What do you get for it? Spamming and them selling off your data. Tell me how many ski runs I have done? Who cares? Every scintilla of data is examined and a way found to monetize. You are being herded into chutes to be sold off to the highest bidder.”

Users comments at YT

Vail Resorts reports skier visits are down for start of the season

“CEO acknowledges early-season challenges as company releases key metrics.

Vail Resorts reported Friday that its skier visits at its North American resorts from the beginning of the season through Jan. 2 are down 1.7% from the prior year, and down 18.3% compared with the same period in the 2019-20 season.

Season-to-date total lift ticket revenue, including an allocated portion of season pass revenue for each applicable period, was up 25.9% compared with the prior year and down 4.6% compared with the 2019-20 season.”

Source: Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily

Letter: Please sell, Vail Resorts

“Congratulations, Vail Resorts. You’ve built an empire. You’ve turned a small mountain town into an amusement park. Thanks for some great things you’ve done, but now please give us our town and mountain back. As Huey would say: “Take the money and run!”

You’ve convinced local business that a $20 hamburger and french fries is the norm.

You’ve made billions while expecting your workers to live in poverty because they love to ski and ride and they love the mountains. You’ve made our mountains unaffordable for even the middle class. You’ve sucked the very essence of ski town out of ski town. You’ve sucked all the blood out of this turnip. Please sell to people who love skiing more than money.”

Source: Joe Shankland via VailDaily

Katz

Vail Resorts offers end-of-season bonus as ski areas struggle through labor crisis

“Ski resorts are struggling with COVID-ravaged workforces and swelling crowds. Vail Resorts promises workers a $2-an-hour bonus as it weathers a labor crisis, a potential strike by Park City ski patrollers and a declining stock price.”

“And Wall Street appears to be noticing the struggle. Vail Resorts’ stock peaked at $372.51 in early November, a month before the company reported selling 2.1 million advance tickets and season passes and told investors it had $1.5 billion in cash on hand for new acquisitions. Now Vail Resorts is trading around $300. “

via ColoradoSun

Jack Frost Ski Resort: “the lines are epic”

“Lift lines are “epic” at @skiJFBB , and not in a good way. 90 seconds to get down the mountain, more than an hour stuck in line to get back up.”

CecilyTynan via Twitter

According to Wikipedia: “The Jack Frost Ski Resort which opened in 1972, is located in Kidder Township, Carbon County, near White Haven, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pocono Mountains region. Jack Frost Ski Resort is affiliated with Big Boulder ski area about 5 miles away and customers can ski both mountains on the same lift ticket. Previously operated by Peak Resorts, it was purchased by Vail Resorts in 2019. It offers 20 trails and a terrain park for skiing and snowboarding.”

Vail Resorts’ leadership failing on multiple fronts

This ski season, Vail Resorts’ leadership has failed locals and guests with a subpar and unsafe skiing experience. Here’s the breakdown:

  • Vail Resorts was extremely slow to comply with the county mandate on masks in indoor spaces on its gondolas. It still isn’t instructing their employees enough to actually enforce this rule. As our community COVID-19 numbers skyrocket, gondolas are one of the best places to catch the virus.
  • As overworked/underpaid employees are strained or come down sick and resort operations suffer, Vail blames the “global talent shortage.” This is corporate speak for “we don’t want to pay people living wages.” The talent is there; Vail just needs to pay living wages for employees.
  • Snow is Vail’s business. When other competing resorts can open terrain, but Vail Resorts’ resorts across the country can’t, that’s 100% Vail Resorts’ fault.
  • The model of “sell as many passes as possible” clearly worked for the bottom line, but is that something we actually want for skiing? I’d gladly take an Epic Pass that’s north of $1,000 next year if it leads to shorter lift lines and fewer crowds on our ski hill. I’m not saying we should make skiing exclusionary. It’s already very expensive, and the more folks who ski, the more will care about combating the climate change that is ruining our winters. But there’s loving something to death, and that’s what Vail has seen this entire winter season with absurd crowds even on weekdays due to cheap Epic Passes.
  • No heartfelt Instagram post from Beth Howard changes that she’s in charge and responsible for these failures. She needs to step up, fight for a living wage for her employees, open terrain swiftly and safely without excuses, and combat the pandemic.

Source: Benjamin Gadberry and VailDaily