Your Phone Is Your Ticket to the Slopes: Vail Resorts Plans Hands-Free, Digital Access to its North American Resorts
New Guest Experience Innovation Expected by the 2023/24 North American Season
BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vail Resorts today announced its plan to introduce a new technology that will allow guests to store their pass or lift ticket directly on their phone – eliminating the need to carry a plastic card, visit the ticket window, or wait to receive a pass or lift ticket in the mail. With the new innovation, guests will be able to buy their pass or lift ticket online, activate it on their phone, put their phone in their pocket, and get scanned, hands free, using Bluetooth® Low Energy technology.
"As a company focused on investing in the future of skiing and riding, we believe that digital innovation, more than ever, will be key for delivering a great guest experience on-mountain," said Tim April, chief information officer of Vail Resorts. "We are excited for the more seamless arrival experience this technology will provide for our guests and look forward to unveiling it across our resorts."
The new feature will be tested during the 2022/23 North American winter season, with roll-out to guests expected for the 2023/24 season.
Once launched, guests will no longer need to wait in a line at the ticket window if they need to purchase, pick up, or reprint their pass or lift ticket. In addition to the significant enhancement in the guest experience, this technology will also reduce waste from printing plastic cards and RFID chips – supporting Vail Resorts' Commitment to Zero sustainability promise.
Even after the feature is launched, Vail Resorts will continue to make plastic cards available to any guests who cannot or do not want to use their phone as their pass or lift ticket.
As a leader in the ski industry, Vail Resorts has a long track record of investing in technological innovations to improve the guest experience, including its EpicMix app, Express Lift Ticket pick-up, and transparent lift line wait time reporting.
More details about the new technology will be shared closer to the guest-facing launch ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Vail Resorts is a network of the best destination and close-to-home ski resorts in the world including Vail Mountain, Breckenridge, Park City Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb, Stowe, and 32 additional resorts across North America; Andermatt-Sedrun in Switzerland; and Perisher, Hotham, and Falls Creek in Australia. We are passionate about providing an Experience of a Lifetime to our team members and guests, and our EpicPromise is to reach a zero net operating footprint by 2030, support our employees and communities, and broaden engagement in our sport. Our company owns and/or manages a collection of elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, a portfolio of vacation rentals, condominiums and branded hotels located in close proximity to our mountain destinations, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Retail operates more than 250 retail and rental locations across North America. Learn more about our company at www.VailResorts.com, or discover our resorts and pass options at www.EpicPass.com.
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SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.
