Last season, those looking for cost savings eliminated private and class lessons. While many consider lessons a splurge, we at The Society consider it a perk of the vacation. Note, if you have a family or group of friends, most private instructors can take up to 6 participants: a great way to spend the day and it’s cost effective. Whether class or private, instruction offers the following advantages:

• Skip the Lift Line: how enjoyable during prime vacation periods.
• Increase Skill Set: When you ski/board techniques improve, makes the vacation more enjoyable.
• Hidden Trails: A good instructor knows the mountain and will also know where the best snow conditions are.
• A New Challenge: Break the bad habits (like me, not bending in the knees) and challenge yourself to exceed status quo abilities.

Aspen & Snowmass: The resorts of Glamour Gulch have been most proactive in their marketing department. Look for discounted lift passes, rental equipment and a $50 voucher for those who purchase 5 days of private instruction.

Copper Mountain’s new “Discover Private” program allows skiers who don’t want to spend $475 for a full-day private lesson to pay $150 for two hours of private instruction.

Winter Park is offering four half-day group lessons for $99 if purchased in advance.

Vail Resorts is offering small-group “Adventure Sessions,” with loosely structured lessons and lift line-cutting privileges for $119 to $129 per skier.

While most ski and mountain resorts market themselves as “perfect for all visitors”, those of us in the travel community know the unique attributes of each resort area. Subsequently we are able to advise which resorts are most appropriate for which traveler. At The Society, we recently received the following question:

My wife and I plan to take our adult children and our grandchildren for a skiing vacation. A few of the adults do not ski or snowboard. We would like the grandchildren to be affiliated with a family-oriented ski-school. We all enjoy fine food and service but realize with young children, this may not be possible. We would love ski-in/out yet walking distance to a commercial area with shops, restaurants, spa and so forth. Any suggestions?

We called the client, asked a few more questions and suggested Beaver Creek, Colorado and specifically two homes, our “Ski Safari” with 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms (sleeps 10) and “Beaver Creek Shangri-La”, with 5 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms (sleeps 14). Both houses offer the opulence associated with a luxury ski-chalet, yet are also comfortable and inviting to all who reside in the homes. Mountain chic is the most apt description for these two unique vacation residences, which we consider among the finest in the Vail Valley.

Beaver Creek the resort is the perfect destination for the multi-generational family vacation. The base area is by many resort standards, quite small, yet is so family friendly with an outdoor skating rink, many shops, restaurants, gelato, spas and our favorite heated walkways and escalators to the lifts. Mornings may begin with a Starbucks coffee and taking the kids to ski school. When descending the last run of the day, warm cookies waiting at the base area.

With an excellent selection of dining options, one will never be bored during vacation. From the casual fare at The Dusty Boot to the fine dining at Splendido to subs and pizza at Blue Moose, Beaver Creek offers a variety of family-friendly restaurants. We would also suggest a night at Beano’s Cabin. For the children, consider the 5:30PM seating with the horse-drawn sleigh from the stables to the on-mountain restaurant.

Yes, it has been all over the news last week, the mountains west of Denver received their first official dump of snow generating buzz for the upcoming 2009/10 ski season. The vast majority of resorts are open by Thanksgiving Weekend with a few resorts holding off until early December. At present, excellent lodging rates are available from opening day to December 25th  (see “early bird deals). Thus, consider a pre-holiday ski outing, avoid the crowds and get those quads in shape.

• Vail/Beaver Creek: November 20/ November 25
• Keystone/Breckenridge: November 6/ November 12
• Steamboat Springs: November 25
• Winter Park: November 18th (70th consecutive season)
• Telluride:  November 26
• Park City/Deer Valley: November 21/ December 5
• Jackson Hole:  November 29
• Heavenly:  November 20

While there has never been an exact science of formula concerning pricing a vacation home rental, present economic conditions, limited demand, increased supply and the multitude of options concerning exposure makes the pricing proposition a quandary many face.

In addition, it is now most important to quantify asking prices due to the issues we all face above. The discounting approach, which may or may not be successful, is more appropriate for hotel inventory versus the unique opportunities and constraints concerning vacation home rentals. Now, factor in that each night of vacancy is truly a perishable commodity, what is one to do? We hope the following provides insights and guidance and please note, the staff of TheSociety.com is available to assist on multiple levels from pricing to exposure to target market analysis and so forth.

Please note, “How to Price Your Vacation Home Rental” will be an on-going series:

Installment I: The Honest Assessment AKA “The Appraisal”
-Section I: Location

Whether you are an owner of a vacation home or a property manager, when considering the vacation rental potential of a property, the initial job is to assess the true value of the home or what we call “The Appraisal”.

Unlike the physical plant of a hotel i.e. 1-5 room categories, a strategic location, branding, a vacation residence is by design, a unique entity. No two vacation rental residences are alike (yes, even duplexes i.e. shared common wall will have unique differences. Thus one must look at the property with the skill set of an appraiser and the point-of-view (POV) of a potential renter.

As in any real estate, the ultimate value proposition is the LOCATION!

Location will dictate demand. For example, the 10 bedroom home in Marshalltown, Iowa is probably not as in-demand as the 3-bedroom oceanfront cottage in East Hampton, New York.  Even on a local level, in our (TheSociety.com) own backyard, the 2 bedroom flat in the heart of Vail Village, walking distance to the slopes will generate higher demand and revenue versus a 4 bedroom home in neighboring West Vail, just minutes away by free shuttle.

Location is a unique variable.

Consider the following (and of course there will always be variations to the information below):

Beach/Water Oriented Community (scale most to least in-demand)

• Waterfront
• Close to waterfront
• Walking distance to waterfront

Yes….if you desire a specific property, it is best to book as soon as possible. The properties in highest demand including ski-in/out, walking distance to the lifts and most recently renovated always book early. The majority of our management partners in “ski country” usually will take a deposit and require full payment 45-60 days prior to arrival. Ski homes are each uniquely individual from charming flats and condominiums to chalet’s including indoor pools, outdoor hot tubs and ski-in/out locations. Our inventory of vacation ski rentals is very diverse with lodging options and resorts for all tastes and budgets. Avoid disappointment and book now knowing your ski vacation is secured. Hint, consider booking your air and rental car now as well, while demand is still light.