Winter business was rosy in Stowe

Tourism business activity can be measured by state taxes on rooms (up 5.3 percent), meals (up 5.8 percent) and alcohol (up 10.2 percent).

Those numbers, compiled by the Vermont Department of Taxes, are preliminary and could change slightly. They cover December 2014 and January through March 2015.

The strong winter season also helped the Stowe town government raise more money than last winter from its local-option tax.

Stowe collects an extra 1 percent state sales tax on rooms, meals and alcohol and gets 70 percent of that money back from the state. It uses the money for capital improvements.

Overall, Stowe was up about $2 million from the 2013 to 2014 winter tourism season, said Ed Stahl, executive director of the Stowe Area Association, Stowe’s marketing entity.

“This winter the restaurants were packed and the shops were doing very well,” Stahl said.

The association used a number of marketing strategies, including posting ski and lodging deals on its website and reaching potential visitors through Facebook, Twitter and email, Stahl said.

“We’ve got some great tools here,” Stahl said. “Our monthly email newsletter, which is sent to 105,000 subscribers, offered deals all winter. Special ski and stay packages that we marketed very heavily on the Internet advertised what we were doing.”

The weather contributed to the strong season, according to Stahl.

“We didn’t have any rain from Christmas through mid-March,” Stahl said. “We had better conditions then the rest of country.”

Large storms in Boston, Connecticut, New York and Montreal — areas that are within driving distance of town — also got people excited about taking a winter getaway, benefiting Stowe.

“It was a confluence of great weather, snow conditions and pretty effective marketing done not only by us, but by individual businesses and Stowe Mountain Resort,” Stahl said.

The ski-and-ride season netted nearly $220 million for the state government in sales taxes and the rooms and meals tax. Overall, those revenues increased 4 percent, with rooms and meals tax revenue alone topping last season by 8 percent.

In Stowe, room bookings are looking strong for the rest of the summer and association members are optimistic, according to Stahl.

Skier/rider visits up

Preliminary numbers show Vermont was one of just a few states in the country — and the only one in the Northeast — where skier and rider visits rose during the past winter.

According to the Vermont Association of Ski Areas, The Vermont ski industry had a record-breaking 2014-15 season, with 4,670,903 skier and rider visits.

The prior record was set in 2001.

Trails at Stowe Mountain Resort were open from Nov. 22 through April 19 and business was steady throughout the winter, according Michael Colbourn, vice president of communications, sales and marketing for the resort.

Skier and rider visits were up over last season by about 7 percent, Colbourn said.

While overall snowfall totals at the resort were less than average, consistently cold temperatures allowed it to make enough snow to keep its trails covered and kept rain and ice at bay.

Last fall, the resort completed a three-year, $10 million snowmaking improvement project.

“The big win for us was our ability to take advantage of our snowmaking system,” Colbourn said. “That kept our snow surfaces world-class. We have a great (snowmaking) team.”

Attracting guests was most challenging in February, when temperatures at the resort averaged 4.9 degrees Fahrenheit.

“When you start talking about below-zero temperatures and wind, people tend to stay away or stay inside,” Colbourn said.

The resort had a strong March and April as temperatures began to warm and Easter was early, which “bodes well,” Colbourn said.

The resort concentrated its marketing efforts on “very targeted digital campaigns” using Instagram, Facebook and other social media, Colbourn said.

“It’s a very real advertising,” Colbourn said. “It’s genuine, especially when you see smiles on people’s faces.”

Its website, Stowe.com, has live social media feeds on its front page. Guests can post Instagram photos of themselves enjoying the resort. They can also get live updates on trail conditions.

“We had great conditions,” Colbourn said. “People were talking about it. You combine great customer service with a great snow surface and great facilities and people went away from here in droves telling people what a great experience they had.”

The resort used digital media to let guests know that the parking lot at Spruce Peak was closed for the season and that parking on Mt. Mansfield was limited. It provided digital and print parking maps and posted parking tips on its website. It also encouraged guests to use the Mountain Road Shuttle.

Retail, restaurants, lodging

When visitors weren’t on the mountain, they were shopping and dining.

Restaurants, bars and retail businesses throughout Stowe say sales were strong, especially on weekends and holiday weeks.

Sushi Yoshi had an excellent winter, according to Nate Freund, owner of the Mountain Road restaurant.

“It was significantly better than the winter before,” Freund said. “I think the weather played a very large part. I’m really happy.”

The bar and restaurant thrives because of its large local following, Freund said.

“We would not be successful without the local business we receive year-round,” Freund said. “Most people visit us because of our in-house promotions — a lot of special events, our free shuttle service. We try our hardest to get people in.”

One of Stowe’s newest restaurants, The Bench, has enjoyed a prolonged honeymoon since opening at the former Pie in the Sky location on Mountain Road last September, according to co-owner Chad Fry.

“We try to focus on local business first and foremost and were receptive to all of the tourists who wanted to try out the newest place in town,” Fry said.

There was increased interest in winter apparel at AJ’s Ski & Sports, said owner Art Shinners, due to the unusually cold winter and long ski season, along with the expansion at Stowe Mountain Resort. The expansion has drawn more tourists, Shinners said, so Stowe businesses have more potential customers.

Sales at Stowe Mercantile on Main Street were static last winter, as they have been for the past few winters, according to owner Marc Sherman. Sherman is concerned that not enough tourists are spending time in the village. Tourists visiting the mountain likely aren’t leaving the resort, and businesses like his feel the effects, Sherman said.

Natural snowfall and cold temperatures drew customers to Vermont Snowmobile Tours, said Johnny Lynds, Umiak’s program manager. Business was up slightly from the previous winter and most customers were fairly local, though not necessarily from Stowe, he said.

Occupancy rates were up at many of Stowe’s hotels, motels, inns and B&Bs.

The Commodores Inn posted an increase in both bookings and new guests, said owner Bruce Nourjian. Peak weekends were often overbooked. He credits good skiing conditions.

At Green Mountain Inn, manager Patti Clark linked increased occupancy rates with the ski and ride conditions and a mix of loyal repeat customers and first-time visitors.

However, business at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa was down about 30 percent from the previous winter, said owner Chuck Baraw. The hotel hasn’t been able to surpass its peak winter of 2007-08, Baraw said.

Baraw believes unusual cold contributed to the slump. He said most people plan vacations only days in advance and are less likely to make last-minute bookings when temperatures will be below zero.

Christopher Pelletier contributed to this article.