Ski Butlers Steamboat Press Room
Ski Butlers Steamboat Press Room
For media inquires please contact:
Bryn Carey
Bryn@SkiButlers.com
435-658-0458
About Ski Butlers…Founded five years ago in Park City, Utah, Ski
Butlers has become the leader in in-room fitting. Ski Butlers serves
over 25 resorts in Colorado, California, Utah, Wyoming and British
Columbia, Canada. These include the top 9 resorts as rated by readers
and editors of SKI Magazine in their “Top 50 Resort Rankings” issue.
Currently, Ski Butlers operates at the following locations: Heavenly,
Kirkwood, and Sierra in California; Aspen, Snowmass, Highlands,
Buttermilk, Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper, A-Basin, Telluride, Vail,
Beaver Creek, and Arrowhead in Colorado; Park City, Deer Valley, The
Canyons, and Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon resorts in Utah; Jackson
Hole in Wyoming; and Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia.
October 2009
Ski Butlers South Tahoe Receives 2009 Best of South Lake Tahoe Award
South Lake Tahoe, CA….After years of operating as Five Star Alpine Rentals, Ski Butlers South Lake Tahoe has received the U.S. Commerce Association 2009 Best of South Lake Tahoe in the Rental Agencies category. The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award recognizes outstanding local business throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category.
Ski Butlers South Lake Tahoe’s consistent focus on customer service has often earned local recognition. However, the USCA award marks the 1st time they have been national recognized as a superior service provider. “We are excited about this award and continue to stand behind our mission…To deliver hassle-free ski and snowboard rentals throughout North America” explained owner Sean Raftree.
About U.S Commerce Association……The USCA is a Washington D.C. based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of the USCA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.
August 2009
Ski Butlers Launches New Website
Park City, Utah…Ski Butlers has launched a new state of the art website which makes for an easier and better user experience. “Our new website makes our service hassle-free from the time the customer visits SkiButlers.com, to the time we pick-up their skis on the final day,” says Bryn Carey, President of Ski Butlers. “If you are a first time customer that has little knowledge about ski rental delivery the steps to describe the service are very clear and if you are a returning customer our customer accounts feature and information on the ski and snowboard equipment is much improved. Online reservations can still be made in just minutes. It is very user friendly.”
Ski Butlers new website was built to enhance the customers experience while on the site and provide more valuable information. “Not only have our old features of the website improved we have also started an online community for ski enthusiasts and first time skiers,” said Carey. There is a blog, photo gallery and live Twitter feed that will be updated daily with current snow conditions, trends, and local insights to keep customers connected to the mountain community. For the first time skiers there are guides on how to ski and snowboard, how to choose the best mountain, and how to pack for a ski trip.
August 2009
Ski Butlers adds European and Latin American Metric Sizing Conversion
Park City, Utah…Ski Butlers has added both a European and Latin American Metric Sizing conversion tool to their already state of the art reservation system. This tool will enable both customers and their booking agents to easily create reservations on www.skibutlers.com without the worry of correct translation into US sizes. “We are thrilled with the addition of this tool in our reservation system. This should allow great ease with those agents who book ski vacations both domestically and internationally,” said Chris Vitale, Ski Butlers’ Chief Operating Officer. When making a reservation on the website, there is a drop down where the individual booking can select ‘United States,’ ‘European Union,’ or ‘Latin America.’ The system will then automatically determine which ski and ski boot size is needed for their customers. “We have received this request from tour operators as we have continued to grow and serve international clientele. We know this will be a great help,” said Vitale.
July 2009
Ski Butlers Answers to Limited Olympic Parking
Whistler, BC…The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic Games announced that a large percentage of the public parking lots in Whistler, BC will be closed to accommodate the Olympics making it even hard for tourists to travel around town. Services like Ski Butlers will help tourists overcome these challenges. “Ski Butlers is positioned very well for the Olympics,” said Karin Schulze, Owner of Ski Butlers Whistler which delivers ski and snowboard rental equipment to its customers. “Our convenient service will be even more attractive to the tourists that want to enjoy the games and try and ski a few days during the Olympics. Instead of traveling to a ski shop, waiting in traffic and trying to find parking, customers can call Ski Butlers and be fitted for their ski and snowboard rental equipment within minutes, all in the comfort their accommodations.”
Some parking lot closures and restricted vehicle access in Whistler will begin as early as January 2010 and will continue through March. The Vancouver Organizing Committee recommends using public transportation as much as possible.
April 2009
Ski Butlers Scores Big With Its Customers
Vail, CO…Ski Butlers averaged a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 89% for the 2008-2009 ski season which measures an organization’s performance through its customers’ eyes. “This score tells us two things,” said Bryn Carey, President and Founder of Ski Butlers. “One that we have consistent service throughout the 25 North American resorts we serve and two we have found a way to make ski and snowboard rentals convenient and hassle-free. This is not only good for Ski Butlers but also the industry as whole.”
Companies obtain their NPS, sometimes referred to as The Ultimate Question, by asking customers a single question on a 0 to 10 rating scale: "How likely is it that you would recommend our company to a friend or colleague?" Based on their responses, customers can be categorized into one of three groups: Promoters (9-10 rating), Passives (7-8 rating), and Detractors (0-6 rating). The percentage of Detractors is then subtracted from the percentage of Promoters to obtain a Net Promoter score. A score of 75% or above is considered quite high. The Net Promoter Score was created by Frederick F. Reichheld from Bain Consulting in Boston, Massachusetts and was introduced by Reichheld in his 2003 Harvard Business Review article "The One Number You Need to Grow." Proponents of the Net Promoter approach claim the score can be used to motivate an organization to become more focused on improving products and services for customers.
Other customer service oriented companies received the following scores:
Harley-Davidson: 81%
Amazon: 73%
eBay: 71%
Apple: 66%
Southwest Airlines: 51%
Dell: 50%
August 2009
Ski Butlers takes the “sweats” out of ski rental!
Aspen, CO… For the past 7 years Ski Butlers has been taking the sweat and hassle out of renting ski equipment. Now in this possible impending Swine Flu world Ski Butlers is helping to eliminate a different type of “sweats”. The biggest piece of advice from doctors worldwide is to minimize the amount of interaction with large groups of people, especially in confined spaces. Ski Butlers award winning service helps mitigate these encounters by eliminating the need to be in a ski rental shop with large numbers of other people. “It is just one more way people can keep their risk lowered” said Riley Tippet, owner of Ski Butlers Aspen and Telluride. “We are also installing practices to keep our hands clean, so to speak.” Riley added that Ski Butlers is taking the H1N1 virus seriously, they have installed Purell dispenser in all their delivery vans as well as at their shops. They are taking care to wipe down all poles with disinfectant wipes and are continuing to diligently sanitize all their helmets and boots.
The H1N1 Virus is having impacts all over the world; places of worship are re-tooling century old traditions to impede any spread of viruses, sports arenas, shopping malls, etc are all installing practices for mitigation. For more information on H1N1, better known as the swine flu visit: www.who.int
March 2009
Ski Butlers Whistler Delivering for the Kids
Whistler, British Columbia…Ski Butlers Whistler, a locally owned ski and snowboard rental delivery service, worked with members of WinterPRIDE ’09 to support the Western Canadian Pediatric AIDS Society, or Camp Moomba. Ski Butlers donated a portion of all sales from every WinterPRIDE member who rented ski or snowboard equipment from them during the annual Gay Ski Week. “This is our second year in business and our second year offering this promotion.” said Karin Schulze, owner of Ski Butlers Whistler. “The WinterPRIDE members love the fact that part of their rental price goes towards Camp Moomba, a very important charity.”
Established in 1997, Camp Moomba is a specialized summer camp program for kid’s age 6—7, who are impacted HIV/AIDS. Many of the children that attend Camp Moomba are confronted by similar issues in their lives. By coming together each year they are able to find the type of support that can only come from understanding
WinterPRIDE is a celebration of diversity and inclusiveness at the resort of Whistler, Canada. This is one of the largest Gay Ski Weeks in the world that offers culinary, health + wellness, and fantastic entertainment both on and off the slopes. We are committed in creating safe and welcoming spaces for the LGBT community and their friends & family. WinterPRIDE celebrated its 17th anniversary in Whistler this year.
“We hope to get more members of WinterPRIDE working with us next year so we can increase the amount given to Camp Moomba,” said Ms. Schulze. “Ski Butlers Whistler grows its business, our WinterPRIDE guests get the most convenient ski rental service, and Camp Moomba gets greater financial support to help the kids. It’s a win, win, win situation!”
November 2008
Ski Butlers Expands to Telluride, Colorado
Park City, Utah…Ski Butlers is proud to announce Telluride as its newest location, opening for the 2008-2009 ski season. “We are excited about our expansion into Telluride. It is a great opportunity to offer another world class ski destination to our customers,” said Bryn Carey, founder and President of Ski Butlers.
Founded four years ago in Park City, Utah, Ski Butlers has become the leader in in-room fitting. Ski Butlers serves over 25 resorts in California and the Rocky Mountains, including the top 8 in SKI Magazine’s “Top 50 Resort Rankings.” Besides its extensive network of resorts, Ski Butlers has designed the industry’s most user-friendly reservation system that allows customers to create accounts and store their information online from vacation to vacation and resort to resort.
Currently, Ski Butlers operates at the following locations: Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Sierra in California; Aspen, Snowmass, Highlands, Buttermilk, Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper, A-Basin, Telluride, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Arrowhead in Colorado; Park City, Deer Valley, The Canyons, and Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons in Utah; Jackson Hole in Wyoming; and Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia.
Ski Butlers features high quality equipment from industry leaders like Rossignol, Roxy, Volkl, Nordica, Dolomite, Marker, Fischer, and Elan in three performance levels: sport, high performance, and high performance plus for adults and junior and junior performance for children. As a full service rental shop, Ski Butlers also rents helmets, boot dryers, and 2-way radios.
Besides renting equipment, Ski Butlers carries an extensive line of accessories, including goggles, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, gloves, hats, neck gators, and hand and toe warmers.
October 2008
Airlines Baggage Fees to Hit Ski and Snowboard Bags for the First Time
Park City, Utah…I could never quite understand how skiers and golfers could check their equipment for free. My lightweight bike, windsurf and surf boards have always been charged a $75 fee each way. Forget about the good old days, fees for skis are here and they’re here to stay. Over the past year, the troubled airline industry has been looking for ways to increase revenues, leading them to start charging for every service they can think of; meals, snacks, curbside check-in, etc. You name it, you pay for it. We knew it would come and it has now arrived.
With the cost of ski and snowboard equipment going up, skiers have debated whether to buy, lease or rent. With the escalating fee for each bag checked, it now makes more sense than ever to rent. If you can’t fit your ski boots in your suitcase with your ski and street apparel, you will end up with at least three bags; one for clothes, another for skis/snowboard and a third for ski boots. The first bag will cost between $15 and $25 each way, the second bag will cost between $25 and $50 and the third bag will cost between $100 and $125. (See fee chart below).
Don’t worry about renting; it isn’t like it used to be. New in-room fitting services are the thing to do now. No more trips to the overcrowded, dark and smelly rental shop. Instead of wasting time standing in line, companies like industry leading Ski Butlers (877-754-7754, www.skibutlers.com) will come to your accommodations. While in the comfort of your lodging, Ski Butlers will fit you for all of your equipment needs. With extended hours of operation, you can be fitted at your convenience from early morning (7 a.m.) to as late as 9 p.m., seven days a week. “It’s hassle-free,” explained Bryn Carey, President of Ski Butlers. “Ski Butlers is in the business of making it easy to rent. We are focused on customer service,” he added. "Our goal is to take the stress out of renting skis and boards in addition to all of the hassles associated with going to a rental shop; standing in line, and lugging all of the equipment back to your lodging, especially if you have kids."
Let’s look at the numbers. The cost of buying new high performance skis and boots at a ski shop is between $1100 to $1500. The one way cost of checking three bags (clothing, boots and skis) is between $140 and $160. While flying on Delta Airlines, the round trip cost will skyrocket to $380. The cost of renting top performance demo equipment for four days is $236, so it makes sense to rent. Under this scenario you could rent for five to seven years if you ski or ride only a few times per year for about the same price as buying or paying baggage fees. Plus, you will have the latest and greatest equipment on the market and less hassles.
Ski Butlers is an innovative leader in the ski rental delivery business. Carey emphasizes the fact that this is a high quality service without a big price tag. Leaving your
ski equipment at home is cost effective in this new age of baggage fees.
Ski Butlers features high quality equipment from industry leaders Rossignol, Volkl, Roxy, Head, Fischer, and Elan. As a full service rental operation, Ski Butlers also rents helmets, boot dryers, and 2-way radios. If you forget your sunscreen, sunglasses or lip balm, Ski Butlers offers these items for sale in addition to a nice selection of gloves, hats, goggles and hand warmers.
Ski Butlers provides the newest ski and snowboard equipment on the market so there is no need to worry about these new fees that have been implemented by the airlines. At a fraction of the cost, Ski Butlers provides a wonderful opportunity for skiers in an easy and convenient way. Give it a try.
Sample baggage fees from select Airlines:
Carrier Bag 1 Bag 2 Bag 3
Delta $15 $50 $125
United $15 $50 N/A
A/A $15 $25 $100
US Air $15 $25 $100
Southwest FREE FREE FREE
Ski Butlers ski and snowboard rental prices:
High Performance Plus Package $47 - $59
High Performance Package $39 - $49
Sport, Junior and Junior Performance Packages $25 - $43
October 2007
Ski Butlers Rapid Expansion Continues
Park City, Utah…Skiers and snowboarders visiting Whistler/Blackcomb British Columbia can now enjoy hassle-free in-room fitting of ski and snowboard equipment. “Adding Whistler to our service list of world class ski destinations allows our customers to use Ski Butlers on most, if not all, of their ski vacations,” said Bryn Carey, founder and President of Ski Butlers.
Founded three and a half years ago in Park City, Utah, Ski Butlers has become the leader in in-room fitting. Ski Butlers serves over 24 resorts in California and the Rocky Mountains, including the top 8 in SKI Magazine’s “Top 50 Resort Rankings.” Besides its extensive network of resorts, Ski Butlers has designed the industry’s most user-friendly reservation system that allows customers to create accounts and store their information online from vacation to vacation and resort to resort.
Currently, Ski Butlers operates at the following locations: Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Sierra in California; Aspen, Snowmass, Highlands, Buttermilk, Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper, A-Basin, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Arrowhead in Colorado; Park City, Deer Valley, The Canyons, and Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons in Utah; Jackson Hole in Wyoming; and Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia.
Ski Butlers features high quality equipment from industry leaders like Rossignol, Volkl, Nordica, Dolomite, Marker, Fischer, and Elan in three performance levels: sport, high performance, and elite demo for adults and children. As a full service rental shop, Ski Butlers also rents helmets, boot dryers, and 2-way radios.
Besides renting equipment, Ski Butlers carries an extensive line of accessories, including goggles, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, gloves, hats, neck gators, and hand and toe warmers.
October 2007
Ski Butlers Expands to Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Park City, Utah…Since 2004, Ski Butlers has been revolutionizing the way people rent skis at major ski resorts across the US, and will now offer its service to skiers and snowboarders visiting Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “We at Ski Butlers are excited to be entering the Jackson Hole market,” said Bryn Carey, founder and president of Ski Butlers. “Our high level of service is congruent with Jackson Hole’s reputation for great service.” Currently, Ski Butlers operates at the following locations: South Lake Tahoe in California and Vail, Beaver Creek, Arrowhead, Aspen, Snowmass, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Copper in Colorado and Park City, Deer Valley, The Canyons, and Salt Lake City in Utah and Jackson Hole in Wyoming.
Skiers and snowboarders visiting these major ski resorts across the US can enjoy hassle-free in-room fitting of ski and snowboard equipment without leaving their accommodations. This new service is growing more and more popular among skiers and riders in the know. Ski Butlers, an innovative leader in the ski delivery business, stresses that this is a high quality service without a big price tag. “Our goal is to take the stress out of renting skis and all the hassles associated with going to a rental shop, standing in line, and lugging all the equipment back to your lodging. Now you can set up an appointment and a team of qualified ski technicians will come to you at your convenience,” said Carey. “Once people experience our service they say, if avoidable, they will never go back to a rental shop again. What seals the deal is the service in most cases is less expensive than renting at the resort.”
Words like convenience and stress-free aren’t normally associated with ski rentals. “Ski Butlers took the stress out of our trip to Deer Valley,” said Mrs. Holding of San Francisco California. “We will use them again and recommend them to all our friends!”
Ski Butlers features high quality equipment from industry leaders like Rossignol, Volkl, Nordica, Dolomite, Marker, Fischer, and Elan in three performance levels, sport, high performance, and elite demo for adults and children. As a full service rental shop, Ski Butlers also rents helmets, boot dryers, and 2-way radios.
Besides renting equipment, Ski Butlers carries an extensive line of accessories including goggles, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, gloves, hats, neck gators, and hand and toe warmers.
When the ski technicians arrive they are supplied with a variety of sizes and types of skis and boots, which guarantees proper fit. “Everyone was happy including the veteran skier in our bunch who promised me equipment delivery would not work because her boot size was very hard to get just right. Your team had plenty of extra boots on hand and fixed her up in no time,” commented Mr. Bill Houghton of Atlanta, Georgia.
Aspen, CO…Ski Butlers Aspen was awarded the Emerging
Business of the year for 2010 by the Aspen Chamber and Resort Association at
the Winterskol Luncheon on Thursday. “To
be recognized by such an outstanding community is a great honor.” says Riley
Tippet, Owner of Ski Butlers in Aspen. “I
am excited to use this opportunity as a stepping stone to become more involved and
to become a leader in the community.”
To be eligible for this award the Emerging Business of the
Year must be in operation for two to five years, the purpose is to recognize
businesses that have truly defined entrepreneurship, personified success and
exemplified a unique business beginning.
Opening in Aspen in 2006, Ski Butlers has revolutionized the
way people rent skis. “Customer service has always been #1,” Riley says,
“Taking the hassle out of renting skis, hiring exceptional employees, and
offering the highest level of equipment, all for an affordable price, is a
different model than most ski rental shops.”
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