We’re Open: Ski.com

Business name: Ski.com

Address: 210 AABC suite AA, Aspen, CO 81611

Phone number: 970-925-9500

Website: http://www.ski.com

Email: agents@ski.com

Social media: @skivacations (Facebook), @skicom (Instagram/Twitter), @skidotcom (YouTube)

Aspen Times: How have you gotten creative during this time? What have you done to keep your customers engaged?

Ski.com: The travel industry has been hit especially hard by COVID-19, and there are a lot of companies that won’t come out of this on the other side. While doing everything in our power to refund or rebook thousands of affected reservations, our goal over the past two months has been to keep our audience engaged with content to provide hope and entertainment, while also letting everyone know that we are here, we were in good standing and we are ready to help people get back to the mountains next season, or whenever they’re ready. Examples of this include our “You Will Travel Again” video series; apres-themed food recipes paired with classic ski movies; custom Ski.com Zoom backgrounds, including one that makes the Zoomer appear to be riding a chairlift; a list of books that let people travel through their pages from the comfort of home; a contest for the best love letter written to skis; and ski season bingo.

AT: What’s the most important thing the community can do to support you?

Ski: We started here in Aspen in 1971, and though we work with resorts around the world, this is our home and one of our most important destinations. For our business, the most important community here is the travel community, which includes the resort, our large collection lodging partners, activity providers and transportation companies. We are all in this together and it’s important that we all work in tandem to do everything we can to get people to safely experience Aspen Snowmass this winter. We are also here to help any locals get out there to see something new, whether it’s taking advantage of the Ikon benefits by going to Steamboat for the weekend or perhaps something more exotic like Japan or Switzerland.

AT: Where can we find your most current offerings and updates?

Ski: Everything can be found at http://www.ski.com and http://www.ski.com/all-deals. For anyone interested in traveling this winter but who wants to eliminate some stress with the option of canceling for free, visit http://www.ski.com/flexible-cancellations.

AT: What has been the best customer experience or comment you’ve had since the crisis started?

Ski: We have worked closely with our partners around the world on behalf of our customers to find favorable outcomes for anyone affected, and we are very proud of the results. While we of course can’t please everyone, we have had a great deal of positive feedback from people for whom we have helped recoup monies or reschedule travel. Our biggest differentiator is our high level of service, and though we wish for different circumstances, it was great to be able to rise to the occasion and make them feel good about booking their trip with Ski.com. We are also receiving a lot of positive feedback about our recent marketing. Many have communicated to us that they are enjoying how we’re inspiring them to engage with us in fun and creative ways while making them smile.

AT: Is there anything else you’d like to add regarding your business during the pandemic?

Ski: We employ about 130 employees and independent contractors, most of whom live in Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley. Some of our people have been with us for more than 30 years, and we are very happy to report that we have not laid off or furloughed anyone at our company. We are proud of the work we have done for our thousands of distressed customers, and we are proud of the messaging we have disseminated about our business. We are looking forward to the next chapter, and we are going to do our best to get people to come back to Aspen Snowmass when the time is right.