Vail staff do double-duty as village greeters

VAIL ” Walking through Vail Village, you may be greeted by Vail’s town manager or maybe the town accountant.

To make sure Vail’s guests get a world-class introduction to the town, the town of Vail’s staff have been acting as town greeter. They welcome guests, answer questions and help people with ski equipment.

The staff, outfitted in black Spyder jackets with the town of Vail emblem and a name tag, will be greeting skiers on Fridays, when the village is the busiest. Vail also has a community host program, where volunteers also act as greeters throughout the season.

The town got its own staff out on the cobblestoned streets as well after several residents and business owners said the town needed more people welcoming and helping visitors into the village.

“The town of Vail strives to be the premiere mountain resort community,” said Mike Griffin, who coordinates the greeter program. “To do that, we really need to continue to do better in the guest services area, to make sure that people visiting Vail have a good experience.”

The staff, from the human resources department to the finance department, has been taking turns at the greeting duties, Griffin said.

“It’s a cool experience,” he said. “You get out there, and you get to meet so many people. They want to know where you’re from, and how long you’ve been here, and later they’ll thank you for your restaurant suggestion. It’s a refresher for why we all live here.”