sonalization), and many more report that they are testing or considering AI. While adoption is highest among extra-large resort respondents (75%), the interest in AI tools appears to be growing in all size segments, with 43% of medi- um resorts testing the tools and 43% already using them, and 42% of small resorts considering AI tools even though only 19% reported that they are current- ly using them. Among large resorts, 37% are already using AI tools, while another 21% are testing them. When asked to look ahead, resorts see AI’s impact clustering around guest service and operational decision support. (See chart 8, right.) WHAT’S NEXT Responses to an open-ended question on tech trends and innovations about which respondents are excited reinforces the potential they see in AI to improve guest communications, and support opera- tions, monitoring, and reporting. “Obviously the big one is the poten- tial in efficiencies, reporting, operations, targeted interventions, etc., that AI can be utilized for,” said one medium resort respondent. “AI in general, especially support operations like guest-facing chatbots,” said another. A few temper their enthusiasm with caution. For example, one large resort respondent is excited about the poten- tial for AI in supporting call center needs, but noted that they’ve been wary to implement the technology thus far because of “legality concerns.” Other responses to the question map against the opportunities raised through- out the survey, with a focus on integra- tion, guest experience and analytics. Integration. Other than AI, respon- dents are looking forward to greater interoperability across their systems. One medium resort respondent is excit- ed about “More ‘all in one’ POS systems that integrate data analytics and CRM.” “Integrated ski area systems seem to be moving in the right direction,” observed a small resort respondent. Guest self-service. Resorts are also excited about opportunities to reduce friction in the guest journey, from access control to communication.
8. In which areas of your resort could AI have the most impact in the next 3-5 years?
67%
49%
33%
0
20
37%
42%
40
60
80
GUEST SERVICE AND COMMUNICATION: 67% DATA ANALYTICS AND FORECASTING: 49% DYNAMIC PRICING AND YIELD MANAGEMENT: 42%
MARKETING AND PERSONALIZATION: 37% WORKFORCE SCHEDULING AND OPTIMIZATION: 33%
Percent of respondents who indicated a category was one in which AI could have a high near-term impact at their resort. Only top five selections shown. Multiple selections allowed, so totals do not sum to 100%.
One respondent from a small ski area is watching “the evolution of no-touch gates and streamlining the guest experi- ence overall.” A large resort respondent is similarly excited about the prospective ability to “Deliver a seamless, app-enabled guest experience (lift access, snow reports, messaging…).” Ops tools. A smaller set of com- ments highlighted ops tools like snow- making and grooming technology and risk management tools like lift terminal cameras, consistent with the broader theme that investments are most valuable when they improve throughput, safety, or operational control in visible ways. For vendors and partners, the impli- cation is consistent with the rest of the survey results: ski areas don’t just need features; they need interoperability,
integration-friendly product design, and clear roadmaps. The challenge for ski areas is investing in the foundations of data collection, data policies, and staff bandwidth that make their software and systems pay off. CLOSING NOTE Thank you to the participating ski areas and respondents for sharing your time and insight. We hope this report helps operators benchmark their own tech- nology position and see where peers are finding measurable wins. SAM is grateful for the group of ski area tech experts who helped us fine-tune the survey and assess the aggregated and anonymized results. Further, analysis of quantitative find- ings and open-ended comments was support- ed by an AI tool developed by Eternity.
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