SAFEWAY OFFERS MOUNTAIN RESORT GUESTS DIRECT-TO-LIFT TICKETS
High-Tech Lift Pass Provides Hassle-Free Convenience;
Saves Time and Money for Resorts and Their Guests
March 27, 2006, Pleasanton, Calif. – Guests of Northern California and Nevada’s premier mountain resorts can now bypass lift ticket lines and head straight to the chairlift thanks to a high-tech lift card available for purchase at select Safeway and Vons stores and fuel stations.
A collaborative partnership between Safeway, Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc. and Resort Technology Partners (RTP) brings the latest in distribution-tracking technology to the resort industry. Once a ticket card is purchased at a Safeway or Vons location, a real-time activation message is sent to Booth Creek’s resort Point of Sale (POS) system in Truckee, Calif. At that moment, the customer is ready to go and can walk directly into the lift lines. Lift operators scan
the cards just like a lift ticket.
Booth Creek’s Northstar-at-Tahoe™ and Sierra-at-Tahoe™ resorts are among the first to roll out the program. The Sierra-at-Tahoe™ card can be purchased for $49 at select Safeway stores—a $10 savings off the daily lift ticket price. It’s valid for a single day and can be used any day of the season. Northstar™ resort guests can also purchase ‘two-out-of-three-day’ direct-to-lift ticket cards available for any day of the 2006 season for $104—a savings of $22.
“The direct-to-lift ticket is a win-win option for resorts and their guests,” said Rouzbeh Rotabi, director of business development for Safeway. “It helps resorts to grow their market share by adding new points of distribution and brand presence with minimal overhead; it also leaves skiers and snowboarders with extra money in their wallets that they can spend on food and merchandise on the mountain.”
With real-time reporting, a resort can track when, where and whether a card has been purchased. The “pre-commitment” made by the consumer helps resorts to grow revenue and protect against bad weather. Only direct-to-lift ticket cards that are paid for will scan as valid at the resorts lifts, making them fraud proof.
“The program’s success in the 2006 season demonstrates our customers’ strong interest in convenient ticket alternatives,” said Mike Roth, director of customer technology, Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc. “Booth Creek looks forward to leveraging this development to offer even greater services to enhance the resort experience.”
During the past year and a half, RTP worked with Safeway and Booth Creek to develop the first-of-its-kind distribution technology.
“It streamlines the interface by taking the redemption factor out the equation,” said Mark Roebke, RTP’s chief technology officer. “Because it connects the distributor directly to the supplier, it has the potential of saving resorts money by reducing their need for manual labor.”
Direct-to-lift tickets are available at all Northern California Safeway and Vons stores and fuel stations except in the Lake Tahoe region. Safeway, Booth Creek and RTP have plans to expand the program later this year to other regions, including Washington state. A list of participating Safeway stores is available at www.NorthstarAtTahoe.com, www.NorthstarAtTahoo.com or call 1-800-GO-NORTH.
About Safeway
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America based on sales. The company operates 1,775 stores in the United States and Canada and had annual sales of $38.4 billion in 2005. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.
About Booth Creek Resorts
Booth Creek Resorts, established in 1996, owns six resorts across North America, including Northstar-at-Tahoe™ and Sierra-at-Tahoe™ in the Lake Tahoe region of Northern California; Waterville Valley, Mt. Cranmore Mountain Resort and Loon Mountain™ in New Hampshire; and the Summit at Snoqualmie near Seattle, Washington. Booth Creek is the fourth largest ski resort owner in the country (www.boothcreek.com).
About Resort Technology Partners (RTP)
RTP is the leading provider of technology solutions for the resort and attractions industries. The company’s products and services are used by some of the largest destination resorts in North America. RTP Distribution Services, the newest service offering from RTP, is a hosted technology platform that automates the process of third-party product distribution. Resort and recreation operators can seamlessly deliver products to a variety of distributors, such as retailers, online travel agencies, and tour operators. This technology reduces the need for direct connections between suppliers and their distributors, allowing suppliers to offer a wide variety of products through a broader group of distribution partners.
