The latest numbers from the Park City Chamber/Bureau might validate the feeling that Park City is as busy as it’s ever been.
According to a snapshot of reservations on the books as of Dec. 15, hotel reservations for the week after Christmas easily beat last year’s totals. But the reservation numbers also beat those from the winter of 2019/2020, which was on pace to set economic records before the pandemic took hold in March.
The Chamber/Bureau’s report includes reservations made by Dec. 15 at 18 lodging properties in the area. The report says that around 90% of hotel rooms or more were reserved for each day starting Dec. 27 through New Year's Eve. That number peaks on Wednesday, with 99% of rooms reserved.
Those numbers don't include last-minute travelers who made their plans after Dec. 15. Tourism officials have said that visitors during the pandemic have made arrangements closer to when they expect to travel, rather than weeks or months in advance as they might have in previous years.
Last weekend, the reservation numbers hovered around 80%, roughly the same number as what’s on the books for the first few days of the Sundance Film Festival, which starts Jan. 20.
Many of those who are in town already can be found on the streets and on the slopes.
Park City Mountain Resort owner Vail Resorts reported earlier this month that the number of season passes sold was up 47% compared to 2020, and up 76% compared to 2019.
It is unclear how many of those new passholders are coming to PCMR. Mike Goar, the resort’s COO, said on Wednesday that the resort has been “popular,” as it always is on weekends and during the holiday season. He said on-mountain staffers are working to make it safe for the crowds to ski and ride.
“Patrol and mountain safety and our other employees are out monitoring guests and making sure we have extra people on the busier trails, etc.,” he said.
But with limited terrain open before the recent storms, and the natural geography of the resort, many riders are funneled into few runs, especially at the end of the day. Goar said the crowds do not present a safety issue.
“Our ski instructors are fantastic about getting their classes, getting their students through areas that sometimes are more congested than other portions of a ski slope,” Goar said.
On Saturday, PCMR reported 7 inches of snow had fallen in the previous two days with more in the forecast. 100 of its 348 trails were open, as were 26 of its 43 lifts, including the recent additions of the Quicksilver Gondola, Iron Mountain Express and Timberline lift.
