Closing times for hot dining at Summit House, Miners Camp, Mid Mountain Lodge, Red Pine Lodge, and Cloud Dine are being moved up to around 2:30 p.m., according to a resort employee. Bathrooms and coffee and snack stations are still open later.
One food and beverage employee, who is working on a J-1 visa, had their weekly hours cut from over 50 to 32, which is the amount of work time listed in their visa contract.
Christian Center of Park City Executive Director Rob Harter said he’s seeing fewer international students at the center’s Tuesday night dinners, which are normally full of J-1 resort workers.
“There’s been such a big hiring of international students, some of their time on their primary job has been cut back, and so they’ve been forced to get two jobs," Harter said. "And so a lot of them are working two jobs, and therefore they’re working in the evenings, and so they’re not available like they have been in the past.”
A year-round Utah resident who has worked at the resort for over five years said their hours are also being cut. They said that’s because the company hired so many J1 workers and must meet the work hour requirements in the visa contracts.
“The funny thing is going to be — as soon as the J1s leave — they’re going to be begging people to work overtime in all departments,” said the employee, who makes $20 per hour. That’s the starting wage for all workers.
“They wonder why they’re training people every year… it’s because of the way they treat you.”
Another employee, who works in food and beverage, said the change in hours is an effort to cut costs, by letting back-of-house cooks get off work 30 minutes earlier.
The employee said they were told by upper management that parent company Vail Resorts is not making as much money as anticipated this season. Last month the company told investors it expects revenue to be in the lower part of the range it forecasted for the season.
A separate employee in guest services, said the resort is cutting down the number of staff members per shift from eight to six.
Despite seeing a 12% increase in skiers visits at its 37 North American ski areas, Vail CEO Kirsten Lynch said in January that visitation at Park City Mountain, along with its Colorado and California destinations, was below expectations.
Sara Huey, senior manager of communications for Park City Mountain, declined to comment on the reduced operating hours other than to say hours are always flexible based on business ebbs and flows. She added that with the resort being fully staffed this year, more workers may be seeing variations in their schedules.
Vail is cutting back in other parts of the country as well.
At Vail-owned Attitash Mountain Resort in New Hampshire, the Learning Center lift, which serves beginner terrain, is operating fewer hours weekdays.
The company is also looking to sell 76,000 feet of office space at its Broomfield, Colorado headquarters, according to the Denver Business Journal.
Investment management firm Baron Funds recently told its investors it was selling some of its Vail stock due to the company’s performance, although it remained optimistic long-term.
