1. Tell us about your business. What is your experience in the industry?

Mountain Resort Concierge is a lifestyle management company offering one-stop shopping for all your vacation needs with a focus on the secondary home rental market. Once you book your accommodations, we collaborate with a variety of third-party vendors to set-up numerous hospitality amenities ranging from restaurant reservations and transportation to concert tickets, ski/bike equipment, personal chefs, and groceries all delivered to your door. We can also book your non-skiing activities like snowmobiling or dogsledding, or even work with an event planner to set-up a special birthday party or business seminar. In addition, we can even hire personal trainers and deliver spa quality services to your home. Our website at www.mountainresortconcierge.com has a full list of our services that you can check out but we are always open to new requests from our clients and will do our best to fulfill most of them.

My background is in sports/entertainment marketing and events having worked a large media companies such as ESPN and Spike TV, as well as a stint at the NFL back in New York.   I also have a strong hospitality background after graduating from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and working at resorts in Tahoe and also here in Vail during my college days. I have always wanted to find a career that would keep me close to the mountains and I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than by starting a business that directly services the luxury vacation traveler.   To that point, I noticed an opportunity to address an under-serviced niche in the market after seeing the growth of vacation rental services such as AirBNB, Home Away and VRBO.  If people are spending similar amounts of money to rent a home or condo for a week, they should still have access to the same top-notch amenities that full service hotels provide to their guests.

2. Who would you utilize your service?

Luxury travelers (especially those traveling with large families) and corporate groups since they don’t always have the time to do all the planning and research for their vacations or business trips.  Most of these travelers also don’t like to deal with the hassle of having to contact numerous vendors to service their vacation needs.  Instead, it is much more convenient for them to work with a local professional to manage all the details and serve as their point person throughout the duration of their trip. It’s a smart investment when you are spending a lot of money on a vacation and don’t feel like managing all the details. Our business motto sums up this philosophy: “It’s your job to have fun and relax. It’s our job to manage the rest!

3. What makes your business unique?

We offer a variety of services that can all be delivered to your door or place of residence. This includes such amenities as groceries and alcohol delivery to ski equipment, transportation, and personal chefs. In addition, we also pride ourselves on individual customization and customer service which is applied to everything from price quotes to fulfilling the most challenging requests. To that point, we are able to service a diverse clientele, from corporate groups and luxury travelers, to hotel guests and even busy locals. In the coming months, we will also be adding all-inclusive travel planning (which includes lodging, rental cars, and lift tickets) thus becoming a true one-stop shop for the luxury and corporate vacation market.

4. How do you ensure excellent customer service?

We will do whatever it takes to make a customer happy and always try to over-deliver on expectations. The key to fulfilling this is by creating a custom designed experience for each and every guest no matter how big or small the request may be. I make sure to spend a lot of time with each client to determine their ultimate goals and objectives for their vacation. Attention to detail and constant follow-up are key strengths of mine that I use to ensure every client knows that they are my number one priority.  Finally, I also make a point to let each client know that I am here to help them before, during, and after their vacation.  I handle any potential issues that may arise and always offer valuable insider knowledge on the town, mountain, nightlife, dining, weather, and special events.

5. What’s the best compliment a client has given you?

Recently, a couple was here over the summer on their 15^th wedding anniversary and I was able to help them plan their special night and find the best restaurants and setting for their memorable occasion. They said they would highly recommend their service to their friends and family and not just for the winter but also the summer. They were happy because according to them “I was able to hit a homerun on all their requests” and when you have a satisfied customer like that, that’s all you can ask for, especially when it leads to positive word of mouth advertising.