Vail Resorts pivots from expansion to premium guest experience

The company’s new strategy, dubbed the Epic Experience, targets specific friction points in the skier’s journey, ranging from equipment rentals to on-mountain dining. Starting this season, Vail Resorts will overhaul its food service at 15 destination resorts, upgrading standard menu items like burgers and chili with higher-quality ingredients and refined presentation without raising prices beyond standard inflation.

Personalized service is central to the upcoming changes. The company is launching Epic Ascent at Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek—a premium tier of private lessons that includes dedicated concierge support and white-glove gear handling. This concierge model is slated for expansion across the network by the 2027/28 season. Simultaneously, the company is leveraging its My Epic app to digitize check-ins, offer real-time progress tracking for ski school students, and integrate seamless payment options like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

These initiatives are backed by a sustained commitment to staff development. Following a $175 million investment in wages and benefits, the company reports record guest satisfaction scores and improved retention among its frontline teams. By automating administrative tasks and simplifying booking flows, leadership aims to ensure that technology serves to enhance, rather than replace, the human element of the mountain experience.