History
Red mountain spa sits near the Canyon Snow State Park. Red Mountain Resort construction took place in the 1930s, to encourage snow sports a ski jump was put up around 1934, and then years later a rope –tow that powered by gas was put in the site. A ski club later was formed in 1947; the ski club replaced the rope tow with a chairlift. The ski club was able to host the world cup race 1968.The ski club managed the red mountain until it was privately owned. The red mountain placement by new ownership took place in 2004. The master plan to expand the resort started immediately. Red Mountain Resort became privately owned in 1988 due to financial pressures. After being privately owned The Red Mountain Resort began to make improvements and the resort grew at a pace that was moderate.
The Red Mountain Resort offers a ski package that charges guests all tax included. Red Mountain Resort remains open twenty four hours in summer; however, summer visitors are required to call for inquiries before checking in. The red Mountain Resort provides the British Columbia Residency to participate in ski events. They ski Red Mountain Resort does this by providing photo identity cards issued by the government (Cohen, 2008).
The Red Mountain Spa is very accessible; the resort provides free transport via shuttles from St. George Airport. This transport is for guests who fly into St. George Airport. A drive to red mountain spa takes about two and half hours. The spa sits on about 55 acres on cliffs that are red sand stoned. The buildings in the spa look beautifully painted in terra cotta color. The ground of red mountain spa landscape, include plants that are indigenous. Lounge chairs are always available in the well landscaped grounds. The red mountain resort has a restaurant it also, has a pool located indoors. Red mountain spa has amenities such as spa that offers full services. It also has a coffee shop. It is a good spa for people who travel for business. It provides a suitable environment to hold business meetings and retreats for corporate. Red mountain resort is a destination that is active; guests experience joy, stability in life, health and also wellness. In 2012, it was listed by travel leisure magazine as the world’s leading destination.
Facilities
The red mountain spa has about 82 guest rooms which have been newly renovated. The spa has also 24 villas that are two- bedroom. The two bedrooms are spacious enough and have bathrooms that are in good size. These bathrooms have soaking tubs that are deep, double vanities, and water closets separated. Wireless internet connection is available for guests. The standard rooms, on the other hand, are small, but guests do not mind because they spend much of their time outdoors. The rooms have flat screen televisions, robes, snacks put in a basket, ironing board and iron, coffeemakers and also hair dryers. The villas have kitchens. When guests check in they are welcomed by being given a light backpack and water bottle both branded Red Mountain Spa. The staff at red mountain resort is efficient and very polite (Cohen, 2008).
. Red Mountain Resort has recreation activities for all levels of fitness that are situated outdoors. For some of these activities, the fees paid are inclusive in rooms. Hikes that are free guided are done every day for about two hours. During the hikes the guests are educated about the geographical and historic areas in the sites (Cohen, 2008). Red mountain offers other hiking and recreation outdoor adventures at a cost extra. These adventures include rock climbing, biking in the mountains, horseback riding. However, guests are also allowed to design their adventures accompanied by guides who have been trained. For example, they can ride bikes, hike and climb, using borrowed or rented bicycles. Also, guests can go out riding or walking by their own.
Guests who arrive at the red mountain resort without gear should not be worried because their shop sells authentic apparel and equipment
Feasibility
Majority of visitors in red mountain spa are guests who have been there. About six million recreation visits take place in Utah’s national parks which are five. In seven national monuments, national recreation areas, which are two and a historic site which is natural, located in Utah, the number of recreation visits is about 3.2.Visitors who enjoyed 43 state parks of Utah are about four million and above. Passengers who arrive at the Salt Lake International Airport are about twenty-one million. Utah has thirteen ski resorts which host about four million visitors to ski. Utah has six welcome centers where about half a million visitors stop. The rate of occupancy in hotels and motels, in Utah is about five to six percent (Utah Life Elevated).
Canyon breeze restaurant serves guest with a delicious dinner. Sage stone spa and salon, offers massages, body scrubs and facials to guest. The spa offers pedicures and manicures. The minimum age required by the resort to acquiring spa services is above twelve. The red mountain resort provides entertainment to its guests (Cohen, 2008). The setting of Red Mountain is natural, and hence visitors who enjoy photography are greatly entertained. Concerts held in Taucahn amphitheatre keep visitors entertained. Visitors who like to enjoy entertainment that is traditional are welcome in St. George town. Guests are allowed to park for free in red mountain resort, they are also allowed to park for themselves. Daily housekeeping is provided for visitors both in villas and standard rooms and thus enhancing the cleanliness. Red Mountain Resort allows guests to come with their pets and thus providing guests with no restrictions. The spa has high recommendations for allowing pets because families can accompany each other without worry.
Marketing
Red mountain spa has a website, which is welcome for people to see what the resort what to offer to visitors. Red mountain property enables people to look for property fast. The website provides real time rates thus enabling customers to make bookings fast enough. The website has a procedure that is straightforward; customers are able to make online reservations instantly and securely. Red mountain resort has added a new chairlift which aims at creation of jobs, retention of the same jobs and further enhancing them. The resort has chance to increase its revenues and become sustainable (Cohen, 2008).
The expansion of terrain in the red mountain resort will attract new visitors who are passionate about skiing. Red mountain resort expects the sales number of lift tickets to tickets go up significantly. The increase in lift will boost the local economy as well as regional economy. Red mountain resort has put advertisements on television and radio. It has also put advertisements on magazines. Red mountain resort has provided ski packages that are cheaper hence attracting more visitors. Red mountain resort offers discounts to guests and most of the time, discounted tickets are sold out. Red mountain resort has sales ambassadors whose main task is to promote red mountain resort as a destination for skiers during the winter season. Red mountain resort does event planning. People also willing to do a wedding are welcome here. Red mountain resort has snow weather, and most of the visitors come here to enjoy snow skiing among other activities. Red mountain has mastered the art of advertising the spa by ensuring they mention it is the best spa.
Red mountain resort has in the past printed flyers to advertise its activities and to welcome visitors to skiing sports. These flyers have beautiful decorations, and they are worth looking at passing on to friends. The marketing department in red mountain resort is doing a great job, and everybody in town has been talking about red mountain spa.
Human resources and hotel operations
Red mountain resort has about two hundred and fifty employees. The red mountain resort hires highly educated individuals who are qualified in hospitality matters. The management team is required to have more than seven years of working experience in the same field. The Chief Executive Officer of Red mountain resort is Howard Katkov and Fran Richards is the Vice President of Marketing, both highly qualified. Don Thompson is the Vice President – Operations and Development at Red Mountain Resort. Don, a graduate of Saskatchewan; has a Bachelor of Science. He also has knowledge of environmental science and land use. The persons mentioned above are among the management teams, and are well qualified for the positions they hold.
In the sales department, the sales ambassadors are responsible for conducting research on the market and entering data. The sales ambassadors are also required to take care of inquiries from guests professionally. They should be neat and appear to be professional’s .During the recruitment, the sales ambassadors are required to have customer service skills that are excellent. The sales ambassadors are required to have a sales experience and speak good English as well as writing the language .They should also, be familiar with computer packages such as Microsoft office.
On September 2012, Red Mountain Resort hired an executive chef who has over 25 years of experience in upper end resorts. The executive chef is responsible for all food and beverages served at the resort. The chef is responsible for making recipes and creating menus for guests to fit the mission of the resort. To recruit, the red mountain management team conducts interviews based on the experience the applicants have and the qualification rules set. Red mountain resort has mastered the art of retaining employees. They ensure that their employees gain training while working. The employees are also, promoted on merit without bias or discrimination.
Property Operation
Labor cost is high In Red Mountain Resort because they employ the best in terms of education and services. Labor expenses in Red Mountain Resort are high, followed by consumption of power. Snow making requires much water and manpower; the water pumped comes from reservoirs that are located in areas that lie low. The water is pumped using diesel engines that pose an environmental risk to plants and animals due to the pollution of air. The amount of water used is significantly high. Large amount of water used, results from cleaning.
The high amount of power results from providing comfort to the guests by use equipment such as air conditioners. Also, use of generators is very expensive because the personnel required maintaining it must be very skilled and to employ them is expensive. Wind and water turbines can serve as an alternative to energy sources; the problem lies with maintenance cost. Refrigeration is very important in red mountain spa and requires power throughout compared to pumping of water that can be done at a specific time. Red Mountain Resort prefer to highly skilled personnel to maintain its appliances to avoid delays and inconveniences to guests. Red mountain resort also provides some staff with places to live and these also, increases it operation cost. The staff provided with houses in Red Mountain Spa, include the management team. The electricians are also, provided with housing (Henry, 2005).
During heavy storms power goes out and sometimes destroying some electrical appliances. Waste management is another department that set bills up in resorts. Resorts are known to have huge quantities of waste. This waste is both in liquid and solid form. This waste if discarded irresponsibly can cause harm to the environment. However, Red Mountain Resort has devised ways of re -using some of its waste; Red Mountain Resort has managed to manage waste effectively and thus, improving the image of the resort. Red mountain has also minimized the amount of waste that needs to be disposed. Red Mountain Resort deals with waste immediately rather than later. Waste especially from building materials is taken care of immediately, because of its repercussions to the environment. Waste management has greatly helped to reduce operational cost at Red Mountain Resort (Henry, 2005).
Red mountain resort recently upgraded it walls in the various buildings in and out. The landscaping too has been improved. Guests have been pleased with renovations and said it looks much better and welcoming. Red Mountain Resort has used about sixty million dollars in these renovations. Security is very important in Red Mountain Resort and any place. Security refers to safety of the guests during in and outdoor activities. Red Mountain Resort encourages guests to be accompanied by trained guides when going for outdoor activities in the mountains. Red Mountain Resort has contacts to nearby hospitals, and means to transport guests in any case of medical emergency. Red mountain resort is good for people who want to lose weight; because the vigorous daily activities will help the body becomes active. Red mountain is the perfect place to escape the city’s noise.
References
Cohen, M. (2008). Understanding the global spa industry. New York: Sharpe Inc.
Henry, R. (2005). Spa: the sensuous experience. New York: John Wiley and Sons
Utah Life Elevated. 2010 Utah Tourism at a Glance. Retrieved from
<http://travel.utah.gov/research_and_planning/documents/TourismataGlance2010.pdf>
