Overview:
Drowling Mountain is a mountain resort that offers skiing, snowboard, and other snow activities in the state of New York. Located just 45 minutes away from Syracuse, New York. New York as a state has a total of 34 ski resorts.
Drowling Mountains is a community centric resort, which clearly attempts to capture Syracuse’s population of 145,170 people (2010). It also has the geographic location to be able to attract neighboring counties such as Onondaga County, which a population of 321,830.
As a community resort, there are massive pressures to cover fixed assets and operating costs, this is a result of not being able to attract “big city” customers. New York City is roughly five hours away from Syracuse and three hours away from Albany. With no out of the norm marketing plan, Drowling Mountain falls into the states clutter of resorts when skiers decide where to ski or snowboard, when visiting in the Syracuse area.
With commonality in the resort industry, Drowling Mountain is in bad financial disposition. Ownership has change a various number of times, as well as there is a lack of top ranking leadership, and the complete absence of customer loyalty is affecting the mountains potential. Ultimately, the resort is experiencing declining revenues, high levels debt and increasing losses. While management attempts to create a solution, the lack of understanding the actually problem seems to be a bigger issue for management.
Problem Definition:
What innovative strategy will enable Drowling Mountain Resort to increase market share as well as loyalty to skiers of all experience, given the downward trend that the mountain experienced from 2006 to 2010?
Analysis:
Drowling Mountain is facing many threats from internal and external pressures. Below is an analysis that will help understand what issues are most vital to the resort as well as which issues are and pushing down on management.
External