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This is an updated list of the latest press mentions that SkiEurope had
in daily newspapers, magazines, newsletters or on websites. Click on one of the titles below to select the article you wish to read
| November-March Deals
to Europe Among Best Ever |
| VisitEurope.com - Pressroom (14 December 2001) - Switzerland/Ski week roundtrip to Zurich, 7 hotel nights
at choice of various resorts, buffet breakfasts. From $609 from New
York. SkiEurope, 1-800-333-5533, www.ski-europe.com. |
| Hot Travel Deals |
| OnTheSnow.com (20 December 2001)
Mitch Kaplan - Interlaken, Switzerland: From Interlaken, in German-speaking
Switzerland, you can ski at a whole variety of sites, including Grindelwald,
Mürren and others. So, hop on board one of SkiEurope's
Interlaken deals, departing Jan. 19, Feb. 2, or March 16. For $579
per person you get roundtrip airfare from New York to Zurich, seven
nights' accommodation with continental breakfast in a three-star hotel,
an economy rental car, and all local service charges and taxes. Other
departure airports are available for additional fees. So, call them,
ya? (800-333-5533) |
| Austria: The Hills are
Alive |
| Skiing (December 2001)
Bevin Wallace - Austria's Arlberg - the interconnected towns of St.
Anton, St. Christolph, Stuben, Lech, and Zürs - has 84 lifts
and over 260 kilometers of trails. In St. Anton, the Hotel Karl Schranz
has relatively spacious rooms. Hotel Tannbergerhof is on Lech's quaint
main drag. SkiEurope offers packages
(713-960-0900). Click here for
full story. |
| State of the Ski Season:
Snow or No Snow, Skiers Plan Vacations |
| About.com (December 2001)
Elisabeth Osmeloski - Early fears of a slow ski travel season in the wake
of September 11th are dissipating as determined skiers keep their
confidence in the season and are continuing to make holiday reservations
at local resorts or plan that dream ski vacation in Europe. Daniela
Gugliotta, of Ski-Europe.com, says "despite the events of September,
SkiEurope has seen an increase of 15%
in the number of reservations, while we know that other tour operators
are down in the number of bookings." Click here for
full story. |
| Hot Travel Deals |
OntheSnow.com (14 December 2001)
Mitch Kaplan - Andorra: You know about Andorra, of course.
It's that tiny speck of a country between Spain and France where
everyone skis all winter long and lives happily ever after.
SkiEurope will take
you there on Jan. 11 or Jan. 18 for $649 pp/do. This tiny price
buys you round trip airfare from New York to Toulouse, an economy
rental car, seven nights' accommodation with continental buffet
breakfast in a three-star hotel and all local service charges and
taxes. Not from NYC? Other departure airports are available for
an additional fee. For more information, call 1-800-333-5533. Click here for
full story. |
| If You Go: Ski Week
Packages |
| The Dallas Morning News (9 December 2001)
Walt Roessing - Call a travel agent or contact Houston-based SkiEurope
(1-800-333-5533; www.ski-europe.com).
Two sample SuperSki Week prices in January through SkiEurope
are $1,004 at Zermatt's three-star Hotel Perren or $1,074 at three-star
Hotel Antika. Prices include Dallas-to-Zurich airfare, rail transfers
to Zermatt, seven nights of lodging, daily buffet breakfast, and all
local service charges and taxes. Trains leave hourly from Zurich Airport,
where you can check baggage to your Zermatt hotel. |
| My Europe: More Than
Just Skiing |
| OnTheSnow.com (December 2001)
Ted Heck - "No matter what kind of skier you are, SkiEurope
is the way to go…where dreams come in all shapes and sizes" is the
essence of the ad by SkiEurope, a Houston-based
tour operator. President Richard Davidson,
whom we talked to back in September after the "Attack on America,"
says his firm has recovered from the fallout and is "back in a pretty
good position" with its bookings.
A leader in sending winter vacationers to the Alps,
SkiEurope (800-333-5533 or www.ski-europe.com)
has added Andorra in the Pyrenees Mountains to its list of attractive
destinations. Several hundred skiers and snowboarders from the Texas
Ski Council are scheduled for a late January week in the tiny principality
between France and Spain. Their hats and boots may set Texans apart,
but natives won't be fazed by language. Andorra has a high literacy
rate and has long been a favorite of skiers from the United Kingdom,
who speak their own brand of English. Click here for full
story |
| Deals of the Week: Advent
in Interlaken |
| New York Daily News (2 December 2001)
Mila Andre - Advent in Interlaken, in the Swiss Alps, from $865
per person/double occupancy December 14-22. Includes round-trip air
to Zurich, rental car for seven days, seven nights' accommodations,
hotel taxes/service charges, and breakfast. Information 800-333-5533
or www.ski-europe.com Click here for full
story |
| Skiers in Switzerland
can "Switchaland" |
| JAXFAX (December 2001)
Ted Heck - Even seasoned travelers admit there is something
magical about crossing borders. They understand the excitement of
skiers in Switzerland who can cruise from Swiss villages to resorts
in other alpine countries of Austria, France and Italy. For
most skiers and snowboarders the quintessential difference between
the Alps and, say, the Rockies is the "circus," a vast complex of
ski slopes, long runs and many lifts that lace together villages
that are miles apart.
Tour operators: SkiEurope
Phone: 800-333-5533
Website: www.ski-europe.com |
| Deals and Discounts |
| The New York Times (25 November 2001)
Joseph Siano - Interlaken For those who prefer Alpine scenery, companion rates at the Swiss resort are being cut by half for three January departures from SkiEurope. The first person pays $870, the other $435. For that, each gets round-trip airfare on Continental from New York to Zurich, seven nights at the three-star Chalet Hotel Oberland, a rental car at the airport and daily breakfast buffet. (...)
Trip dates are Jan.4 to 12, January 11 to 19 and Jan.18 to 26. Information: (800) 333-5533 or www.ski-europe.com. |
| Deals, Deals |
| The Miami Herald (25 November 2001) - Ski Europe
is offering round-trip tickets and seven nights in Zurich, Switzerland,
starting at $609 (from New York) per person. Information: 800-333-5533
or www.ski-europe.com. Click here for full
article. |
| Schnapps Hops |
SKIPRESS USA (November 2001)
Michael Kiefer - In Austria's Arlberg the partying is as slick as
the slopes The pistes above St.Anton in Austria's Arlberg region are as crowded
as the Long Island Expressway at rush hour. European skiers, like
New Yorkers in traffic, watch the front of their skis and let everyone
else worry about the backs.(...)
SkiEurope
2636 Yorktown #321, Houston, Texas 77056, USA
(713) 960-0900
Web: www.ski-europe.com |
| Steep Encounters |
| The Toronto Star (3 November 2001)
Sue Lebrecht - The Arlberg Card, a five-area ski pass provides
access to St.Anton, St.Christoph, Lech, Zürs and Stuben - the
entire mountain region known as Arlberg. Packages to St.Anton are
offered by Ski Europe 1-800 333-5533 (www.ski-europe.com) |
| Ski Deals - Europe |
| Ski Magazine (November 2001)
Lois Friedland - Skiers who receive the SkiEurope
eZine got advance notice for SkiEurope's
popular Superski Weeks.
Final pricing and dates for this winter were posted on Sept. 1, after
this magazine went into print. It's expected, however, that a week
in Innsbruck, Austria, will cost about $499, a week in Innsbruck and
Vienna will cost about $599, and a week in Andorra will cost about
$599. All packages include round-trip airfare
economy class from New York, seven nights' lodging, breakfast daily,
and local service charges and taxes. Call 800-333-5533 for more
information, or visit www.ski-europe.com. |
| The Other Side of the
Mountain |
| Ski Canada (November 2001)
George Koch - SkiEurope package including
return airfare, return ground transfer, seven nights' hotel accommodations
including breakfast and dinner, $1,728 Toronto departure, $1,938 Vancouver
departure, airline taxes extra. Six-day ski pass for Aosta Valley,
$220 (155 euros); other pass options offer selected days at Verbier
and Chamonix. More Information: SkiEurope,
800-333-5533, www.ski-europe.com. |
| Judgement Day at St.
Moritz |
| Ski Canada (November 2001)
George Koch - Several tour operators offer St. Moritz packages including
SkiEurope (800-333-5533 or www.ski-europe.com).
Return airfare, transfers and seven nights' accommodation in a three-star
hotel, including breakfast and dinner daily, $2,028 Toronto departure,
$2,128 Vancouver departure, air taxes extra. A six-day lift pass for
entire region is approximately $290. |
| Austria; Skiing's Birthplace |
| Ski Magazine (November 2001)
Andy Bigford - A great deal: SkiEurope
has put together a $1,098 package just for SKI readers for January
16-27, 2002. It includes round trip airfare from New York to Munich
on Lufthansa/United Airlines, three nights with breakfast in a three-star
hotel in Innsbruck, seven nights in Saalbach-Hinterglemm with breakfast,
plus dinner in a four-star hotel, ten days economy rental car, local
services and taxes. Other departure airports are available for an
additional fee. For more information, call 800-333-5533, or visit
www.ski-europe.com. |
| Romancing Italy |
| Ski Magazine (November 2001)
Joe Cutts - A great deal: SkiEurope
(800-333-5533; www.ski-europe.com)
offers a $998 package (Jan. 19-29) that includes round trip airfare
from New York to Venice on Lufthansa/United Airlines, round trip transfers
from Venice to Cortina, seven nights, with breakfast, in a three-star
hotel in Cortina, three nights with continental buffet breakfast in
a three-star hotel in Venice, but not lifts. |
| Short Turns |
Ski Canada (November 2001)
Patrick Thorne - www.ski-europe.com
Find your dream partner! Yes, it's a tour op site but its top 50 Euro
resort content is better than most. Particularly endearing is the
selection of costly resort videos which can be accessed at a variety
of downloading speeds. There's also a groovy "SkiMatcher"
service that takes your personal details and tells you which ski areas
are for you. Of course, it doesn't ask your star sign so the results
must be treated with skepticism. |
| Sojourns in the Snow |
| Travel Holiday (November 2001)
Ralph DiGennarok - Any worthwhile sojourn in the snow would have to blaze
a trail through the Rockies as well as the Alps, particularly Switzerland,
Italy, Germany, Austria, and France. For snow enthusiasts, the mountains
alone are awe-inspiring, to say nothing of the scenic downhill runs
that are at once open and wide, arching along mountain contours above
picturesque tree lines. SkiEurope. Call
1-800-333-5533 or visit online at www.ski-europe.com. |
| TripMatcher's Online
Ski Resource |
| EyeForTravel.com (2 November 2001) - The SkiMatcher engine references a knowledge base
of detailed information on the top 100 North American and European
winter vacation destinations. Each resort has been independently
reviewed and evaluated on 50 different criteria. SkiMatcher provides
users with personalized recommendations, based on winter vacationer
preferences such as favorite winter sports activities, slopes difficulty,
weather preferences, travel time from departure city and more 50
other criteria supported by in-depth destination information. www.ski-europe.com. Click here for full
story |
| Slopeside Passion |
| Travel Agent Magazine (22 October 2001)
Jennifer Coleman - Austria: The four-star Hotel Schwarzer Adler in
Kitzbühel offers a package that costs $1,338 per person double Feb.
1-9. It includes roundtrip air from New York to Munich, roundtrip
transfers, transfers to Kitzbühel by shuttle bus, seven nights'
accommodations with buffet breakfast, and all local service charges
and taxes. The price does not include airport taxes and fees. Couples
will enjoy cozying up in the lobby by the fire or spending time
in the pools and hot tub after a day on the nearby ski slopes. Kitzbühel
offers lively nightlife, including dance clubs and bars. Call 800-333-5533
or visit www.ski-europe.com.
Switzerland: The Romantik Hotel Julen in Zermatt is
offering a seven-night package priced at $1,649 per person double
valid Feb. 1-9. Included are roundtrip air from New York to Geneva,
transfers by Swiss Rail to the hotel, seven nights' accommodations
with buffet breakfast, and all local service charges and taxes.
Airport taxes and fees are not included. There in an onsite spa,
and skiing is nearby. Call 800-333-5533 or visit www.ski-europe.com. |
| Effect on European Skiing |
|
OnTheSnow.com (9 October 2001)
Ted Heck -Report From SkiEurope.
Richard Davidson is head of SkiEurope,
a major tour operator based in Houston that is leading in sending
skiers to the continent. He says the group side of his business has
been stable. In fact, several new groups made their travel arrangements
after the New York and Washington disasters. There initially was a
precipitous drop in interest among individual travelers, but since
then there has been a measurable change in confidence. Click here for full
story |
| Webtastic Winter Winners |
Snow24 (12 September 2001)
Patrick Thorne - ski-europe.com - This is a Tour Operator site but its resort content is better than
most enthusiast/publisher sites - so long as you're wanting to find
out about 50 Top European resorts. Particularly endearing is the
selection of resort videos which you can access at a variety of
speed according to your connection.
skimaps.com - Started as a college site attracting enthusiasts to send int their
maps from all over the world. |
| Ski Europe - Budget Ski
Breaks in Switzerland, Italy and Andorra |
| Individual.com (11 September 2001) - Ski-Europe's
sale to Interlaken covers departures January 19, February 2 and
March 16. Add-ons are available from other cities including Chicago
($50 more), Dallas ($105 more) and Atlanta ($70 more). Second best
value is not actually in the Alps, it's a ski vacation in Andorra.
Huh, where? Well, Andorra is a teeny, tiny Roman Catholic principality
wedged between France and Spain. There's not much there, besides
duty free shopping and mountains, mountains and more mountains.
But it's known for having the best skiing in the Pyrenees, and you
can really call yourself a world traveler once you've been to a
place as obscure as Andorra. If you'd like to get in on the action,
a week-long stay can be yours for just $649 including airfare from
New York city to Toulouse, France on January 11 and 18. Click here for full
story. |
| Winter Packages a Super Deal |
Gemütlichkeit (September 2001)
Robert Bestor - Gemütlichkeit recommends
SkiEurope's 2002 SuperSki Weeks packages
for both skiers and non-skiers. This year's program offers Alpine
packages priced at from $499 to $1159 per person, 17 destinations
are $799 or less. The arrangement includes airfare, seven nights hotel
with breakfast, and a one-week rental car.
SkiEurope is a reliable, U.S.-owned
company that has marketed package vacations to European ski destinations
for at least 15 years. The firm's president, Richard Davidson, has
been a Gemütlichkeit subscriber since 1998.
For reservations and information, go to:
www.ski-europe.com/superski/search.php
or call 800-333-5533.
To receive SkiEurope's free email newsletter
go to: www.skieuropereport.com |
| Skiing Abroad |
| Travel Weekly ( 3 September 2001) - Europe offers a change of scene for skiers familiar
with the slopes of North America. The following information can help
clients determine if a European destination is for them: ·
Most European ski packages include air, accommodations, airport
transfers and daily breakfast.
· Not usually included are equipment rental, ski instruction
and lift tickets.
· Alpine resorts feature open slopes above the timberline
rather than groomed trails within woodland areas.
· Slopes are marked for difficulty, traffic and hazards and
edges.
· Even World Cup-class resorts such as Kitzbuhel in Austria
and Val D'Isere in France devote 35% to 60% of their ski space to
beginners and intermediates.
· European ski schools produce professional instructors who
must take two foreign languages as part of their training.
· Resort maps and brochures generally have English versions;
outdoor signs are multilingual (English, French, German and Italian)
or pictorial.
· Average daytime temperatures in the Alps for December,
January and February range from the 20s into the 30s (Fahrenheit).
· Elevations at major Alpine resorts range from 1,880 feet
at Innsbruck, Austria, to 5,650 feet at Zurs, Switzerland as compared
to upwards of 7,000 feet at many Rocky Mountain resorts (about 9,000
feet at Winter Park, Colorado.)
Source: SkiEurope,
(800)333-5533, (713)960-0900; fax (713-960-8966; www.ski-europe.com;
travel@ski-europe.com |
| Keep schussing through
the summer months |
| USA Today (8 August 2001)
Emery P. D'Alesio - The resorts recognize that summer skiing business is
gravy, so they tend to offer fresh-air alternatives. Almost all offer
some combination of mountain biking, whitewater rafting, horseback
riding or swimming. There's also sunny Alpine meadows to hike. On the Net: Ski Europe: http://www.ski-europe.com Click here for full
story |
| Navigating The Slippery
Slopes of E-Travel |
Inside1to1 (2 July 2001)
Martha Rogers Ph.D. - Helping Customers Help Themselves
Houston, TX-based SkiEurope uses TripleHop's
recommendation technology to manage the avalanche of inquiries its
agents receive from visitors to its Web site. According to Managing
Director Richard Davidson, SkiEurope
desperately needed a tool to help guide online customers through the
decision-making process, without human assistance. "We needed
to codify what our staff knows into a knowledgebase, and help people
come to us with part of the decision-making process already made,"
says Davidson. Using TripleHop, SkiEurope
created SkiMatcher, a matching engine that offers personalized recommendations
based on information collected from its Web site visitors. Skimatcher
makes targeted suggestions by processing three levels of visitor
data: By preferences explicitly stated by the visitor (such as fine
dining or night skiing), by behavior (e.g. where the visitor browses
and what actions she takes after entering her profile), and by context
(like weather data or travel times). Since launching SkiMatcher
last year, SkiEurope has seen ROI
that would have Olympic-medalist Picabo Street reaching for her
Chapstick: Site visitors using the matching engine are 70 percent
more likely to purchase vacation packages than those that don't.
"And customer feedback has been overwhelmingly favorable,"
adds Davidson. In fact, when the site was tested on a select group
of frequent customers, SkiEurope heard
some encouraging responses such as, "After I ran my request
through, [SkiMatcher] said, Go to 'Schladming' -- but I just booked
that with you a week ago!"
What's the next one-to-one mountain for SkiEurope?
Davidson says the tour operator is exploring capabilities for agents
that include real-time text chat, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP),
and the ability to push Web pages. But he finds the progress made
so far encouraging. "We don't think there's any substitute
for one-on-one conversation, but if SkiMatcher can automate 50-70
percent of the time and work involved," says Davidson, "that
leads to a more intelligent conversation, which is good for us,
and good for our customers." Which is very cool news for everyone
involved. Click here for full
story |
| Turning Travel Agents
into Destination Specialists |
| HSMAI Marketing Review (July 2001)
Roland Leiser
-Further, agents should be experts in countries that
share borders "because being a generalist may spell disaster,"
Richard Davidson, a Switzerland Tourism board member and SkiEurope
president, remarks. |
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