How Much Does A Ski Lodge Owner Make? 85-Room Income Guide

Track Open Nights Before You Add Rooms

Start with a weekly open-night plan by room type. If a room is closed for cleaning, repairs, or staffing gaps, it earns $0 that night. Track open nights, occupancy, and ADR together, because one weak link cuts revenue and makes it harder to pay payroll, debt, and owner draw.

Test which room mix sells first: 20 Alpine Suite, 35 Deluxe King, 25 Mountain View, or 5 Grand Chalet. The point is simple: open the rooms you can sell at rate, and close rooms only when the lost room-nights are worth less than the costs you avoid.

• Count open nights by room type.
• Track occupancy and ADR daily.
• Flag rooms closed for repairs.

Protect Peak Rates

Track weekend pickup, sell-through by date, and ADR by stay pattern. Watch which dates sell at full price versus discounted. Use minimum-stay rules, close-out rules, and snow-triggered pricing only where demand supports it. The goal is simple: fill the best nights first, then protect rate.

• Monitor holiday and storm weekends.
• Limit discounts on top dates.
• Test rate before cutting price.

Here’s the quick math: more rooms sold at premium ADR usually beats a full house at weak rates. What this hides is the cost of chasing occupancy too hard; once guests expect discounts, owner income can slip even when reported occupancy looks strong.

Fund Reserves First

Track a separate reserve bucket and fund it from operating cash before draws. The inputs are room nights, ADR, occupancy, and the timing of big repairs; if winter cash is spent on distributions, the first bad storm or equipment failure becomes a liquidity problem. One missed boiler or roof repair can erase a profitable month.

• Set monthly reserve transfers.
• Separate repairs from upgrades.
• Flag roof and boiler timing early.

With launch capex at $595M, reserve discipline matters even more. The lodge also needs funds for the roof, boiler, generator, room upgrades, spa, kitchen, and snow equipment, so owner income depends on keeping cash after the $88k fixed monthly burn.

Control Labor Per Occupied Room

Track payroll as a share of revenue and as labor per occupied room-night. That shows whether staffing is scaling cleanly with occupancy or just getting heavier. A model built around fixed leaders and flexible line staff is safer than adding permanent roles too early, especially in a winter-heavy lodge where demand changes by season.

• Measure labor by occupied room-night.
• Staff up for peak weeks only.
• Use seasonal labor for housekeeping.
• Keep manager coverage lean.

If housekeeping takes too long or seasonal hiring starts late, payroll rises before revenue does. That hits owner draw fast. The best control is tight scheduling, clear room-cleaning standards, and a labor forecast tied to occupancy, so staffing follows demand instead of leading it.

Measure Demand By Channel

Track each non-winter source separately: events, tours, local stays, and group travel. If one channel has low margin or heavy labor, cut it fast. The goal is not just more revenue; it is more cash left after staff, food, setup, and cleanup.

Use a simple test: bookings, average booking value, and gross margin by month. A channel that grows from $30k to $60k but needs too much labor may not improve owner income. One line to watch: revenue minus variable costs is what pays the bills.

• Track off-season bookings by source.
• Compare margin by event type.
• Test weekday local demand first.
• Forecast labor before adding offers.

Track the margin, not just the sale

Measure each line on its own: $150k to $250k for food and beverage, $40k to $70k for spa, $30k to $60k for events, $15k to $25k for valet ski, and $10k to $18k for guided tours. Compare sales to labor hours and product cost, then keep the add-ons that sell with light staffing.

• Track attach rate per stay
• Track labor hours per sale
• Track product and setup cost
• Drop low-margin, complex services