How to advertise a Swiss Hotel in North America. Help needed

[doebedoe]

OK. I know I can get to Andermatt in 2+ hours from the Zurich airport on the train, including riding that cool little cog railline up from Goeschenen, so it's about 3 hours to your place, right?

Does the train stop at Rueras? There's a like 3 or 4 stops after Tschamut before Sedrun.

If we can get off at Rueras, it's less than 500 feet to your hotel.

Last time I rode it to Andermatt, it cost less than $20US.

A lot of people don't understand how easy it is to ride the train from Zurich to skiing and the amount of access it provides.

Not the easiest area to research as I'm finding out. Unless you read German. While "go and explore" is a nice idea, younger folks on limited budgets and limited PTO if any have a hard time justifying shit they can't research the fuck out of.

So yeah -- adding some of that info to your hotels website (local guiding companies, easiest way to get there from Zurich, how you get to/from ski hill) would be a value add.

[Buster Highmen]

Not the easiest area to research as I'm finding out. Unless you read German. While "go and explore" is a nice idea, younger folks on limited budgets and limited PTO if any have a hard time justifying shit they can't research the fuck out of.

So yeah -- adding some of that info to your hotels website (local guiding companies, easiest way to get there from Zurich, how you get to/from ski hill) would be a value add.

You're right, that should be added to their website, but how does one direct traffic there?

Just curious, what do you want to know?
The easiest way is via train: https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html .
All hotel guests have free mountain transportation on Disentis, sedrun lifts and gotthard matterhorn train, between Disentis and oberalppass. One can ski down from the Oberalp station down into Andermatt.

One would ride the train 10 minutes to Disentis where it's a 15 minute walk to the main tram or go the other direction for 40 minutes to Andermatt where the easier gondola access to Natschen is right at the train station and the Gemstock tram is serviced by buses on a 15 minute cycle.

Of all the places I've skied in N. America, France and Italy, Switzerland is by far the easiest to get around and it's not that expensive by train. It's currently less than $17US to take a train from Zurich airport to Andermatt.

[Danno]

if you want to attract "the it's too complicated" crowd - dial down logisitics. Make it dead easy for people to fly into zurich and get their jetlagged ass to your hotel*. Yes, it's easy to take swissrail to andermatt imo, but there is still a mental barrier to many yanks (people shit on benny here, imo he's slightly smarter than the market you claim to want). bust that barrier. find a cheap car service or the like - and advertise it well online. Lots of "non travelled" yanks ime have an idea they'll be "stuck" without a car. reinforce they won't, or give them ease with a car

I was going to post something like this. I'm not a world traveler these days and won't be your bread and butter, but if/when I get to be able to do a european ski vacation, the part that is tough for me is it is so overwhelming. There are threads here with advice that make my head spin, because I have no knowledge. Make it easy: tell me what I need to do to get there and what I can do once there.

Aggregate a bunch of information about the recreational opportunities.
From Airolo to Flims there's Andermatt-Disentis complex and Obersaxen that is easy access via rail and short bus transfers. So much variety and options, more than one can cover in 2 weeks.

This is not known in America. But it's one of my favorite places to ski.

You can shoulder the task of disseminating that information. I'd try to work with other people in the area to get the information out there.

Andermatt is one of the snowiest places in the Alps, storms come from all directions and if folks know that there's a good chance of fresh snow, they would come.

Like this. Make planning the trip easy for me, all from you. So I am not stuck trying to figure out what hotel I am going to, how I get there (what airport and how from the airport), where I am skiing, etc. For me, a reasonable hotel that is my one stop shop for planning my trip, that's golden.

[Buster Highmen]

It's so easy to get around in Europe, so much better organized because most major airports have train stations attached. So you get off the plane, get luggage, do customs and go to a rail ticket window to buy your ticket. Most ticketing people speak English and they take credit cards. Most major train routes leave every 1 to 2 hours, so it's not like there's a scheduling issue unless one gets in late at night.

The train stations have excellent displays indicating which platform to go to, no need for German language skilz and the announcements when on the train are done in 4 languages, so you know where you are if you have to make a connection.

I know it seems overwhelming, but really, it's easy. And it's actually cheaper than skiing in America when you take a $500 flight to get to a place, then blow lots on the room and food. In Yurp, it's finding a place for less than $100 a night is easy, even in Switzerland. Lift tickets in Yurp are so much cheaper too.

[Danno]

It's so easy to get around in Europe, so much better organized because most major airports have train stations attached. So you get off the plane, get luggage, do customs and go to a rail ticket window to buy your ticket. Most ticketing people speak English and they take credit cards. Most major train routes leave every 1 to 2 hours, so it's not like there's a scheduling issue unless one gets in late at night.

The train stations have excellent displays indicating which platform to go to, no need for German language skilz and the announcements when on the train are done in 4 languages, so you know where you are if you have to make a connection.

I know it seems overwhelming, but really, it's easy. And it's actually cheaper than skiing in America when you take a $500 flight to get to a place, then blow lots on the room and food. In Yurp, it's finding a place for less than $100 a night is easy, even in Switzerland. Lift tickets in Yurp are so much cheaper too.

I believe you. What I am saying to this guy is make that easy on me. Tell me everything I need to know, so I don't have to plan it all out, easy as it might be. I want that experience, I believe you that it is easy, but I also would need to research everything. If someone does a little hand holding, and I know that I can also get a little hand holding once there, such that all I really need to do is book flights and a room, that's going to be much more encouraging than just trying to find a random hotel in one of god knows how many little towns there are.

[GoldMember]

Heavy on social media, as a lot have already mentioned. Get into specific groups who would have interest. For example, this page is a likely specific user group who would have interest. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1627711514109344/

You have to be careful as groups will kick you out if you're too aggressive and blatant in advertising but, much like here, establish relationships and casually promote your business with invitations and you should be alright.

[Buster Highmen]

Tell me everything I need to know, so I don't have to plan it all out, easy as it might be..

Would this be sufficient:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html
http://www.skiarena.ch/en.html
Map: His hotel is less than 500 feet (downhill) from the Rueras station between Dieni and Sedrun on the right (East) side of this map:
http://www.skiarena.ch/index.php?id=179

Disentis:
https://www.disentis.fun/home-english .
Map of the area from Disentis to Andermatt:
https://www.disentis.fun/zukuenftige...aItem-jghr84f0
Next year, one can ski from Andermatt to Dieni. Within the next couple of years there will be a tram connecting Sedrun to Disentis.

Also, from their Instagram feed:
https://www.instagram.com/mtlodge_sedrun/
"all our guests have free mountain transportation on Disentis, sedrun lifts and gotthard matterhorn train, between Disentis and oberalppass "

[BeardMech]

If you give me free accommodations, including airfare and lift tickets, this winter, Ill post it all over my Instagram - Im an influencer with over 3000 followers*. With the exposure that I can provide, your hotel will never have an empty room. Say goodbye to free time, say hello to MONEY!
#influencer #influenced #freeswissvaca #spoiledbrat #instastupid

*I dont social media

[mtngirl79]

My mountain bike club has almost 1500 followers... real ones, not bought or gotten by following anyone, or any auto liking app..

I'll Instagram the shit out of a ski trip..

[abraham]

Hey! I owe you a BBI sticker from a few years ago when I didn't make it to the brewery. Maybe I'll try and stop by this fall and stay there for a night

[Ripzalot]

Of all the places I've skied in N. America, France and Italy, Switzerland is by far the easiest to get around and it's not that expensive by train. It's currently less than $17US to take a train from Zurich airport to Andermatt.

huh? even with the half price card it's more than that.

[Buster Highmen]

I'm seeing 11.60 CHF to 25.10CHF.

Try booking a few days ahead.

Worst case, @ 50CHF, it's still a decent price and you know that the train from Hospental/Realp to Disentis is part of your lift ticket (60CHF/day or 280CHF for 6 days), nevermind the relative cost of car rental, parking, tolls and all the other joys of driving in CH.

Point is that one can do a week ski for a lot less $ in Switzerland than in North America.

[DJ2]

I stayed in Ilanz last year to ski with friends in Flims/Laax, kept walking out to the bridge over the Rhine and looking up river at the mountains thinking that Disentis (apart from the tres cool name) looked like a great place to ski.
I'll definitely be in touch if my tentative plans for another trip to Switzerland work out this winter.

[Ripzalot]

the 25.10 is with the half price card, which costs 150CHF/year, so no tourist will be buying that. not sure what the 11.60 is, could be accompanying child price.
you can usually get a small discount off the full price by buying in advance for a specific, non-peak train time. but if you miss the train yer fucked.

2 centimes

[Buster Highmen]

Skinned for an hour from the top of Disentis to access this:


Into the maw of pow with the valley floor about 1 km away:


Halfway down:


The last section above the valley floor:


Looking back up Val Strem from about 1700 meters elevation:

The above valley ends 300 feet to the East of Venduls mt-lodge hotel

[GoldMember]

^^ Okay, I'm ready to go skiing. Enough of this heat, smoke, and extraneous work bullshit...

[vendul]

Wow!!! You got me started now: I have an idea: we'll host a TGR week end as soon as the lifts open: free lodging, we only have 32 beds. Next week I'll post the dates, first comes first serve!

[iceman]

Well that's pretty cool. Hopefully people take you up on it.