Vail Resorts refunds $70,000 in grants

Unable to use airline marketing and buy-downs for a campaign

By Katherine Nettles

Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) owner Vail Resorts has fully refunded $70,000 in previously awarded admissions tax grant funds it was allocated by the town of Mt. Crested Butte for airline-related expenditures. Mt. Crested Butte town manager Joe Fitzpatrick announced at the February 26 admissions tax grant work session that the refund had come in earlier that day.

CBMR was awarded $50,000 for the marketing of airline tickets and $20,000 for airline buy-downs. In a statement released to the town, the company wrote, “Unfortunately, we have declined this grant offer. Given the integration with Vail Resorts the marketing department felt as though it could not deliver the originally expected return on investment for this campaign.”

CBMR did keep and use its 2018/2019 winter funds of $12,500 for its Unplugged/Ski Town Breakdown events and $15,000 for Military Appreciation Month.

CBMR did not attend the work session to apply for its Summer Unplugged series, a free outdoor concert series for which it has previously received funding from the admissions tax grant process.