“Play to your strengths. Reposition your weaknesses.”

As hotel marketers, we’re trained to play to our strengths. It’s in the strengths of our product that we find those key differentiators that separate us from our compset. But what about our weaknesses? What about those common barriers to the sale? Are we paying the same kind of close attention?

At Mountain Lodge Telluride, we’ve got some great strengths. But we’ve also got some weaknesses. 

• Telluride is hard to travel to.
• We’re not a five-star resort.
• There’s a perception that we’re just a ski lodge.

We’ve learned that by confronting those weaknesses head-on, by even leaning into them, there’s an opportunity to reposition those perceived weaknesses into differentiators and ultimately strengths. Let’s take them one by one. 

We repositioned this, “Telluride is hard to travel to” into this, “Telluride's unique location is actually one of its biggest assets.” It’s true. It’s just a short flight from Denver (and many other airports). Because of its unique location, we’ve got uncrowded slopes, no lift lines, and easy dinner reservations. It’s easily one of America’s most charming ski towns. 

We repositioned this, “The Mountain Lodge Telluride is not a five-star resort” into this, “The resort boasts a family and community-friendly atmosphere.” It’s true. We’ve got all the family-friendly amenities of a hotel like a hot tub, spa, restaurant, and shuttles, plus all the comforts of home like large rooms and kitchens. We’ve also leaned into the community aspect by becoming a hub of the community and inviting the community in for events like our annual “Pray for Snow” music festival. 

We repositioned this, “Mountain Lodge Telluride is just for skiing” into this, “We are a year-round destination.” It’s absolutely true. Our rich calendar of community events and comprehensive amenities position us as the perfect venue for an anytime getaway and all of life's milestones. Beyond our rich community events and amenities, Mountain Lodge Telluride has also emerged as a premier wedding destination. 

We even updated our website with a seasonal toggle to emphasize immediately that we are a year-round resort and destination.

It’s the same product. It’s the same weaknesses. But we are shaping and reshaping our marketing message to reposition those perceived weaknesses into even more differentiation.