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Bad Rate :: Bait and Switch Ski Packages in Park City

January 22, 2008 at 11:48 AM | 0 Comments

[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same region (or this time, around the same activity) and decide which one most deserves your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quoted here were captured on January 22, 2008 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]

Go Straight to our Ski Hotels 2008 Map

Trying to decipher ski package deal options can require a day off from work, a calculator that handles formulas, and a handy spreadsheet. (One running in Aspen right now requires booking within 12 hours of a 12-inch snowstorm. Do we look like Weather Channel addicts?)

Many advertised deals are just a play on the old reliable bait-and-switch, however. Promise a fantastic deal in bold type, then follow it up with the real prices in small print and enough restrictions to confuse an attorney. Take the deal running this season at Park City, Utah.

The come-on sounds attractive: "$99 Nightly, Lodging and Daily Ski Tickets!" You have to read the fine print to figure out that this is indeed too good to be true. You can only get this rate by putting four people in a two-bedroom condo, booking for a minimum of 4 nights, and avoiding the 16 days of blackouts.

Of course this is the lowest category on their option menu too, which probably means a fading unit far from the slopes. (Hopefully no paneling in the living room or macrame art on the wall.) You'll pay quite a bit more per person to upgrade to a nicer condo in a better location.

If you are between jobs and have lots of time to sort all this out (there are no direct links to lodging options from the deals page), one of the packages could still end up being a decent find for the budget. But we only have so many hours in a day....

[Photo: Carriage House condos in Park City]