What’s worse than a lodge running out of hot chocolate after a long day of skiing? Getting rained on or having terrible visibility due to heavy snow. Poor weather can put a real damper on your guests’ experiences — until now.

Meet Weather Guarantees.

Sensible Weather’s Weather Guarantees offer your guests financial protection from inclement weather like heavy rain or snow. Weather Guarantees provide your resort guests with automatic refunds if poor conditions are forecast. Skiers and snowboarders can book more confidently with a safeguarded investment, so your business will benefit from fewer cancellations and higher booking rates. 

Discover five reasons Weather Guarantees offer a win-win for everyone.

1. Your guests can keep their plans

Planning a ski vacation can require months of research, including travel accommodations and gear rentals. If a guest has already done the heavy lifting to put these plans into place, the last thing they want is to learn that they have to cancel because of the weather. 

With Sensible Weather’s Weather Guarantees, your guests can enjoy their experience regardless of the forecast or conditions. Weather Guarantees give your guests the confidence they need to make and keep their reservations in advance.

Plus, if undesired or unsafe weather is coming toward the slopes, your guests will receive an instant notification informing them that a reimbursement is available. Guests can then take that money and use it at your resort’s spa or restaurant or enjoy other winter activities in town, like sleigh rides, snowmobiling, or dog sledding.

2. Your guests are happier + business doesn’t suffer

If your guests can’t enjoy their experience as much due to weather, that can directly impact your bottom line. Unhappy guests leave unhappy reviews, or at least they don’t leave good reviews,which could be many skiers’ deciding factor when selecting a resort to book.

Weather Guarantees are good for business. With Weather Guarantees, you can ensure your business won’t suffer when the forecast isn’t in your guests’ favor. Weather Guarantees help you attract and retain your customers who know they can make a solid, reliable investment in your resort. 

This peace of mind also increases the likelihood of future bookings. 77% of customers are more likely to return to a lodge that prioritizes their needs and offers flexible solutions.

3. Guests don’t lose out on rentals

Lodging is its own significant expense, but your guests’ gear rentals and lift reservations are also big-ticket items that they shouldn’t lose money on. Weather Guarantee reimbursements can be used to offset these expenses for your guests.

Guests are not required to use their reimbursements for replacement or similar experiences. They can use this money for anything they want—activities at your resort’s indoor facilities, workshops, or entertainment. This could be the silver lining needed to make up for any snowy (or lack thereof) disappointment they may be feeling. Not only that, but your business can increase its revenue because your guests are spending more in other areas of your resort.

4. You’re not financially responsible

If your resort offers guests reimbursement through Weather Guarantees, your business is not responsible for paying them. Sensible Weather protects you and picks up the bill. 

Weather Guarantees help mitigate risk to your company—and to your skiers’ experience—by providing a safety net and compensating for potential revenue losses due to challenging conditions. Doing so allows your business to maintain stability and invest in future revenue-generators like infrastructure improvements and customer experiences. 

5. Weather Guarantees have proven their worth

Numbers don’t lie! In 2023, Sensible Weather sold more than 65,000 Weather Guarantees across business verticals, including hospitality, camping, ticketed attractions, golf, and—of course—skiing. 

Weather Guarantees gave customers confidence to book their trips, satisfaction with their vacation or experience provider, and overall peace of mind. Nine out of ten respondents said they’d book another Weather Guarantee for a future trip. 

Check out a few other stats from our Customer Survey Report about guests’ experiences with Weather Guarantees:

• 89% of customers feel it’s worth the price
• 82% of customers continued with their scheduled activity even after they received a proactive reimbursement
• 55% of customers were happier with their lodging or experience provider due to the Weather Guarantee

Sensible Weather recently partnered with ticketing platform Spotlio to offer Weather Guarantees at the Val Cenis ski resort in France. This partnership not only demonstrated how effortlessly Weather Guarantees can be implemented (via API) but also how effective they can be. 

Yves Dimier, the director at Val Cenis, says, "Our partnership with Spotlio and SensibleWeather allows us to enhance our guests’ experience, enabling them to focus on the joy of skiing while knowing it is protected against unpredictable weather conditions."

"Bad weather” on the green is much different from "bad weather” on the slopes. So Sensible Weather worked with Val Cenis to tailor their protection for exactly the type of weather required for skiers to enjoy their experience. In this case, when the forecast shows rain or precipitation for more than three hours, customers automatically receive reimbursement. No canceling or claims process needed—guests simply receive a text that their reimbursement is available.

Control what you can with Weather Guarantees

Outdoor activities depend heavily on weather conditions, meaning much of your guests’ experience is out of your control. But with Sensible Weather’s Weather Guarantees, you can regain some of this control and ensure your guests aren’t missing out on their plans. 

Over the last five years, the ski resort industry has grown 2.9% and is now worth $4.6 billion. And it’s only growing more. Don’t miss out on your share because of a few dreary days. Let Sensible Weather’s Weather Guarantees provide your customers with a literal rainy day fund. 

Ready to get started? Get in touch with us today.