Vail Resorts stoked the ire of its Summit County employees Tuesday when the company announced it needed to put several hundred more workers in its employee housing complexes.
Facing Vail Resorts said some residents of Keystone’s three-building Tenderfoot Lodge housing complex could be getting more roommates.
Workers at the meeting said representatives from Vail Resorts human resources and property management company Pinnacle said the company would randomly choose residents to share rooms in two- and three-bedroom units. But the company Wednesday said no employees would be forced to share a bedroom.
Not surprisingly, employees at the closed-door meetings were unhappy.
“No one saw this coming. They gave us eight days’ notice,” said a 22-year-old first-time Keystone employee who declined to give his name, citing Vail Resorts’ media policy that requires workers to direct reporter inquiries to the public-relations team.
Three roommates in the Tenderfoot’s three-bedroom apartments pay $460 a month each. Vail Resorts told employees that rent would be reduced, but they didn’t say by how much.
“I told them they should cut it in half. If you share a room, you split the rent,” said the 22-year-old, who visited with county zoning and fire officials Wednesday to see whether it was legal to put five people in a 600- to 700-square-foot, one-bathroom apartment.
“It’s going to be smaller than a jail cell when you break it down,” said a 28-year-old, second-year employee at Keystone who also declined to give his name. “Can you imagine what it would look like when five people are trying to get ready and out the door at 7 a.m.?”
Company officials Wednesday said the program is optional, with residents getting “financial incentives” for taking on additional roommates.
“Based on feedback from our employees, we are not forcing anyone to double up in our employee-housing units,” said Mark Gasta, chief people officer for Vail Resorts, in a statement.
Vail Resorts for months has been exploring options for its workers in what is considered . This month, the company announced in its ski resort communities such as Vail, Breckenridge and Keystone. A short-term solution, Gasta said in his statement, is offering discounted rent to employees who are willing to add beds to their apartments.
“While we realize this isn’t the most ideal situation, it is a completely voluntary program, and those employees who do not want an additional bed added to their unit will not be required to do so,” Gasta said. “As always, we’re trying to do what’s right for our employees and we will continue to move forward with identifying more permanent options for our workforce.”
The fire marshal in charge of Keystone for the Lake Dillon Fire Protection District was informed of the increased-density proposal Wednesday, said district spokesman Steve Lipsher.
Assistant Chief Steve Skulski is meeting with Summit County building officials, and they are scheduling a walk-through of Vail Resorts’ employee units to determine whether any changes would be required to accommodate the increased density, Lipsher said.
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374, jblevins@denverpost.com or @jasonblevins
