Inghams Ski Looks Forward to Next Winter

2nd July 2020

Last modified on May 14th, 2021

“As travel restrictions begin to lift, it appears skiers and snowboarders are already making plans to return to the snow following the early closures of ski resorts due to the COVID-19 crisis at the end of the 2019/20-winter season.

“Since the government announced restrictions will be eased Inghams has  seen a marked rise in enquiries and bookings are up threefold.

“In response, it’s offering holidaymakers that extra peace of mind by opening up about everything they’re doing to make sure their holidays are as safe as possible.

“From letting customers know their money’s safe to delivering extra safeguards on their holidays, Inghams are offering those who’ve already booked and those starting to talk about booking, the support needed to travel with confidence again.”

So, says Inghams in a statement to the media.

Inghams offers ski holidays in the winter to over 75 resorts in eight countries.

Plus winter wonderland and Santa Breaks to Lapland, with flights from 16 UK regional airports.

The operator is owned by the Swiss giant, Hotelplan.

Last week it announced plans for a major restructuring including closing its head office in Godalming; Hotelplan UK to close HQ and cut jobs.

Despite the optimistic noises and claims of rises in bookings it is going to be a very challenging winter for the UK ski and snowboard operators and the resorts.

“Across the board bookings for next winter are a fraction of what they would normally be at this time of year, but this is obviously to be expected given the pandemic, so that is no great surprise,” said the PlanetSKI editor, James Cove.

“The bottom line is no-one knows what next winter will be like as we don’t know if there will be a second spike in covid-19, whether some sort of immunity may have been reached or if a vaccine will be available and administered.”

“If anyone claims to know what it will be like they probably are just guessing or deploying a bit of wishful thinking. However resorts and companies need to plan and Inghams is doing exactly that.”

Inghams is a company that at PlanetSKI judge well to have done well in the pandemic, as it gave customers a full a refund if they wanted one, or asked them to postpone.

It got its clients back from the Alps as quickly as it could, though obviously there were grumbles in the chaos.

The company has been around for 85-years and has loyal customers.

And here are the Inghams details for next winter:

• Inghams is ATOL & ABTA protected. These schemes are backed by the government, so whatever happens, your money is protected.
• The ski specialist tour operator will continue to deliver their COVID-19 refund promise. If things change and they have to cancel your holiday because of COVID-19, you can pick another trip, or get a full refund.
•  Low deposits to reserve your holiday will continue. Holidays can be reserved for just £150pp, or £180pp for Canada, when you book before the end of September.
• There are no amendment fees if you need to change something.
• Inghams is part of a much bigger family of businesses. Its parent company is a large Swiss supermarket and retailer called Migros, so as a group, it’s stronger.

Out in Resort

• All Inghams staff will have COVID-specific hygiene training, along with safety equipment (PPE).
• The Inghams team will be disinfecting all communal areas several times a day, with deep cleans every transfer day.
• There will be midweek room cleans, but you can choose not to have it if you prefer no one goes into your room.
• There will no longer be any self-service food. Meals will be served from a buffet or at tables—distanced from others tables—by staff wearing appropriate PPE.
• Inghams local staff will have temperature checks before every shift. Resort reps will manage everything from a central point, electronically and over the phone where possible.
• They won’t be offering any après events for large amounts of people, to reduce risk for everyone on holiday.
• Opening hours and numbers of guests in spa areas, hot tubs and swimming pools may be restricted, depending on local regulations. Where they’re open, there will be lots of extra cleaning and disinfecting.
• Everyone, including Inghams staff, will be expected to wear masks when travelling on any public transport to and from the resort, in line with all local regulations.
• All Inghams partner hotels will be managed locally, compliant with the COVID-19 laws of that country. They will only work with carefully chosen, trusted partners.

Inghams

“As more and more people begin to plan their winter holidays, despite the many uncertainties regarding COVID-19, we would like our customers to take comfort in the fact that we’re doing all we can to ensure they can safely pursue their passions again,” said the Inghams CEO, Paul Carter.

“Throughout the COVID-19 crises we have strived to do the right thing, and be open about our efforts. We have already seen a great number of guests transferring to next year, and many new bookings for 2021, for this reason we feel it is important to share our plans and promises for the up and coming winter ski season, so our customers can plan with confidence and know what to expect.”

Inghams 2020/21 campaign