HomeMy WebLinkAboutInformation Only 101023AGENDA
INFORMATION UPDATE
October 10, 2023
5:00 PM,
I.Information Update
I.A ACRA - September 2023 Destination Marketing Report
I.B Private Transportation Provider Information
I.C Follow Up Memo - Main Street Bus Lane Transit and Parking Update
Sept_DMReport_CC.pdf
Informational Memo- Rove Transit.docx
main street bus lane work session follow up memo .docx
1
1
September 2023 Destination Marketing Report for Council
Destination Marketing Staff Report Excerpt from ACRA’s Board of Directors Packet:
The Destination Marketing Department is pleased to welcome Taylor Smith to the Special Events Team. Taylor will start on
October 2nd. Debbie, Eliza & Jessica are attending the Colorado Tourism Office Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Fort
Collins from 9/27-9/30. Jessica will graduate from her year-long Colorado Tourism Leadership Journey at the event –
congratulations to Jessica on the hard work that went into this professional development opportunity. We hosted the Arts &
Culture meeting on September 14th via zoom, the minutes and presentation from that meeting are available upon request. We
also wrapped up the end of summer photoshoot with local photographer Tamara Susa, images will be used for 2023
campaigns. We are pleased to launch the Aspen Learning Lab which is now live on our website and should be utilized by all
member businesses as an onboarding tool for their employees and eventually will be part of an ACRA Ambassador Program
with the Visitor Services Staff. ACRA, along with destination partners acr oss the state attended Colorado’s first Michelin
awards ceremony on September 12th. Congratulations to Bosq receiving a Michelin Star and Element 47, Mawa’s Kitchen and
Prospect all being placed on the Michelin “recommends” list.
The sales team will host targeted meeting planners at the annual Destination Colorado Customer Appreciation Event. We are
also placing quarterly promotional posts on Destination Colorado’s social media channels and sending a sponsored
eblast.
The Winterskol Slogan contest begins 9/27, please help spread the word and start thinking of nominations for our Winterskol
Royalty! A first draft of the schedule of events will be posted online soon. Julie traveled to New York last month for the first
round of F&W planning; tickets will go on sale at the beginning of 2024.
Occupancy Reports:
August Occupancy was 64.4%, down 6% YOY, and it was the first time since March of 2021 that a peak season month
saw ADR fall, down 3% YOY. Summer season (May-October) is pacing -6.3% YOY, where ADR for the season is up just 1%.
Looking ahead for winter we are pacing behind last year by 9.9% thru February driven by a soft January, the result of
inflation and cost of airfare for Australians.
Sales Tax Reports:
As of the July Consumption Tax Report, released in September of 2023, the Tourism Promotion Fund is pacing 4.5%
above year-to-date budgeted revenues and is up 1% above last year’s actual year-to-date revenues.
Recent Press Coverage
Website Stats
Please see aspenchamber.org web statistics on the following page.
2
ASPEN CHAMBER RESORT ASSOCIATION MONTHLY REPORT
August 2023
August 2023
163,241
Sessions
94.27%
Engagement Rate
56.02
Average Engagement Time
Per Session (In Seconds)3.31
Pages Per Session
Page Path Pageviews Engagement Rate
/blog/everything-you-need-know-about-independence-pass
/blog/hiking-around-maroon-bells
/blog/5-reasons-visit-aspen-autumn
/blog/how-make-most-72-hours-aspen
/blog/5-reasons-visit-aspen-summer 84.47%
90.45%
96.91%
91.89%
95.40%
419
2,347
6,657
7,112
8,059
Top Performing Blogs
Occupancy Data
August 2022 August 2023
69.0%64.4%
Paid Occupancy YoY
August 2022 August 2023
$686 $676
Average Daily Rate YoY
3
MEMORANDUM
TO:Mayor Torre and Aspen City Council
FROM:Pete Rice, P.E., Director of Transportation and Parking
Lynn Rumbaugh, TDM-cp, Mobility Division Manager
Sandy Doebler, Mobility Administrator
THROUGH:Tyler Christoff, P.E., Deputy Director of Public Works
Scott Miller, Director of Public Works
RE:Information Only: Private Transportation Provider Information
SUMMARY:
The purpose of this memo is to provide Council with information regarding a private
transportation provider, Rove, that is anticipated to launch in Aspen in the fall of 2023. This
issue requires no direction, it is simply meant to ensure Council is aware of this new private
transportation provider that may become available to the Aspen community.
BACKGROUND:
Rove is a company that operates a fleet of Tesla vehicles that are wrapped with corporate
advertising and offers free rides through an app. They sell advertising on their vehicles and with
the advertising revenue they receive, Rove plans to offer free rides within the City of Aspen. The
operation is expected to start in November. The duration of their business plan is unknown.
Rove currently operates in the Hamptons and in New York and plans to expand its operation to
both Aspen and West Palm Beach, Florida in the fall. Rove has obtained a business license from
the City of Aspen Finance department in the summer of 2023.
DISCUSSION:
The City of Aspen does not hold a service contract with Rove therefore we do not have influence
on their operation plan, service area, or customer service standards. Rove will be expected to
follow all charging, parking, and transportation regulations within the City of Aspen.
4
The below is a short summary of information gathered from Rove. The company will also be
attending an upcoming Aspen Chamber Resort Association meeting to provide information to all
interested parties.
Charging and Parking Plan
Rove indicates that it uses Tesla’s public charging network to charge and will utilize the Tesla
supercharging station located at 38750 CO-82, Aspen, Co. Rove will work with the City to
determine if any parking spaces are available for their use and will otherwise seek private
parking options.
Hours and Service Area
Rove plans to operate daily from 10:00a.m.-10:00p.m.
The company indicates that it intends to cover a 3.8-mile service area from the center of Aspen
including Highlands and the Aspen Airport.
NEXT STEPS:
None, information only.
5
MEMORANDUM
TO:Mayor Torre and Aspen City Council
FROM:Pete Rice, P.E., Director of Transportation and Parking
Lynn Rumbaugh, TDM-cp, Mobility Division Manager
THROUGH:Tyler Christoff, P.E., Deputy Director of Public Works
Scott Miller, Director of Public Works
RE:Information Only: Main Street Bus Lane Transit and Parking Update
SUMMARY:
The purpose of this memo is to update Council on the status of the outbound Main Street Bus
Lane, following recent direction gathered at a September 18, 2023 work session.
BACKGROUND:
The Main Street Bus Lane, implemented in 2006, was originally conceived as a peak weekday
afternoon transit amenity, with parking allowed outside of the hours of 3pm-6pm on weekdays.
The bus lane was not originally in effect on Saturdays or Sundays. Over the years, the bus lane
hours have been extended to provide additional transit priority during major events and large
construction projects.
In the fall of 2022, the bus lane was transitioned to a 24-hours daily feature to address the
continued need to prioritize transit and decrease cut through traffic in the West End
neighborhood, as well as in recognition of the increasing difficulty of enforcing an inconsistent
parking restriction.
DISCUSSION:
At the September 18 work session, staff reviewed with Council the benefits of providing a 24/7
bus lane including clarity, the complications for enforcement in parking, RFTA operational
advantages and prioritization of transit to help ease congestion within the west end
neighborhood. Additionally, the discussion reviewed the concerns and needs of Main Street
6
businesses needing parking for customers and deliveries. A variety of scenarios were reviewed,
with Council determining that the bus lane hours should be reduced to provide parking along
Main Street for the business and residential community with some impacts to the outbound buses
during the morning and lunch period.
NEXT STEPS:
Per Council’s direction, staff will post the Main Street Bus Lane as available for parking between
8:00am-1:00pm. This will allow for delivery and parking options for business while still
providing transit priority for a majority of each day. The goal for the timing will also allow the
parking staff enough time to relocate vehicles prior to the evening outbound peak and allow
business parking on Main Street during the lunch period. Staff will begin planning to collect data
on parking utilization, enforcement issues and similar for possible future evaluation.
The department will need to design and purchase new signage and implementation will begin
after the signage is received. It’s anticipated the Parking Department operational budget can
accommodate the cost for the new signage.
7