Recently, I ventured out to Durango, Colorado in search of some fresh powder to satisfy my winter whims. About 6 months ago, the city of Durango had sent me some materials, suggesting that I come visit when I had a chance, and so this seemed to be the perfect opportunity.
I started my trip with two points of focus: snow and beer (the latter being due to Durango’s four local breweries). After a discussion with my Twitter following, we landed on the hashtag #BeerSnowInCO, and the rest, as they say, was history.
They call this local mountain range "The Remarkables." I can see why.
My Itinerary
I let the smart folks at the Durango Area Tourism Office (DATO) plan the trip – after all, with the requirements of beer, snow, and value luxury, it’s hard to go wrong, eh? They did a smashing job – thanks Anne and Heather! Here’s a rough outline:
- Half-Day 1: Late arrival (after an early start). Massage appointment at the local day spa, the Spaaah Shop. Dinner, drinks.
- Day 2: Morning snowshoe at Purgatory, followed by hot springs tip at Trimble Hot Springs. A walk around downtown, then a much-needed nap, and dinner, drinks.
- Day 3: Morning ride on the incredible Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge. Afternoon sight-seeing, a beer tasting, and an evening sleigh-ride to learn a bit more about Durango history.
- Half-Day 4: Morning trip out to see the Southern Ute Cultural Museum before heading out of town.
It was a busy trip, but with plenty of time for relaxation and soaking up the Durango vibe. The city has a quirky atmosphere, and when it comes to value luxury? They’ve got it covered, with reasonable priced ski lift tickets, superb value on their historic hotels, and world-class restaurants all at fair prices.
DATO provided all of the arrangements, including lodging, tours, transport, and lift ticket.
#BeerSnowInCo, by the Numbers
(Hard to read? Click here for full size.)
#BeerSnowInCo was a productive trip. Here’s the breakdown by numbers:
- A quarter of a million impressions generated on Twitter in just a short period of time, with tweets picked up by other mainstream sites and brands.
- A total of 9 featured articles already published (2 photo essays, 5 trip reports, 2 hotel reviews) across 6 web properties, both those in the value luxury network as well as one contract assignment. 5 more features planned to be spread out over the next 12 months.
- Almost 200 photos uploaded to a public Flickr Gallery available already in use by the Durango team, including 6 instagram photos fed into my Instagram stream.
- Over 25 Foursquare check-ins, with tips and photos uploaded for those properties without any.
It just goes to show you that it doesn’t take much to make a big impact in a destination. Whether it’s just one of us or the whole value luxury team, we’re here to shine the light on value luxury destinations. How can we help you?
