JAY, Vermont — Jay Peak Resort officials care about what their guests want for future development at the resort. So much so that on Monday, Jan. 21, management will sit and chat with about 20 “Jay Peakers” to find out what they would like to see the resort focus on in the next stages of its Master Plan. Construction on the new Tramside base lodge expansion project, which includes a new hotel and expanded room for skier services, is slated to begin in May. The new expansion will be adjacent to the existing tram building.

“Typically, when resorts do master planning, they do a great job of designing from the inside-out,” said Steve Wright, vice president of sales and marketing. “They build what they think they’re guests want based on past requests. What we’re doing is planning from the outside-in, basing our future growth and development off of what both we can manage, and what our guests say they want us to be.”

This week’s “242” e-newsletter announced a contest to find those 20 stakeholders to join the closed-to-the-public forum. The management team hopes to gather a cross-section of Jay Peakers, from French Canadians to New Englanders, knee droppers to knuckle-draggers, and as they wrote in their e-news, “homeowners and freeloaders.” Jay Peak management will join the forum, and a moderator will guide the group through general and specific questions to help get inside how guests feel about what Jay Peak needs, what guests could live without and what absolutely has to be included.

“It’s their resort and their experience,” said Bill Stenger, president and chief operating officer. “We feel like our guests have a responsibility and a real opportunity to effect Jay Peak’s development, to protect what they like, change what they don’t and add the things they need.”

Contestants must submit to Wright in writing what they think they can bring to the discussion table as far as ideas and concerns. Those chosen will receive a free 2008-2009 season pass as a thanks for their insight and time.

“We’ve finished a good series of internal meetings on how this base lodge extension should evolve but the most important step is where the guests see us going,” said Jake Webster, vice president of planning and development. “What they need and what they don’t. Those sorts of things. Our guests’ contributions and thoughts generally parallel our own, but we learn every time we engage with them.”

In an effort to create more space and an easier experience in the base area, the Tramside base lodge expansion includes a new 57-suite hotel. Designers are focused on developing an area with both renovations to the existing Tram and Austria Haus buildings as well as additional projects to improve and integrate the entire base area into one central, well-thought out space, allowing for convenient access to all skier services and an up-to-date hotel experience. Construction is expected to begin Spring 2008, and completion is planned for late Fall 2009.

For more information about Jay Peak, visit www.jaypeakresort.com or for reservations call 800.451.4449.