Paul Alexander - Product + Brand Specialist

Overview

Ski+ is an AI-powered travel planning app designed to simplify and optimise the process of booking ski holidays. The product focuses on solving a key problem in the travel industry: users are overwhelmed by fragmented tools, hidden costs, and uncertainty around snow conditions. Research shows that travellers often struggle with "the use of a variety of tools" when planning trips, leading to complexity and poor decision-making. Ski+ brings everything into one platform—combining AI recommendations, snow forecasting, budgeting, and booking—to help users plan better ski trips in minutes.

Product Vision

To become the go-to ski holiday planning platform that transforms travel from search → decision → action, combining AI intelligence, real-time data, and seamless booking to unlock both user value and commercial opportunity.

The Problem

Planning a ski holiday is uniquely complex compared to other travel:

Snow uncertainty: Users don't know where conditions will be best
Hidden costs: Lift passes, rentals, fuel, tolls often ignored
Choice overload: Hundreds of resorts with little differentiation
Self-drive complexity: Poor support for UK → Alps travel planning
Time-consuming research: Users jump across 5–10 platforms

Existing travel platforms focus on booking, not decision-making. Users need help answering: "Where should I go, when, and can I afford it?"

The Opportunity

The idea for Ski+ emerged from identifying a gap between inspirational travel content (Instagram, influencers) and transactional booking platforms (Booking.com, Expedia). There is no product that connects real-time conditions + personalised planning + cost transparency. This aligns with trends in travel UX where tools aim to "narrow down options based on user preferences" and reduce research friction.

Target Users

Parents Booking During School Holidays

Budget-conscious, time-poor, and risk-averse families who need snow certainty and want to plan efficiently without spending hours researching.

Solo Powder Chasers

Flexible travelers motivated by snow conditions, influenced by social content, and seeking lesser-known resorts with optimal conditions.

The Solution

Ski+ delivers a personalised ski holiday in minutes through:

AI Trip Planner: Matches users with optimal resorts based on dates, budget, snow conditions, and skill level
Snow Intelligence Layer: Snow-sure index, fresh snowfall alerts, and forecast integration (Open-Meteo)
Smart Budgeting Engine: Full trip cost breakdown including accommodation, lift passes, rentals, and travel (fuel, tolls, crossings)
Seamless Booking: Deep linking via affiliate partners (e.g. Booking.com)
Discovery Layer: Surfaces lesser-known resorts with great conditions, powered by influencer + real-time data

User Journey

Core Flow

User enters trip preferences (dates, budget, skill level)
AI generates 3 tailored ski trip recommendations
User compares options by snow conditions, budget, and difficulty
User selects preferred option and books via affiliate link
App supports trip with alerts and planning tools

Design Approach

The product follows a user-centred design methodology, focusing on:

Reducing cognitive load through intelligent recommendations
Replacing search with AI-powered recommendations
Surfacing key decision drivers: snow, cost, and convenience
Simplicity and speed as critical conversion factors

This aligns with best practice in travel UX where reducing choice overload and research friction leads to better user outcomes.

Key Features (MVP)

AI-powered resort recommendations
Comprehensive budget calculator (full trip cost)
Real-time snow forecast dashboard
Affiliate booking integration
Community feed (future growth lever)

Business Model

Revenue Streams

Affiliate commission (Booking.com, travel partners)
Freemium subscription (Pro features for advanced planning)
Sponsored placements (resorts and ski brands)

Go-To-Market Strategy

Focus on families booking during school holidays—high intent, high spend, and clear pain points around planning complexity and snow certainty.

Phase 1: Target Families

Phase 2: Expand to powder chasers via social media and influencers with "hidden gem" content strategy and real-time snow storytelling to attract flexible travelers seeking optimal conditions.

Competitive Differentiation

Competitor	Weakness	Ski+ Advantage
Booking.com	Transaction-focused	AI decision support + planning
Heidi	Static packages	Dynamic + personalised recommendations
OnTheSnow	Data only	Actionable + bookable journeys
Skyscanner	Flights focus	End-to-end ski planning

Impact & Potential

Growth Potential:

Revenue Model Example

£80–£120 commission per booking
~9,000 bookings = £1M annual revenue potential

Expand beyond ski → adventure travel categories
Build community + network effects through user-generated content
Become "Skyscanner for ski holidays" with comprehensive planning tools

Key Learnings

Travel planning is a decision problem, not a booking problem
Snow + cost = the two biggest drivers in ski travel decisions
AI is most valuable when it reduces choice overload
Niche focus (skiing) enables strong differentiation in crowded travel market

Next Steps

Product roadmap and future development:

Launch MVP with core AI + affiliate booking flow
Validate conversion rates and user acquisition costs
Expand features: real-time pricing, community content, direct partnerships
Scale to additional winter sports and adventure travel categories

Outcome

Ski+ transforms ski holiday planning from a fragmented, time-consuming process into a fast, intelligent, and inspiring experience. By combining AI, real-time data, and seamless booking, the product shifts travel from search → decision → action—unlocking both user value and commercial opportunity. The platform positions itself uniquely at the intersection of decision support and booking convenience, addressing a clear market gap in the ski travel industry.

Ski+ AI Holiday Planner

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