Located in the mountains north of Vancouver, Canada, Whistler Blackcomb is one of the largest ski resorts in North America, playing host to the Winter Olympics of 2010, not to mention numerous championship and world cup events. Vail Resorts purchased Whistler Blackcomb in 2016 and doing so took over management of the resort’s numerous staff accommodation blocks, which house around a third of their staff. 

“Many of the bathrooms in these staff buildings consisted of 1990’s style combined showers and tubs that were in serious need of an upgrade.” explains Paul Welters, Commercial Sales Consultant for the Vancouver Bath Fitter branch. “Some of the original tubs had even cracked and started leaking water into the foundations of the buildings.”

Vail Resorts invited Bath Fitter to assess the situation. “This is where our experience came to the fore,” says Welters. “We were able to put several options on the table, which ranged from tub and wall replacements to tub-to-shower conversions.” The client opted for the latter, which would involve tearing out the old tubs and installing a free-standing shower base with Torino flat white walls, ceiling panels, a double corner shelf for storage, and glass sliding doors. “They were particularly satisfied with the quality and durability of Bath Fitter products,” says Welters. “A tremendous number of visitors from around the world pass through the Whistler Blackcomb staff accommodation, so these facilities need to handle a fair amount of wear and tear.”

 The next step was to determine when to do the work. Whistler Blackcomb is not just one of the biggest resorts in North America, it is also one of the busiest, often surpassing two million visitors annually. “Visitors come to Whistler Blackcomb all year round – it’s truly a multi-season resort,” says Welters. “As such, there was only a tiny window of opportunity to do this work as staff transition between the end of winter and the start of the summer.”