RFID brings service and safety to ski resort

Guests at the Steamboat Ski Area in Colorado are enjoying a new suite of services this season with the launch of the Steamboat MountainWatch guest and amenity locating system.  Steamboat is the first ski area to offer a radio frequency identification (RFID) guest location product using SafeTzone's Real-Time Guest and Amenity Locating System. The system combines passive and active radio RFID tags from Texas Instruments and RF Code, respectively, and allows guests to better locate all members of their group on the mountain; to discover amenities and recommended routes; to receive information and notification on lift status, weather and special offers; and to communicate with others in their group through kiosk messaging, all with a simple swipe of the wristband locator.
"The Steamboat MountainWatch locator bracelets are an important part of creating a family friendly environment that offers our guests access to a range of information services and peace of mind to enjoy a day on the slopes with confidence," said Andy Wirth, vice president of sales and marketing at Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation.
The Steamboat MountainWatch wristband communicates information, including a person's location, via radio signals to a series of RFID readers and makes the information accessible through the half dozen Steamboat MountainWatch touch screen kiosks situated throughout the resort. RF Code's TAVIS data management software collects and consolidates data from the active RFID tags, while SafeTzone's patented Real-Time Location Module draws associations among the passive and active data to identify and locate each member of a group.