A slower season plus the cancellation of executive retreats by JPMorgan Chase & Co. at Stein Eriksen Lodge this winter has resulted in lay-offs at the five-star hotel over the past several weeks.

Russ Olsen, lodge CEO, said cuts have been “surgical” across the board from restaurant services to kitchens to the front desk. In anticipation of a slower season, housekeeping reductions were made back in November.

“We had to do four lay-offs in the last month and others have had hours reduced because there aren’t enough visitors,” he said.

The lodge is currently operating at about 60 to 70 percent occupancy when February usually sees 80 to 90 percent, he said.

Bob Rinehart of Resort Home Consultants knows one of the victims of the lay-offs and told the Park Record the news really disturbed him because of possible implications about the larger community.

“It’s indicative of cutting to the quick, so to speak,” he said. “I’m nervous about it because it’s devastating thing when a service-related company starts cutting at the core. It’s a sign of something else. Usually the last thing they do is reduce service people.”

Former employee Jette Warnick (who left in August to start school) said her friends told her the “first wave of layoffs were odd,” and didn’t make any sense to them.

Rinehart’s friend had been there a year, suggesting seniority was no protection.

Lodge spokesperson Jan Raio said the company is doing what it can to protect year-round employees, but “in this climate, you do what you have to do.”

She told The Record for a previous article that JPMorgan Chase was the lodge’s biggest client over the past four years.

Pastry chef Heather Troyer said she thought seniority and her special skills would make her immune, but was shocked when she was called into the office last week and told her the lay off was effective immediately and she could go home.

Troyer said the kitchen is isolated from the rest of the hotel so she was unaware of how widespread the cuts were. Now she knows of two others in the kitchen that were cut as well.

Reduced hours began as early as October, she said. During the holiday period she was working full time, but was used to working over-time during those weeks.

“For me it came as a complete shock,” she said in an interview Monday. “I was caught completely off guard.”

She was surprised to hear that people like her were being let go instead of all the seasonal workers first, but admitted she’s on a higher pay scale because of her expertise and received benefits as a year-round employee.

“It seems that they’re looking at economic impact rather than the people,” she said.

That seems prevalent as she touches base with contacts across the country looking for another job, she said.

Troyer said she’s anticipating having to break her lease and move out of state. She’s been looking for work locally to stay in Park City but can’t find any openings in kitchens. She also has 15 years of experience in office work but isn’t finding anything in that sector either.

She’s thinking of going back to school to finish her bachelor’s degree.

Back at the lodge, she said her friends are on edge now.

“Everyone I talked to is shocked I was laid off, and everybody is worried,” she said.

Resorts don’t make skier day numbers available, making it difficult to track how a season is going based solely on the number of skiers. But Ski Utah spokesperson Jessica Kunzer said she thinks high numbers of season pass purchases this year suggest people were planning to stay home for vacations this year. Perhaps that trend was true in other states as well.

Ski Magazine executive editor Greg Ditrinco said he’s observed commuter resorts (those frequented by day skiers) faring a little better this season than destination resorts (like Deer Valley).

Resorts appeared to have had an OK mid-season, but seem to be slowing down now, he said.

The good news for consumers, Ditrinco and Kunzer both said, is that resorts are offering substantial deals and packages this spring.

Raio said the lodge is looking forward to the next six weeks that are expected to be busy.