With more than 600 on-mountain condominiums, Sugarloaf is very much involved in the lodging business and offers varying accommodations and rates.

Drum started a lodging business and constructed a campground on his land that offered hot showers, restrooms, and a small store.

Also possible is the sale of Hilton's lodging business, perhaps to finance a leveraged buyout of the company's gaming operations, he said.

These day-use resorts partner with local lodging businesses to offer ski and lodging packages.

Mr. Schrager himself is optimistic and suggests that the growth of boutique hotels indicates a sea change in the lodging business.

With business travel up and prosperity returning to the lodging business, business travelers are edging back to four-star hotels.

Of course, the $32 million venture is fraught with risks, as achieving success in the lodging business, especially on the affluent end, is a tough task.

Despite the industry's current woes, analysts do expect the lodging business eventually to recover, albeit at a slow pace.

Promotions like these, as well as the more usual summer programs, underline the rising importance of children to the lodging business.

"We think we're much like the McDonald's of the lodging business," he said.