Vail Travel Guide
Celebrity Scoop / Presidential Hotels / Barack Obama / Vail Hotels / Preferred Hotels / Timbers Resorts / Hotel Rebranding / → All Tags
Get Rebranded, Get a First Family Visit, If You're the Sebastian Vail
The brand new Library, before its Obama baptism
How’s that for a ringing endorsement of your new name? Just over a month after the Vail Plaza Hotel & Club was reinvented as The Sebastian, it swung itself a presidential visit this week. Or, rather, a presidential family visit – while Obama stayed in DC this weekend, Mrs O took the kids on a jaunt to the hotel.
According to the Mail Online, there’s a spot of controversy over the First Family’s trip to Vail following Obama’s advice on saving money – that one might like to cut back on one’s vacations. But hey, it was Presidents' Weekend after all.
Michelle Obama would almost certainly approve of Block 16, the hotel’s brand new restaurant that serves local, organic, seasonal food, as well as the newly dedicated Library (it’s just 10 days old, according to Facebook) – a room stuffed full of books, games and art which the hotel website reckons is perfect for “lively debate”. There’s also a new spa (which offers pop-up services around the hotel) and live music at the new bar, Frost, but we reckon Mrs O is too clever to risk coming over all Marie Antoinette by getting her nails done or throwing back a scotch.
Hotel Rebranding / Vail Hotels / Preferred Hotels / Timbers Resorts / → All Tags
The Vail Plaza Has Tranformed into The Sebastian Vail
If this cold weather has you craving a trip to Vail to hit the slopes, you won't be able to shack up at the Vail Plaza Hotel & Club. The hotel has been converted into the Sebastian Vail.
But the boutique hotel is still open for business, and it offers some new features, including a new signature restaurant, bar and spa. That is, just in case you want some post-ski noshing or pampering.
Bernie Madoff / Vail Hotels / Hotel Art / Hotel News / → All Tags
Want Some of Bernie Madoff's Art? Head to the Sonnenalp Hotel This Saturday
It may seem wrong buying stuff that once belonged to convicted ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff but as an auction last month proved, people are willing to shell out money for the finer things from his former life, like $1,700 for his underwear and socks. Given that small success, we'd say his art collection will probably fetch a lot more money.
The Sonnenalp Hotel in Vail, a swank ski hotel for the rich, will be hosting an art auction featuring pieces that once belonged to Madoff, including works by Marc Chagall, Henry Matisse, Norman Rockwell, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and Peter Max. The Colorado Independent reports:
Hotel Openings / Ski Packages / Vail Hotels / Four Seasons Hotels / Ski Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
Four Seasons Vail is Now Taking Reservations From December 11
Yes! The chances of Santa Claus bringing ski bunnies a Very Four Seasons Vail Christmas are looking very good indeed, now we've learned that the Vail Four Seasons is now taking reservations from December 11.
Standard rates for a garden-view room start at $375 a night, according to the hotel's website, and there is also a Bed and Breakfast rate from $415 a night.
Hotel Openings / Vail Hotels / Four Seasons Hotels / Hotel News / Ski Hotels / → All Tags
Four Seasons Vail to Open in December, Possibly in Time for Santa Claus
We had hoped that the Four Seasons Vail would be open this summer but as it turns out, we now have something new to look forward to for the ski season. Four Seasons has announced that their Vail property will open this December.
The 121-room resort, which also includes a Residence Club and Private Residences, features an 11,000 square-foot, spa focusing on high-altitude therapies, an all-season, outdoor pool, and a full-service, dedicated Ski Concierge to ensure guests maximize their time on the slopes.
Hotel Hype / Vail Hotels / Ski Hotels / Four Seasons Hotels / → All Tags
Four Seasons Resort Vail Aiming For a Summer 2010 Opening
Last time we mentioned the future Four Seasons Resort Vail, we'd heard you could be skiing up to the Four Seasons' door by 2009. Latest reports have the resort opening during summer 2010 (hmm, just not in time for the ski season!) but at least we can see on the Four Seasons Residence Club website that there is definite progress being made.
For the non-residential guest (that means most of us), the Four Seasons Vail will include a choice of 121 rooms, plus tons of amenities like a full service spa and fitness club, a 75-foot lap pool in a sunken courtyard, a ski and snowboard concierge, fine dining restaurant and plenty of parking and gear storage space.
There'll also be the Après Ski Lounge with a dual fireplace and floor to ceiling windows looking out to the Vail Mountain slopes. The resort is pretty much at the main entrance to Vail so it'll be easy to find. No word yet on room prices, but you can buy one of the residences instead if you've got a spare $405,900 lying around.
Hotel Packages / Hotel Restaurants / Vail Hotels / → All Tags
Vail Mountain Lodge Appeals to Summer Guests with Food, Free Stuff
For the ski bunny type, Vail might be synonymous with winter. But summer? Eh, not so much. The Vail Mountain Lodge & Spa, however, begs to disagree. The 20-room boutique hotel, perched on the banks of Gore Creek in Vail Valley, has a few goodies up its sleeves to lure summertime guests.
The Mountain Family Fun package makes the best of the season with rock-climbing access and climbing lessons, spa treatments, and organic fare for re-fueling. The package rates start at $445 per night, which includes three nights lodging (so really, we guess, $1,335 for all three nights), dinner for four at gourmet restaurant Terra Bistro, two semi-private climbing lessons, two spa treatments or two rounds of golf, free breakfast daily, and free access to Vail Athletic Club and classes. The package is available for Sunday through Wednesday arrivals, through Sept. 5.
Speaking of Terra Bistro, the restaurant is introducing a new menu with a small plates focus and more convivial restaurant ambiance (i.e. couches and banquettes). Summer fare flaunts treats like lemon shrimp and heirloom tomato gazpacho, steamed mussels, “sloppy Joe” sliders on toasted focaccia, peppered Amish beef tenderloin, vegetarian chili de arbol, and a cornmeal-crusted Rocky Mountain trout. With the new menu comes a summer calendar of weekly events, which includes a Monday night Grower’s Menu (featuring local farm fare), Tuesday night free cocktail with food purchase, Wednesday Gourmet Taco night ($6 for three tacos), and house-made ravioli on Thursdays.
[Photo via TripAdvisor]
Hotel Deals / RockResorts / Vail Hotels / → All Tags
Low Prices Rock The Lodge At Vail
When it comes to riding the rapids, we prefer to avoid sharp objects like rocks. But in the case of The Lodge at Vail, A RockResort, their "Rock the Rapids" package is encouraging the right kind of gouging. Prices, not rubber rafts! Families can save up to 30 percent on their white water adventures.
The "Rock the Rapids" package is available April 20 through September 27, 2009. Prices start at $199 per night for two nights accommodation and include a half-day rafting trip and lunch. Adventure seekers also get a Vail picture frame to nicely capture the experience forever.
And those not feeling the outdoors can zone out inside with the Complimentary Spa Credit package to use at the RockResorts Spa. A two night stay for $555 gives guests $555 worth of spa credit to do a little unwinding while the rest of the family battles rapids.
[Photo: Doc Artemis]
Vail Hotel Scene / Luxury Hotels / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Westin Hotels / → All Tags
Vail Gets More Luxury Hotels, We Get No Closer to Affording Them
The ritzy ski town of Vail, Colorado is in the middle of a "renaissance" — which, we assure you, is exactly what you may suspect: a lovely and fancy way of saying there is a lot of construction going on to build a few luxury hotels and to turn Vail Village into a cute little European-looking scene (it might look kinda like Disney world, but with more fur coats).
According to the Vail Daily News, the new Four Seasons on the way is slated for completion in late 2009 (hopefully in time for next year's ski season) and a new Ritz-Carlton will be ready in November 2010.
HotelChatter Reader Deals / Ski Hotels / Vail Hotels / → All Tags
Tuesdays with Arrabelle Cuz It's Free
One Tuesday Night Free in Vail
$197 a night, three-nights minimum over a Tuesday
The new Arrabelle Resort in Vail which just opened last year is offering "Free Tuesdays." Guests booking a minimum of three nights at the resort over a Tuesday will not be charged for the Tuesday part of the stay. The deal is good through the ski season until April 18, 2009. Guests can also find more savings if they book before December 1st.
Additionally, guests looking to experience a ski vacation at the Arrabelle can save even more money this season with the "Baggage Bailout" program, an incentive that gives guests booking four or more nights with four day ski passes a $50 credit each if they book before December 1. The "Baggage Bailout" is offered for up to two people per room and is an attempt to make traveling with ski equipment a bit easier after the new airline checked baggage fees.
From now through December 14th, the hotel has rooms starting at $197 a night for a superior room. Those rates jump up to $330 a night just before Christmas and the holiday season gets insane at $900 a night. So one night free is a nice perk here.
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Vail Hotel Scene / Hotel Construction / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
The Arrabelle in Vail :: Ski Nannies Might Be Buried Beneath Construction
We visited the brand new Arrabelle at Vail Square resort and retail plaza yesterday for the first time since its January 5th completion, expecting to be blown away. Instead, dust was blown in our faces from all the construction.
We had our eyes peeled for the fabled Ski Nannies (we assumed they would morph into like, hiking nannies or rafting nannies or something since it's summertime), but they were nowhere to be found.
But that was the least of our problems: we couldn't find the front door, either.
Hotel Hype / Fairmont Hotels / Ski Hotels / Vail Hotels / → All Tags
Bright Sun, Bitchin' Powder, and A New Vail Resort
Okay all you downhill skiers, in 2011 the ever-popular slopes of Vail will welcome a new posh mountain resort from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. The luxury hotelier just announced plans to develop the Fairmont Vail, with 128 plush rooms, 73 Fairmont Residences as well as Fairmont Heritage Place, the company's private residence club homes.
Set amidst the destination's three mountain areas, the new resort will treat winter and summertime guests to a handful of restaurants, a signature 10,000-sq.ft. Willow Stream spa, and 9,500-sq.ft. feet of function space, including a 3,000-sq.ft. ballroom for apres-skiing fun.
Vail is going to be getting a slew of luxury condo-resorts like The Ritz Carlton Residences, the Solaris Solaris and a Four Seasons Hotel by 2009. The Fairmont brand is already located at other famous ski resorts like Banff Springs, Whistler, Lake Louise, and nearby Telluride.
Despite the deluge of luxury digs, eco-minded skiers will be somewhat comforted to know that the entire Vail Mountain destination is 100% powered by the wind.
[Photo: Tracy~]
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