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Vail's Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch Will Close for Spring

Where: 130 Daybreak Ridge [map], Avon, CO, United States, 81620

Wow. This is not a good sign: for the first time ever, the slow season in Vail is so slow that the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Vail Valley (closer to Beaver Creek) will close entirely for a month. Though there are other upscale hotels in ski areas that traditionally close for a few weeks during the off-season — The Little Nell in Aspen and the Four Seasons Jackson Hole, for instance — this is the first time the Ritz has shut its doors during the spring since it opened years ago.

According to the Denver Post, the luxe resort won't be taking reservations from April 14 through May 20. This means that around 350 of the hotel's employees (the "ladies and gentlemen") won't have a job during that period, but they'll get their jobs back when the hotel opens up again.

From the article:

"We're using the softer demand period to temporarily cease hotel operations," said [PR Director Parool] Shah. "These are considered job-attached layoffs; our intent is to welcome back every lady and gentlemen."

John Garth, the hotel's general manager, said the spring is often the slowest time of the year, and closing for a month after the ski season has been discussed before. But this year was a little different, he said.

Uh, yeah. Times, they are a-tough. And when a PR person says to a newspaper that the reason for the shut-down is "this year we have softer demand and it helps ensure our success for 2009," it means "OMG nobody came during ski season and they're really not coming in the off-season." Yikes.