Deluxe Viceroy Hotel Anchors New Snowmass
Cosmopolitan Lodging Facelift at Base Village of Family Ski Resort
Jul 31, 2009
Anyone who has skied Snowmass in Colorado since its opening in 1967 is likely to be stunned by the transformation of the resort into a destination worthy of rivaling its glitzy neighbor.
The Aspen Ski Company, operates the ski lifts on both mountains as well as nearby Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk. In little over a decade, it has added improvements including the Cirque, a surface lift serving a run named Rocky Mountain High in tribute to the late John Denver, giving Snowmass the nation’s longest lift-served vertical rise – 4,406 feet.
It introduced a new gondola that swiftly carries skiers and snowboarders from the base to the Elk Camp region of the hill, plus an open-air cabriolet that takes skiers from the new base village to Fanny Hill, the center of ski school and children’s care as well as the pedestrian-only Snowmass Mall.
For the past several years, the new base village, with condominiums, hotels, shopping, covered parking and covered bus access, has been under construction. While the Little Nell at Snowmass, a sister hotel to Aspen’s signature hotel, has been delayed, the eye-popping Viceroy is scheduled to welcome its first guests for Thanksgiving, 2009.
Viceroy Snowmass from $370 per NightFor the 2009–2010 season, the hotel plays a starring role in the rebirth of the family ski area, with its fabulous 3,200 acres of skiing including 50 % geared to intermediate skiers and riders, as a sophisticated destination designed to attract upscale visitors.
Viceroy Snowmass features cosmopolitan interior design by Jean-Michel Gathy, including striking bamboo and granite surfaces, a twenty-first century spa and banquet area, ski valet services, and an 87-foot glass bar and lounge that reaches into the glamorous lobby. This is not your grandpa’s Snowmass.
For winter visitors, the most important piece of information about Viceroy is that its 173 guest rooms and residences are ski-in, ski-out, and offer gleaming kitchens and in some cases see-through oversized bathrooms with valley and mountain view in every configuration from studios to four bedrooms.
Rates begin at $370 per night for a studio, although other properties elsewhere in Snowmass still beckon budget-minded families.For older skiers, Snowmass, with its many intermediate groomed runs, is ideal.
Buchi, Junk, Liquid Sky Among New Dining and Nightlife
This season Snowmass Base Village will have five dining and entertainment, including Junk, a restaurant that its creators say will redefine fast food, Liquid Sky, an après-ski night spot for hipsters, and Buchi, a Japanese Tavern in the high-concept high-price tradition of Aspen’s Matsuhisa and New York’s Nobu, as well as the Viceroy’s own fine-dining restaurant.
In summary, Snowmass, already a great ski resort, in 2009-2010 inaugurates a reborn image in lodging anchored by the Viceroy Snowmass condo hotel.
 |
 |
 |
