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Snowmass ski patroller John Coulter and Sara smile after boot-packing the Wall.
When the first “official” guests of the new Viceroy -Snowmass walk beneath the lighted porte cochère and into the lobby of the $200 million hotel at the base of Assay Hill, they'll receive the red carpet treatment, literally.
To celebrate the hotel opening, General Manager Jeff David plans on assembling uniformed staff from each department who will form a receiving line beside an unfurled red carpet.
“It'll be like a big family wedding,” said David, who likens the overall opening to “a reality TV show, like ‘The Amazing Race' or ‘Iron Chef.' There's an element of surprise, of polishing that last fork before the guest gets there.”
The Viceroy received its temporary certificate of occupancy on Nov. 20. “It's exciting,” opined Town Manager Russ Forrest.
Up on the slopes, far beyond the new base area and Snowmass Mall, work continues at the same feverish pitch, though for snowmaking and grooming crews, it's close to second nature.
“The groomed runs up on the Burn have been described as like a Japanese Zen garden,” said Aspen Skiing Co. spokesman Jeff Hanle. With a total of 392 acres available for skiing and riding, the opening of the 2009/10 season will be the best season debut in at least three years. As of Tuesday, the base depth was 25 inches on top and 15 inches at midway. Runs that will be open to the public beginning Turkey Day include: Sneaky's, Powerline Glades, Mick's Gully, Dallas Freeway, Wineskin, Timberline, Whispering Jesse, Cliffside, Max Park, Lunchline, Dawdler, Scooper, Hal's Hollow and Upper Velvet. (The season started Nov. 25 on Aspen Mountain, which this weekend hosts the 2009 Audi FIS Alpine Aspen Winternational World Cup.)
Snowmass lift tickets will cost $69 for adults, $45 for kids and $63 for you (aged 13-17) and seniors.
Decent, but not big
About 3,000 vertical feet below the Burn lift summit, hotels and lodges are planning for a reasonable, but not big, weekend.
Susan Hamley, director of Snowmass Tourism, estimates occupancy will hover around the 18 percent mark for opening day.
“Snowmass is not real strong during Thanksgiving week and this year is no exception,” she said.
Bill Tomcich of Stay Aspen Snowmass (a central reservations agency) seconded that thought, adding that “Aspen will be a bit busier because of World Cup.” But Tomcich said that “we may see some last-minute activity. There could be some walk-in traffic.” Certainly, there are plenty of rooms available for great rates. Tomcich went on to add how “between now and the middle of December, the value you can get for luxury slopeside accommodations in Snowmass, from Capitol Peak to Top of the Village, are unbelievable.”
He is among those who believe that the “buzz” being created by a modern new option will help all hotels and condominiums, sort of the “rising tide raises all boats” theory.
“I think the Viceroy is definitely going to help Snowmass a lot, it's the type of product that hasn't been offered before here.” Tomcich described the Viceroy as “kind of a blend between the St. Regis and the Sky Hotel,” two popular Aspen dwellings that each have their own personality.
That could suit Jamie Sigler of San Diego just fine. She and her husband are the hotel's first official guests; both are avid skiers and neither has skied this area before.
“We've wanted to go to Aspen for a long time. We stumbled across (the Viceroy early-season rates) on Twitter. They were offering an insane deal,” said the travel and public relations specialist.
What might thrill promoters of the new Base Village more than the fact that these are new customers, is Sigler's unadvanced age, 31. The couple have no children and are both “entrepreneurs,” she said. Big fans of Deer Valley, Utah, Sigler has sampled areas from New Hampshire to Utah and are “super-passionate about skiing and good food,” she said this week.
Don't worry, get happy
One set of guests does not a successful hotel make. However, as reservations continue to dribble in, training continues at “Viceroy University,” said Jeff David.
A music mixologist was brought in from London, while a drink specialist came from Portland. Viceroy (formerly KOR Group) executives and reps are here from Miami and South Beach, among other destinations.
“All the king's horses and all the king's men were invited to basically invade Snowmass to communicate the vibe,” David said. “Everything from music producers to the president of the company are all coming to flex our corporate muscle, to demonstrate teamwork.”
A “second save of support over the Christmas holidays” will augment the work already started.
At one point in the training session, “we had 200 people clapping and singing, ‘We are Family.'” This pep rally must have been successful, because David said one new employee, long-time local Dave Deep, was prompted to shave his goatee while another new worker swapped his kilt for pants “for the first time in 20 years.”
Jeff David reiterated that the overall message is to create “a culture that's all about passion and the hidden emotion aspect of service. Bring positive energy and make the guest happy,” he said.
Madeleine Osberger's e-mail address is mosberger@snowmasssun.com
To celebrate the hotel opening, General Manager Jeff David plans on assembling uniformed staff from each department who will form a receiving line beside an unfurled red carpet.
“It'll be like a big family wedding,” said David, who likens the overall opening to “a reality TV show, like ‘The Amazing Race' or ‘Iron Chef.' There's an element of surprise, of polishing that last fork before the guest gets there.”
The Viceroy received its temporary certificate of occupancy on Nov. 20. “It's exciting,” opined Town Manager Russ Forrest.
Up on the slopes, far beyond the new base area and Snowmass Mall, work continues at the same feverish pitch, though for snowmaking and grooming crews, it's close to second nature.
“The groomed runs up on the Burn have been described as like a Japanese Zen garden,” said Aspen Skiing Co. spokesman Jeff Hanle. With a total of 392 acres available for skiing and riding, the opening of the 2009/10 season will be the best season debut in at least three years. As of Tuesday, the base depth was 25 inches on top and 15 inches at midway. Runs that will be open to the public beginning Turkey Day include: Sneaky's, Powerline Glades, Mick's Gully, Dallas Freeway, Wineskin, Timberline, Whispering Jesse, Cliffside, Max Park, Lunchline, Dawdler, Scooper, Hal's Hollow and Upper Velvet. (The season started Nov. 25 on Aspen Mountain, which this weekend hosts the 2009 Audi FIS Alpine Aspen Winternational World Cup.)
Snowmass lift tickets will cost $69 for adults, $45 for kids and $63 for you (aged 13-17) and seniors.
Decent, but not big
About 3,000 vertical feet below the Burn lift summit, hotels and lodges are planning for a reasonable, but not big, weekend.
Susan Hamley, director of Snowmass Tourism, estimates occupancy will hover around the 18 percent mark for opening day.
“Snowmass is not real strong during Thanksgiving week and this year is no exception,” she said.
Bill Tomcich of Stay Aspen Snowmass (a central reservations agency) seconded that thought, adding that “Aspen will be a bit busier because of World Cup.” But Tomcich said that “we may see some last-minute activity. There could be some walk-in traffic.” Certainly, there are plenty of rooms available for great rates. Tomcich went on to add how “between now and the middle of December, the value you can get for luxury slopeside accommodations in Snowmass, from Capitol Peak to Top of the Village, are unbelievable.”
He is among those who believe that the “buzz” being created by a modern new option will help all hotels and condominiums, sort of the “rising tide raises all boats” theory.
“I think the Viceroy is definitely going to help Snowmass a lot, it's the type of product that hasn't been offered before here.” Tomcich described the Viceroy as “kind of a blend between the St. Regis and the Sky Hotel,” two popular Aspen dwellings that each have their own personality.
That could suit Jamie Sigler of San Diego just fine. She and her husband are the hotel's first official guests; both are avid skiers and neither has skied this area before.
“We've wanted to go to Aspen for a long time. We stumbled across (the Viceroy early-season rates) on Twitter. They were offering an insane deal,” said the travel and public relations specialist.
What might thrill promoters of the new Base Village more than the fact that these are new customers, is Sigler's unadvanced age, 31. The couple have no children and are both “entrepreneurs,” she said. Big fans of Deer Valley, Utah, Sigler has sampled areas from New Hampshire to Utah and are “super-passionate about skiing and good food,” she said this week.
Don't worry, get happy
One set of guests does not a successful hotel make. However, as reservations continue to dribble in, training continues at “Viceroy University,” said Jeff David.
A music mixologist was brought in from London, while a drink specialist came from Portland. Viceroy (formerly KOR Group) executives and reps are here from Miami and South Beach, among other destinations.
“All the king's horses and all the king's men were invited to basically invade Snowmass to communicate the vibe,” David said. “Everything from music producers to the president of the company are all coming to flex our corporate muscle, to demonstrate teamwork.”
A “second save of support over the Christmas holidays” will augment the work already started.
At one point in the training session, “we had 200 people clapping and singing, ‘We are Family.'” This pep rally must have been successful, because David said one new employee, long-time local Dave Deep, was prompted to shave his goatee while another new worker swapped his kilt for pants “for the first time in 20 years.”
Jeff David reiterated that the overall message is to create “a culture that's all about passion and the hidden emotion aspect of service. Bring positive energy and make the guest happy,” he said.
Madeleine Osberger's e-mail address is mosberger@snowmasssun.com
