October 2010 News

It's not just snowing a little, it's snowing a lot! It truly looks like we got about a foot on Vail Mountain in the last 24 hours. It is quite normal to get a storm this time of year, but then a week or two of warm weather. So whatever accumulation we get usually contributes nothing to the totals for ski season. But this storm is different. Riva Ridge actually looks skiable at this very moment! So I think I have witnessed the creation of the base for the 2010-2011 ski season!

Yesterday I had an experience few people have. No, I didn't meet the Dahli Lama, or get the chance to meditate at Machu Pichu. Instead, I was the very first person in the world to………walk through the brand new Four Seasons in Vail! Well, maybe not the very first since there have been construction workers and staff cruising around the building for two years now. But I was the first civilian (which sometimes includes real estate brokers) to see it completely finished right down to them filling the hot tubs in the spa!

All I can say is the Four Seasons is as expected: Spectacular! Every hotel room, fractional ownership residence and whole ownership residence has a great view and tremendous square footage. The pool and spa are out of this world and the restaurant, called "Flame," is a Four Seasons eatery and thus will be top-notch. I have never seen a building of this size that has as much natural sunlight flooding its corridors. The finish level is superb, yet simple. The hotel rooms are in one section of the building, the fractional in another and the whole ownership residences sit right in the middle with incomparable views of the ski area. And owners will have their skis stored at a facility only steps from the Vista Bahn and will be able to store their gear at the hotel year round. I was told yesterday that the hotel is almost completely booked for ski season and they are fully staffed. The most veteran GM under the employ of the Four Seasons has come from Chicago to run this building.

It is so nice to finally see this building complete. It was delayed over a year due to construction staffing issues and some now-corrected engineering challenges but now it's finally here. And the good thing, for a buyer at least, is every single whole ownership residence is still available! So I can say with certainty that deals will be available starting right now. There are also several fractional residences available and prices for a 3-bedroom, plus den and a great view of Vail Mountain are in the mid to upper $400's. This is for 3,000 square feet!

So when you come to Vail this winter give me a ring and I will take you for a tour of this marvelous new addition to the Vail Village skyline. By then, I will have eaten at Flame, gotten a massage at the spa and maybe even stayed in one of the rooms, so I should be a real "expert!"