Stayed on a five nights for the price of four package. Our room was on the club level (8 floor) and faced out onto the ski slope which could be viewed via a nice sized balcony. We have stayed at this hotel and other Ritz properties before and as a consequence have unreasonably high expectations of the whole experience. The Ritz did not disappoint. The friendliness and attentiveness to every detail was outstanding (special kudos to the club level concierges and the team in the ski boot storage and assistance area). The choice and quality of food was top notch. The cocktails at the Spago bar helped ease weary limbs at the end of the day. Recommended..

My wife and I stayed for a long weekend just before ski season opened in November of 2010. We were looking for a luxury getaway at a decent price as we were booking very close to our departure. We did not plan on skiing but more so just a relaxing get away. We were not disappointed with our choice. The resort is beautiful.

We booked via a discounter website and part of the package was a free room upgrade upon check in, if available. As we arrived on a Saturday morning there was nothing above a standard room available when we arrived. Saralyn at the front desk described the location of two different rooms to us. We couldn't decide which to take so we took the keys for one to look at it and make our decision. Of course this room was as far away from the front desk as humanly possible. When we arrived at the door the key card would not open the lock. I was pissed, my wife who has a background in hotel sales, decided it would be best if she went back to the front desk. She came back with another key card, same result. This time we called the front desk from our cell and Saralyn came to the room with another keycard plus her master key. The 3rd key card would not open the door but her master did.

Once inside the choice was easy for us. The room looked only half cleaned from the night before; there was still a pile of change sitting on the desk and patio door opened up to a concrete wall 5 feet away. Saralyn was mortified at my response to this room and immediately took us to the other option we were considering. We took that room and Saralyn offered us free wifi during our stay for our troubles. She didn't stop there, though. This is the beauty of service at The Ritz. As I was putting the bags in the closet she then asked us if we like nachos. Our response was yes, why? She replied with, "we have great nachos in the Buffalo Bar, let me put an order in for you two and once you've settled in the room, come down to the bar and I'll take care of your lunch."

We unpacked and went down for our nachos. Saralyn stopped in the bar during lunch to make sure we were doing ok. She then proceeded to tell us that she looked over the room inventory for the remainder of our stay and noticed one of the Resort View Suites was opening up on Sunday. She suggested that we switch rooms the next day to the suite. We said thank you and were very pleased with how things had turned around so quickly. Upgraded to a suite, free lunch and a couple beers, things were looking up.

We went back up to our room to grab our coats after lunch as we wanted to explore Beaver Creek. BTW, the free shuttle bus from the Ritz to Beaver Creek is a very nice touch. Upon arriving in our room, we found a bottle of Champagne sitting on the desk with a card from Saralyn. She had taken the time to hand write us a note. Below is how it read.

Dear XXXXX's

It's always my highest priority to ensure that you fully enjoy your stay - every time - all the time. Smiley face. As such I've made it my mission to thank you for staying with us in many small ways. I truly hope you enjoy every moment from here out. With warmest regards and cheers.

Saralyn M Niemi

We thanked Saralyn and took the shuttle over to Beaver Creek. The next morning we stopped at the front desk to talk with Saralyn about our room transfer before driving over to Vail. She told us not to worry about it, just have your bags packed and on the bed and they would take care of moving everything to the suite for us while we were gone. We just needed to stop by the desk when we came back and they would give us our new suite keys.

Upon our return form Vail we picked up our keys as suggested and the desk person on duty (Saralyn had gone home for the day) escorted us to our new suite. The suite was beautiful and our luggage was already in the two big walk-in closets off of the bedroom. The suite had a large living room and bedroom with huge balcony overlooking the pool that spanned the length of both the living room and our bedroom. The bathroom had a huge Jacuzzi tub and separate shower. To our surprise on the bathroom counter was a large tray with all the fixing for a very nice bubble bath, including scented bubbles and rose petals galore with another note from Saralyn. Just call the front desk 30 minutes before you'd like your bath and housekeeping will come set it up for you. Wow, this girl doesn't stop.

About 45 minutes later, our doorbell rang. It was the hotel manager stopping by at Saralyn's request to make sure the suite was to our liking. The manager then handed me a wrapped gift box and said, "Compliments of The Ritz, just to make sure you continue to enjoy your stay." I thanked him and went back into the suite. We opened the box and it contained two oversize Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch cobalt blue coffee mugs. Every time I enjoy a cup of coffee from these mugs I think back to this trip. Their service, worked on me, I'll certainly visit the Ritz again.

The outdoor heated pool and Jacuzzi’s are great. It was so fun to swim and relax in both while it was on 17 degrees F outside and snowing. The outdoor fire pit is also great they provide the fixings to make smores each night. We enjoyed cocktails and coffee in front of the huge fireplace in the lobby on several occasions.

We also dined at Spago and did the prefix tasting menu with wine pairings. The quality was great and reasonably priced compared to other prefix meals we have done at home in Chicago. My wife commented to our server how much I like the dessert and surprise, surprise, 3 minutes later our server showed up with another, compliments of Spago.

The spa was amazing and we certainly enjoyed the various, steam, sauna, hot tub and cold plunge combinations. The large coed Jacuzzi room with waterfalls is also great.

Bottom line, this is a great property in a good location but the service we received is what we will always remember about this visit.

This property has it all from the Ski Concierge to it's resident Golden Retriever! The hotel itself has the quintessential lodge decor and architecture. The rooms are spacious and most have a fireplace which I highly recommend requesting. The Club Level is outstanding and Buffalo Bar is the perfect spot to watch the skiiers return from the ski slope located by the hotel.

The restaurants are outstanding at this hotel and you will find yourself staying on property and not venturing out to nearby Vail because everything you need is at your fingertips.

I stayed on Club because I prefer the extra amenities associated with Club and the plus of having your own concierge vs sharing with the entire hotel. It is well worth the extra money in my opinion. But whether you are on Club or in a regular room, this hotel will leave a lasting impression and you will look forward to next year so that you can return for yet another great ski trip!

EVERYTHING at the property was first rate with the exception of dinner portions at Spago Restaurant. The service there was great but food was only slightly above average. All else was incredible including the Spa, Buffalo Bar, Rooms, etc...