My wife and I just wrapped up a stay at the Four Seasons Vail. For comparison, my wife and I have been to several mountain resorts including FS Whistler, Ritz Bachelor Gulch, Ritz Northstar/Tahoe and The Arrabelle at Vail Square (Lionshead). We stayed about a week after BowdoinBoy and his review is very detailed. I'll post a couple of comments where my experience was different or had other observations.

Arrival: We didn't get a call from a "Pre-Arrival Coordinator". Not sure what we would have asked for, but it would have been a nice gesture. The doorman was quick to open the doors and greet us. A few questions about the luggage and the escorted us inside. Of note, they prefer to take skis and boots at the drive and get them over to the Ski Concierge. A nice touch.

There isn't a lobby per se. There are chairs in the hallway and the lounge/library is adjacent to the entry, but there isn't a space I would call a lobby. When we arrived, the lounge/library was doing double-duty showing the NFL playoffs on large screen TVs. A little odd, but understandable given the space.

Resort: I agree with BowdoinBoy about the nature of the resort. It is right off the main Vail circle and very close to the highway. However, the layout meant that we never saw nor heard the highway after we arrived or until we left. I would add that the floor numbering is a bit odd. You enter on the 5th floor, which has the bar/lounge, reception, concierge, business center, and a few shops. Flame is on the 3rd floor and the pool/spa/gym are on the 2nd floor.

Room: We booked through FSPP (Thanks, DavidO) for the fifth night free package and were upgraded to a Mountain One-Bedroom Suite. Very large room, two full bathrooms, two gas fireplaces and a nice layout. We used the fireplaces almost every day. There were two small balconies, but we didn't use them. The Master Bath had a TV embedded in the mirror. We've had TVs in the bathroom before, but this is the first time it was in the mirror. Interesting feature.The only odd thing was the Master Bath shower where there were two lights at knee level. The 'guest' bath had a light at the top of the shower. I'm not sure why they choose this lighting, but I made sure my knees were clean.

We received a couple of nice welcome amenities and cards from the hotel, residence sales and our travel agency. In-house filtered bottled water was provided every morning and at the bedside during turndown each night. There was a humidifier in the bedroom that the staff continually refilled. Nice touches. Overall, housekeeping was great. Although the first day off the slopes, they were still cleaning the room when we returned (around 2:30) and we waited in the entry hallway chairs for them to finish. Same with turn-down service one night. We found that by simply calling Housekeeping when we left in the AM and in the PM for dinner ensured the room was completed when we returned.

Wireless internet is available throughout the property. Wired internet is available in the room as well. Cost is either $10 or $15 depending on speed. Though there was an issue at check-out, via FSPP and with a suite booking, there was no charge for our use of the internet.

Our room was a "Mountain View" but the resorts location ensured that the Village and other lodging was between the hotel the mountain. It was certainly a nice view down the side of the mountain towards Lionshead and could see the gondola running up the mountain. But it was not unobstructed as you might get at Ritz Bachelor Gulch or Northstar/Tahoe.

Pool/workout facilities/spa: I didn't use any of these, but my wife used the two massages provided by the FSPP booking and enjoyed both. We saw a few people in the pool during our stay, mostly in the evenings unwinding from the ski slopes.

Staff: I agree with BowdoinBoy's comments here. The staff was outstanding. From the front desk to the lounge to the restaurant. All amazing.

Ski: The skiing at Vail is outstanding. The ski area is massive and the village has grown to include an ice skating rink, many stores, resturaunts and activities (including a movie theater and bowling alley). We spent most of our time in the main Vail Village with a trip up to Golden Peak for dinner one night. FS Vail is very similar to the FS Whister, in both layout and location. The resort is off the slopes, just under half a mile from the resort to the Ski Concierge location and another 100 yards or so to the lift. The walk from FS Vail is easy, sidewalks are heated so no snow build up and is mostly through the pedestrian area of Vail Village. There is a flight of stairs to get to the Ski Concierge entry. Both Ritz locations are slope-side as well as The Arrabelle.

BowdoinBoy made reference to a dedicated ski shuttle, but it was never offered to us and I believe that traffic in Vail Village is limited to the free, In Town shuttle (which we used to get to Golden Peak one night for dinner). Perhaps they take you as close as they can to the Concierge, but I bet walking would be as fast.

A couple more details about the Ski Concierge. When you arrive, you are typically greeted outside and the staff pulls your skis out of the racks so they are waiting for your when you come out of the building. The Ski Concierge is on two levels in a small building. The entry is lined with skis, the first level has a small Gorsuch shop and a sitting area with coffee/hot chocolate/espresso and snacks (usually cookies and muffins). An elevator and stairs lead to the second level which has the lockers, large seating areas and several restrooms. We visited midweek and in a relatively slow part of the season so there was plenty of space, but it may get crowded on holiday weekends at the beginning and end of the day.

The staff is amazing. Very helpful, friendly and accommodating. The Ski Concierge is a locker system rather than baskets as both Ritz locations and the FS Whistler. I kind of prefer this since you can feel safe leaving valuables in the locker with your own passcode. Additionally, the lockers have tubes that pump air into each locker. You place your boots and gloves over the tubes over night, so they are warm when you arrive the next morning.

F&B: We tried both the lounge/bar and Flame. When we first arrived, our room wasn't quite ready, so we visited the lounge for lunch. They had the NFL playoff games on large screens and were serving a themed menu (hot dogs, buffalo wings, etc) and providing free popcorn. It was a fun atmosphere. We later visited for desert and had a great time in front of the fireplace with s'mores and their haute chocolate (very rich). In both cases, service was excellent.

Flame for breakfast the first morning was disappointing. We both tried the buffet. My wife stuck with the wide variety of cold items (cereals, grains, muffins, fruit, etc), which were fine. However, the hot items eggs, sausage and potatoes in the buffet were stone cold. I mentioned it to the chef making omelets and he said "yeah, these induction heaters turn off". He turned on the heaters and requested new items from the kitchen. I asked for an omelet instead and it was prepared to order. The server removed the plate and comp'd us for the buffet. So they resolved the issue and to our satisfaction.

Flame for dinner was outstanding. Well designed and flavored starters. Perfectly prepared steaks, good wine selection and deserts. Service on all levels was spot-on. We tried Larkspur, Sweet Basil and an Italian restaurant in the village the other nights and came back to Flame for our last dinner. I think Flame provided the best meals we had on the trip.

We ordered room service breakfast for three other mornings. The food was delivered hot and on time. They delivered a toaster with the bread so you could toast your own. A nice touch.

The last morning we ate in Flame again and the buffet was fine, as expected. Unfortunately, I left my cell phone in the Flame restaurant after breakfast. My own fault, clearly. I returned about an hour later and could not find the phone. Another party had been seated at the table and left by the time a returned. I would have expected the wait staff to have found the phone when they cleared the table, but alas they did not. The staff was helpful but so far no one has returned it. I'm hopeful it will turn up.

Departure: There was a minor issue on departure. The Internet charge was not removed from the bill until I brought it up at the desk. The agent said the Internet was not part of the FSPP, but I was able to show her a FSPP confirmation email listing the benefits including the free Internet for a suite booking. As BowdoinBoy mentioned, it would be nice if they confirmed the FSPP benefits as part of the check-in process to correct these things early. Otherwise the departure was as expected including prompt bell service and friendly valet staff. No bag of fruit/water for the road, however.

Overall, I think Four Season has done an outstanding job with this property. The distance to the slopes really isn't a problem and given the space constraints in Vail Village they have turned this property into one of their showcases. The staff is excellent, even for a very transient ski town. We'll certainly be back.

I've posted a few pictures illustrating the above trip report to a Flickr set. You should be able to see them here.


Let me know if you have any questions. Happy to answer.

---Mark