Originally Posted by am13

Just returned from a three-night stay at the start of President’s Day Weekend. Honestly, it left a lot to be desired.

For reference, I’m a lifetime platinum elite. Two of my nights were part of a group event, and one of my nights was a points booking (118K points per night during the holiday weekend).

Arrival: Arrived around 5PM and was greeted by a long line at registration. Only two of the five reception desks were staffed despite the hotel being at full occupancy. The agent that checked me in was clearly a student on an international work visa. She was lovely and clearly passionate about her job. Check-in was efficient and she was able to merge my reservations to keep me in the same room for the entire visit, which I appreciated.

Room: While no mention of an upgrade was provided at check-in, I arrived at the room and found I was assigned a mountain view studio king room. This room had an oversized wet bar with a single counter stool (in lieu of a desk) and two rocking chairs by a fireplace. The lack of a proper work setup actually made me prefer a traditional room. While the room was pleasant enough, there was an overwhelming cigarette smoke odor that permeated the entire room. I knew right away that there was no way I could sleep in this room.

I stopped by the front desk on my way to dinner and informed the front desk agent of the issue. A manager overheard the conversation and said the hotel was at full occupancy and she didn’t know what they would be able to do or if they could keep me in the same room category. I said I don’t care what category they gave me, I just wanted a room that didn’t smell like smoke. I told them I’d stop back after dinner to get a new room assignment since I was already running late (having had to wait in another long queue to speak to someone).

When I returned from dinner several hours later, I was assigned the room immediately above my former room by the single night auditor working at the desk. When I got to the room, I was greeted by a similar cigarette smoke odor (presumably, it traveled through the HVAC system).

I return to the front desk, waited in yet another queue, and told the night auditor this room was no better. He clearly felt genuinely sorry, phoned a manager, and discussed options with the manager. Ultimately, they upgraded me to a junior one bedroom suite on the opposite side of the property.

As they say, the third time is the charm. This room had no odor and was perfectly sufficient. I will say that for being a suite retailing for $4000 a night, it was incredibly underwhelming. The carpet was pilling and stained in several areas. Stains also existed on the sofa, cushions and throw pillows. The living room TV was off-center due to a large fireplace, and couldn’t have been larger than 40”. Beneath it was the wonkiest TV stand I’ve ever seen.

You could tell when they did the renovation where they ran out of cash. The wall finish in all three rooms was incredibly rough and did not feel luxurious. There are lots of blank cover plates on the wall where power or phone lines previously existed and were abandoned. The outlet for the TV was mounted too low and the cable stuck out below. A large cover plate concealed wall damage beneath the thermostat. The outdated slider closet doors made it difficult to see what was inside.

3. Margie’s Haas: Platinum (and above) guests get the option of 1000 points or daily breakfast for two as a welcome amenity. There are three options for breakfast ranging from in-room dining, to grab-and-go to the breakfast buffet in the hotel restaurant. Free breakfast is definitely the best option as the hotel buffet is an astonishing $48 per day. The breakfast was very good and service was generally attentive, even if understaffed.

4. Revel Lounge: the hotel bar offered a great selection of cocktails (and mocktails!). The bartenders were friendly but, like everywhere else, understaffed. They had live music in the evenings (it was a little too country for my taste). Several drinks rang up cheaper than what the menu indicated, which was a nice surprise when we got the bill.

4. Resort Amenities: the hotel offers a complimentary afternoon Raclette cheese station offering cheese, pickled vegetables, and cured meats from 3 to 5 PM along with a selection of beer, wine, and spirits offered in the lobby. Every time we try to attend, the lines were too long to justify waiting. From 5 PM to 7 PM, they offer free, hot chocolate and s’mores kits. They ran out of hot chocolate every day by 6 PM and the fire pit for the s’mores turned off midway through toasting a marshmallow. When we ask the server inside, if it could be turned back on, she said they would have to call engineering.

5. Departure: because this property is classified as a “resort,” they do not have to offer a late check out and are stingy about making exceptions. After some back-and-forth, they agreed to allow a noon check out (instead of 11 AM).

6: Elevators: all of the elevators are old and in poor condition, but one of the two elevators in our tower was down for at least one night of our stay. During Presidents’ Day weekend with the hotel at full occupancy, this was less than ideal. Queues formed for elevators and the elevator would often show up at your floor completely filled.

All in all, this property is an Autograph Collection on a *good day,* and falls terribly short of what I would expect from a Luxury Collection property. It relies on its location and the supply/demand dynamics of Vail to succeed. Expect large crowds, long lines, mediocre service, and a tired product. If you go in with that expectation, you won’t be disappointed. I would never pay the public rates they get here— you’re far better off at the comparably-priced Grand Hyatt or paying a slight bit more for a true luxury hotel (Four Seasons, etc.).

Cash rates were $2,400 for a standard room or $4,000 for the junior one bedroom suite I stayed in. A resort fee of $60 per night is charged on all reservations, including award nights. It is un unclear what value, if any, you get from the resort fee. They made no mention of it at check-in apart from telling you the cost.