I've long been surprised that little has been said about this property on FT. I realize that it has almost no participation in SPG, but it is the only Starwood-affiliated property near Vail and Beaver Creek. It has a good location and good features for the price. (Relative to the astronomical winter prices of many other places in the area.)

Does anyone here have firsthand experience with this property?

I called the hotel directly to confirm that the underground parking is still free and that wi-fi is free. ^

However, upon my inquiry in that same call, I learned that the standard 1-BR villa's "fully-equipped kitchenette" does not have a stove top. I had expected that it would at least have a 2-burner stove. Only the 1-BR Premium/Deluxe villa has a stove top.

In the standard villa, the kitchenette has a dishwasher, "convection/microwave oven," full-size refrigerator, and a small sink. I don't know exactly what it has in the way of cookware.

A very recent review on tripadvisor.com says that a coffee maker, blender, and toaster are provided. Another review notes that there is a gas grill on every porch. We would like the ability to do some stovetop cooking. If we don't move up to the deluxe room with full kitchen, perhaps a $15 portable electric burner will be on order.

For my stay dates, the RACK rate of the deluxe villa ($379) is only $20 more than the RACK for the standard villa ($359). But the BAR for the deluxe villa is $72 more than the standard villa's $207 promo rate. This promo rate shows up for my dates and requires a minimum 5 night stay. It appears that no promo rate is offered for the deluxe. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not.

Upon inquiry about whether they ever upgrade Plats, the front desk agent checked with a manager and said that if deluxe rooms are available upon check-in, they do try to upgrade. I'm not sure if this is true for every guest or specifically for elites. Regardless, I don't expect that any remaining rooms are likely to be available when I arrive in early March.

I did not inquire about daily housekeeping for guests booked via spg.com (as opposed to timeshare owner guests), nor did I inquire about whether the property operates a shuttle bus. However, I believe that the county and town offer sufficient bus services. I am considering the possibility of avoiding a car rental altogether.