BulaRae

If you want Platinum treatment and a swanky suite, DV, hands down. Aspen has the proverbial Aspen attitude of thinkning they are all that without having to work for it. Plus DV is much better ambiance and outdoor atmosphere.

PointsMinded

Considering a trip out to Deer Valley January 2013. I'm not a skiier and Mr. PointsMinded has only taken a few lessons on a company outing.

For those who have visited this St. Regis or know Deer Valley, how is the skiing for a beginner - a REAL beginner who has no idea what she's doing? Also, how is Park City for dining - i.e. does it match up to the poshness of the St. Regis overall? Last, any tips on the experience at the spa are so appreciated.

Thank you FlyerTalk members!

AZ Travels the World

It's a fabulous mountain for REAL beginners. I learned to ski at Deer Valley as an adult a few years back. They have excellent private instruction and learn-to-ski classes (which I HIGHLY recommend taking) and a very good beginners area. Many times I've recommended Deer Valley for adults wanting to learn to ski.

Park City has some exceptional restaurants. Lots of great food, but in a more relaxed mountain atmosphere, so the poshness is dialed down. With good recommendations from the concierge at the hotel you could eat exceptionally well for days on end.

DGS822

I'm headed out there for a weekend in July -- any suggestions on the restaurants you went too or activities since skiing is clearly off the table

Thanks!

AZ Travels the World

Oh boy -- fun just thinking about it.

Here are some good options. . .

Grappa
Chez Betty
Mariposa
Talisker
350 Main
Riverhorse
Purple Sage
Bistro 412
Wahso

There's also a JG Steakhouse at the St. Regis. I had a less than excellent experience there not too long after it opened, so I trust they've fixed things by now. I love the JG at the W in DC and at The Phoenician, so I'd probably give that a go. But there's also a good steakhouse in Park City but I don't remember the name. Prime Steak on Main or something like that??

I've never been there outside of ski season, so others will have to chime in with respect to summer activities.

skelzer

AZ - any chance you can update the thread title to reflect the hotel's new name: The St. Regis Deer Valley? I made the mistake to think this was for a second property in the area and didn't realize it was simply renamed from Deer Crest (eg, 2 Westins in Beaver Creek). It'll likely also help to direct some traffic to the thread via Google. Thx.

Also, quick note... keep an eye out for the fine print around their cancellation policy or you might be in for a painful surprise!

Here's an example: Today is 9/25... last week I booked a non-prepay room for 5 nights starting on 12/3 (note, NOT the best offered rate). I was surprised to see that at 4pm today they charged me a 100% deposit for all nights (ouch!). Had it not been for this charge, I also would've missed their aggressive cancellation policy: 100% forfeiture if cancelled anytime after 10/19... that's almost 2 months in advance of my scheduled stay!

Now before anyone flames me for missing the fine print... yes, I agree it's up to each of us, myself included, to carefully read any/all fine print before booking a room. But let's be honest, in practice, we really only avoid pre-paid rates which tend to stand-out when comparing rates (unless of course we're solid on our plans and want the discount). I don't have a habit of cancelling reservations and often batch-book my reservations months in advance. A super-aggressive cancellation policy like this feels a bit like entrapment, considering it wasn't listed as a pre-pay. I get the need to protect their high-season but c'mon, I've stayed at plenty of St.Regis resorts and none of them asked for a 100% deposit 2.5 months in advance, along with a 100% forfeiture 2 months out. Considering the rates at St. Regis, that's quite a hefty charge for an unfortunate change of plans. Hopefully they'll fall in line with the status quo sometime soon... as I'd like to swing out there for a few days?

UPDATE: I received a callback from their rev manager... turns out the above scenario was in fact an error, the rate was incorrectly coded in their system. It wasn't apparent to the Plat Concierge when I inquired, so I assumed it to be legit. Therefore, as hoped, their deposit and cancellation policies are fully in-line with most other resort properties (45-cancel, with exception of Sundance Festival and other special events). My thanks to the manager for the callback... it's always a welcome surprise to have someone on-property "own" an issue through to resolution. Plus, I'm back on for this trip to Deer Valley... woot! ^

McGoogles

Food suggestion: Don't forget the High West Distillery.

josephstern

The miles redemption rooms are non-cancellable after a certain date also. I put a note in my calendar a week before the date, just as a check-up.

josephstern

Thanks!

If anyone else has dining recommendations around there, please post!

skelzer

Yeah, I was hoping to book this reservation with points but my upcoming trip to Bahia Beach wiped me out (3 rooms), especially considering it was just bumped to Level 7 redemption. At least the mgr at Deer Valley said they're happy sticking with their Level 6 for a while...

Fyi, turns out my issue was an error - see the edit to my original post.

McGoogles

Ok, I'll throw in a few different food suggestions from those mentioned above. As a disclaimer, I live in SLC and only spend time up in PC to mountain bike and grab food after, so my choices are much more casual than the list a few posts up. That list seems pretty good for the upscale destinations. High West, as mentioned, is a good in-between place with a casual atmosphere, good cocktails for utah, and really good food. El Chubasco is fantastic Mexican with absolutely no hint of atmosphere, probably best for lunch. The No-Name Saloon has good burgers. Wasatch Bagel and Grill is the best place for a cheap breakfast sandwich.

McGoogles

Stayed here to check it out last Saturday. Wow, quite impressed. Got upgraded as a Plat to a luxury suite. It wasn't ready when we got there at 1pm but we didn't give them advance notice we would be there early. We probably aren't the typical guests as we jumped on our mountain bikes and hit some good trails right out the front door for a few hours before returning. The staff was extremely accomodating, pointing us to a hose for our bikes and storing them in one of the locked luggage rooms. I felt pretty bad walking across the lobby covered in mud, but hey, they said it was fine! Room was great with 2 fireplaces and a fantastic shower. The champagne sabering was a smidge hokey but I understand the tradition. Drinks and charcuterie in the bar were delicious and the free shuttle made a night on the town extremely smooth. They granted a late checkout immediately upon ask.

Absolutely smooth stay, great upgrade, would love to go back in the future.

mgchan

Does anyone know the current price for car service to/from the airport through the hotel?

Also, for ski rentals, I read that you can charge things to your room at the on-site ski shop. Does this work if you reserve rentals online?

Is it better to buy lift tickets in advance (to avoid sell-out and for a better price) or just get them at the hotel and have them charged to the room?

TerryK

I won't worry about sold-out lift tickets unless you are going in the last week of the year. The ticketing limit is more of a marketing hype than anything. You can charge anything to the room but you won't get any Starpoints. Those charges are not eligible charges.

josephstern

I'm going for what will probably be the last week of the year. Maybe second-to-last.

Is staying in the hotel not a guarantee of being able to buy lift tickets?