Luxurious Trilogy
Photography Courtesy of Individual Properties
Park City already packs some serious clout among resort destinations. But over the course of about 18 months, as the Dakota Mountain Lodge and Golden Door Spa, the St. Regis Deer Crest and the Montage Deer Valley have, or are preparing to come on line, the Park City offering becomes sort of a three-count knockout, elevating this resort area’s reputation to dizzying heights of elegance, grandeur and luxury.
The Dakota Mountain Lodge and Golden Door Spa opened with understated fanfare in July. It is Utah’s first Waldorf Astoria luxury brand hotel — and that’s just the first of the firsts. Located on a hillside just a short gondola ride from the base of The Canyons Resort, it becomes the first ski-in-ski-out hotel in the Waldorf Astoria Collection.
Dakota Mountain Lodge brings three luxury brands under one roof. There’s the Waldorf Astoria brand, named for William Waldorf Astor who built the original 13-story Waldorf Hotel in New York City in 1893 that was eventually connected by a long marble corridor to his cousin’s 17-story Astoria Hotel — hence the double hyphen in the name: The Waldorf-Astoria New York. Secondly, the Spruce restaurant is serving breakfast, lunch and dinner at The Dakota. The local restaurant is based on the original award-winning Spruce in the San Francisco Bay area. Thirdly, there’s the Golden Door Spa. In sharp contrast to the dark cocoa browns, blacks and creams of the lodge decor, the spa is granite and glass, honey-colored alder and white leather. Strings of water cascading two stories serenade the spa with sonorous ripples and splashes. A living wall, 20 feet tall and seven feet wide, is festooned with a variety of lush plants in varied greens, browns, mustards and maroons that give pattern and texture to the organic tapestry. Dakota Mountain Lodge Spokesperson Cindy Lawrence says that to her knowledge, this is the first “living wall” in the state. She reflects that the design concept in the spa is “to bring the best of Utah inside.” But for those who do venture outside, a large, heated pool awaits. Fire pits and oversized deck chairs make the area inviting regardless of the temperature.
The Dakota’s decor may be more contemporary than the typical mountain resort, but no less comfortable. A 300-year-old mantelpiece from southern Italy beckons from the far end of the grand lobby. A gaming table and a two-sided couch are refurbished antiques. Custom chandeliers and sconces are crafted from wrought iron and Baccarat crystal. Of note is the artwork, including original photographs by a friend of the developer, who took all of the photographs within a 50-mile radius of Park City, keeping the look local. The photographs appoint common spaces as well as the walls of the 175 rooms and suites of the Dakota Mountain Lodge.
Moving to Deer Valley, the St. Regis Deer Crest straddles Roosevelt Gap, commanding spectacular 360-degree views embracing the Jordanelle Reservoir, Park City’s Main Street, the Uintas, lower Deer Valley Resort and beyond. Scheduled for an early November opening, the St. Regis also brings three big names under one roof. Of course, there’s the St. Regis itself, the venerable New York City hotel founded by John Jacob Astor, who met his end while aboard the Titanic on its fateful maiden voyage.
Secondly, St. Regis guests will find the 17,000-foot Reméde Spa and fitness center with treatment rooms for individuals and couples. A waterfall originating outside the hotel flows into pools and channels into a stream that meanders down the middle of a circular staircase to the lower level of the spa.
Thirdly, the signature Jean-Georges Grill and restaurant will seat guests at “great tables” for family-style gatherings. A wine vault with a private dining area is capable of storing approximately 5,000 bottles and count on as many as 67 private wine lockers there. “With the recent changes in state regulations, we believe we’ll be able to accomplish that,” says Michael Zaccaro, managing partner of Deer Crest Janna, LLC, which owns the St. Regis. “Overall, the hotel hopes to have 10 to 15,000 wine bottles in the wine cellar, making this not only a first-class, but a world-class restaurant and wine location.”
Most St. Regis guests will arrive in the hotel’s Snow Park lobby via the only commercial funicular in the country, enjoying a 90-second ride up a track hugging 500 feet of steep slope. All guests, whether staying the night, dining at the Jean-Georges Grill, enjoying an après-ski drink at the St. Regis Bar, or taking in the views, are welcome to use the funicular. Deer Crest residents can drive vehicles into the private gated Deer Crest community.
Ninety-two condominium units populate the hotel, including 25 privately owned residences on the top four floors. Rumor has it that one individual bought the entire 11th floor. CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz owns one residence.
The first seven floors are composed of 67 condominium units that can be broken out into 181 room keys. They will all eventually be privately owned but put back into the rental pool. Most are three-bedroom units, each of which can be broken down into three hotel rooms, or “keys,” available to the vacationing public.
Vacationers can hunker down after a day of skiing on any of four patios, one of which is encircled by a firewall — so instead of a fire pit where people crowd around for warmth, the entire 30-to-40-foot-wide patio is surrounded by a ring of gas-powered fire. The lower half of the fire ring is natural rock, topped by a wall of glass that serves as a windshield. Zaccaro expects this will be “a great place to hang out in the afternoon or evening.”
But if it’s a more rarefied atmosphere that the weary traveler is in need of, up the road a bit next to Deer Valley’s Empire Lodge at 8,300 feet, the Montage Deer Valley is taking shape. Still a mass of steel girders and concrete, the vast resort is nothing short of amazing in scope and amenities. Here guests are promised “impeccable hospitality, exceptional epicurean experiences, world-class spas and an elegant yet welcoming ambiance with the goal of creating lasting and cherished memories.”
Scheduled for completion in time for the 2010-2011 ski season, the Montage Deer Valley is, “the resort of choice for the discerning traveler looking for the incredible mountain escape and destination,” according to General Manager Marcus Jackson.
Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Principle Broker Montage Deer Valley, A. Flint Decker says, “Think the great lodges of the National Parks” where mountain elegance prevails in wide open spaces with cozy nooks for retreat. Look for “tonal beautiful tartans and leathers, weaves and patterns — all custom made furnishings.”
Of the three fresh luxury offerings in the Park City area, The Montage is the new kid on the block, having been launched by CEO and founder Alan J. Fuerstman, who in 2002 chose to develop a collection of unique hotels focused on the affluent traveler. There are two other Montage hotels, and location defines them: Laguna Beach and Beverly Hills.
Decker adds that the location of the Montage Deer Valley says it all — spectacular views surround the resort, with the most inspiring difficult to select. There’s the lofty view down Daly Canyon or the panorama of the Daly Chutes — or the view toward the Lady Morgan Lift or across the way to Empire Lodge. The Montage can truly claim the pinnacle of ski-in-ski-out access, completely surrounded at that altitude early in the season by the Greatest Snow on Earth® and three high-speed chairlifts within a snowball’s throw. “When we say, ‘Yes, you can ski 360 degrees around the facility,’ it’s not marketing folklore,” Decker says with a chuckle.
And we haven’t even mentioned the indoor bowling alley or ski beach with heated pools where sunbathers can catch the afternoon rays in ski boots, a bikini, or both. There’s the pizza pub and family game area, the 35,000-square-foot spa and 174 guest rooms with 81 private residences, some of which have multiple floors.
“I hope the Montage becomes a favorite spot for locals, “Jackson says, “and that they’ll enjoy it as much as the visiting guests do.”
But do we really need three luxury retreats in this small mountain town? “The global answer is yes,” Jackson says. “Although Park City is already a phenomenal success and destination, the addition of these hotels will continue to elevate it and make it more competitive with some of the other mountain destinations in the U.S.”
Ann Johnson is a native Arizonan but calls Utah home. She has resided in the Park City area for nearly 15 years and wouldn’t have it any other way. She produces the KPCW Mountain Money report.
Your comments may be edited for brevity and foul language.