Snowgrrl recently stayed at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort in Vail, Colorado during Vail’s Skadifest event (which will be documented soon!)  This post describes snowgrrl’s experience at the hotel.  We evaluated the hotel based on the same criterion we used for the Four Seasons, Vail Cascades and Westin Beaver Creek.

1.  Staff attitude: Fine.  Other than the valet/bell desk staff, who quickly took the luggage up to the room and dropped the skis (but mysteriously, not the poles or boots –  “keep them with you, because those tend to get lost”) at the ski valet when we checked in, the people working here seemed somewhat unenthusiastic, bordering on indifferent.  A few different interactions with the concierge yielded terse answers, practically accompanied by eye rolls. For instance, on Wednesday night when I needed to get to the Lionshead event room, just a minute drive or 7 minute walk from the hotel, I asked her if the hotel’s SUV might be able to drop me off.  “Maybe,” she replied, “but they’re usually pretty busy with other guests, so you should probably take the bus.”  Sure enough, when I peered outside through the snowflakes, the courtesy vehicle sat parked in the driveway, but no driver was in sight (a huge contrast to the Four Seasons, who practically carried us on thrones into their comfy SUV).   Fortunately, the town of Vail has a bus stop literally steps from the front door of the Marriott, so it was no big deal to get to my destination.  But…. it would have been nice to feel like a valued guest rather than a nuisance.

The folks working in the ski valet inside the attached Charter Sports were the usual array of die-hard ski/snowboarding fanatics and foreigners here for the winter.  Some chatter about where to score the best pot was overheard as they grabbed my boots from the boot warmer (a very nice and cozy touch!)

2.  Ease of getting to the slopes:  Good.  The hotel is located close to the Eagle Bahn gondola in Lionshead village.  It’s less than a 5 minute walk from the Charter Sports entrance at the back of the hotel to the gondola.  Somehow though, when the ski valet took our skis on his cart, to drop off by the gondola, we got there waaaay in advance of the cart and had to cool our heels (literally) waiting, I guess till his cart filled up?   So if you’re anxious to get on the slopes, just carry your own skis.

3.  Guest Room: Small.  Although we apparently got an “upgraded” room, there was barely enough room to squeeze between the bed and the dresser/TV stand and bench.  The corners of the beds were very sharp, and twice I walked into them, resulting in huge bruises on my legs.  When I explained this to the front desk person working on Friday morning, he apologized and acknowledged the poor design.  I can see how those sharp corners would be dangerous if kids were in the room.  The front desk guy also explained, as I was checking out, that the upgrade only referred to the view, which was indeed quite lovely, and not the size of the room itself.

4.  Hot tub/pool/spa area:  Ok.  We did not experience the hotel’s indoor pool.  The outdoor hot tub was large enough to accommodate around 8 people the night we went in.  The tarp was pulled over the pool, so we couldn’t swim in it.

5.  Apres-ski ambience:  Nice! The hotel provided complimentary hot chocolate and s’mores supplies for guests in the afternoons.  There was also an amazing guitarist who set up shop at the bar later in the evening.  Sitting by the fireplace listing to him was definitely a highlight of the trip.

6.  Fitness Area:  We did not check out the hotel’s fitness facility.

7.  Accessibility: Great.  The hotel is conveniently located in Lionshead village by Arrabelle Square, near the Rimini, ice rink, and many restaurants and bars, and it’s a stop on the Town of Vail’s bus route!

In short, while the hotel is very well located, and provides a nice apres-ski experience, the snooty concierge and cramped room made for a less than stellar stay.

All opions expressed in this article are my own.  The Vail Marriott Mountain resort did not compensate me or reimburse me in any way.