Aspen is one of those fabled ski destinations that every snow aficionado yearns to visit at least once in their lifetime.  Home to legendary Ajax mountain (Aspen), along with Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass, it’s a historic town with both history and character by the spades.  There’s only a few luxurious accommodations that you can actually rent here (if you don’t count the numerous multi-million dollar mansions scattered throughout the slope-sides).  One of the only ones that ranks high on the luxury list, yet offers the amenities and laissez-faire attitude of a rental condominium unit – is the Gant.

A simple property located just on the edge of town, the Gant Aspen possesses three tiers of condos for rent.  All three are plenty fine accommodations but if you want modern, definitely go for the Premier.

Differences in materials aside, all of the units have real fireplaces, full kitchens, and all the amenities you would want in a ski-worthy condominium.  That includes a washer/dryer in most units, a heated room for you ski gear, and great living room spaces to relax and spend some quality apres-ski time in.

The property also just underwent a $5 million renovation in its common area building, which houses a full gym, a small restaurant and bar, and a lovely fireplace and sitting area for when you need to rest those sore legs from a day of hitting the slopes.  In the summer a rooftop terrace houses another bar and hosts live events.

 

There’s a few qualities which I especially loved about this property.  One, the service was impeccable.  Everyone who worked there knew you by name, things were delivered in a timely manner when requested, and of course there was the ever omnipresent Gant shuttles.  You see, Aspen is a decent sized town, and sometimes when it’s 5 degrees out you really don’t want to walk too far.  The Gant Shuttles run from morning until 11PM and they will pick you up from anywhere in town and will even take you to the airport.  More surprisingly, I never had to wait more than five minutes at any point for a shuttle.  This was by far one of the most impressive features of the property.

Although this isn’t a full service resort (no room service), it is certainly a full-service condominium property.  Maid service was on par with what i’ve experienced at most five-star resorts, and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and recommend this as one of the top properties to stay at when visiting Aspen/Snowmass.

RATING:

Hard Product:

-Location (How close is this to top attractions in the surrounding area?)

10/10

-Cleanliness (Is the grout in the bathroom clean?  How good is maid service here?)

9/10

-Upkeep (Is the hotel in need of a remodel, or is it being constantly kept up?)

9/10

-Public Spaces (How unique/inventive/useful are the public spaces?)

8/10

 

Soft Product:

-Service (How good is the service here?)

8/10

-Restaurants On-Site (Are the restaurants on site somewhere even the locals would go to?)

5/10

-Concierge (Specifically, how effective is the Concierge at helping you with a new locale?)

9/10

TOTAL: 58/70

(35/70 is average)

 

PROS:

• Incredibly polite and efficient service
• Maid service was impeccable
• Units were in great shape

CONS:

• Although not a truly full service hotel, it would’ve been nice to have had a full service restaurant on site

SECRETS:

• Be sure to opt for an upgraded suite if you want something more modern

In my travels, I have yet to find a Four Seasons which doesn’t wow me with both service and spectacle.  The Four Seasons in Vail is no different.

If you check out the roster of hotels on the Four Season website, you’ll notice that the majority of them revolve around Snow & Surf.  There’s a reason for this.  Instead of being a typical hotel chain which caters to clients at multiple locations, the typical Four Seasons is oriented towards the vacationer.  Their properties on the slopes are especially well refined for this purpose, and I always recommend trying to stay at a Four Seasons if you’re looking for a snow vacation.

This property seems a little newer than the Four Seasons I recently visited in Whistler, and it’s a stunning showcase of wood & stone, fitting in perfectly with the Tyrolean village of Vail.

The public spaces are abound at this property, with cozy fireplaces and a gorgeous bar to relax and unwind after a day on the slopes.

The rooms are understated and elegant, with attention to detail in the soft product – clothes folded for you by maid service, turn down service with night time snacks.  After staying in hundreds of luxury properties some of these things can seem repetitive (and I write that without any flippancy), but the Four Seasons always amazes me by the consistency of their service and this Vail property doesn’t stray from that.

PROS:

• Service is impeccable, par for the course at a Four Seasons
• The hotel is particularly new (as of 2017)
• Everything here is oriented towards helping you save time, from the private shuttle service which runs every 5 minutes, to the ski in/ski out valet service

CONS:

• The rooms have absolutely nothing wrong with them, but the muted tones could easily be replaced with something a bit more colorful or exciting

SECRETS:

• The ski in/ski out valet service is great for saving time, but if you want a greater selection of skis/boards i’d go to the Christie’s ski shop in town and rent from there, they also have their own ski in/ski out service right next to the main Gondola in Vail

THINGS TO DO:

• Check out my article on the Sebastian to read about things to do in Vail!

 

I really wanted to love the Sebastian – the timeless decor, the enormous rooms, the boutique touches.  This is a boutique hotel done right (for the most part).  Almost everything about this hotel was perfect except for ONE glaring issue I had.  It was enough of an issue that it keeps me from recommending it over the Four Seasons in Vail.  However, we’ll get to that later.

The minute you walk into the property you notice how well built everything is.  There’s a solidity to everything about this hotel, from the extreme insulation in between the floors and rooms, to the stunning timeless decor, and the multimillion dollar artwork, the property screams class and elegance.

The hotel has a boutique feel to it, in the sense that everyone knows your name, and that nothing feels corporate about the property.  The foyer housing the restaurant Leonara is a gorgeous setting, with staircases winding up and down the three terrace room as if you were in a real life version of Escher’s stairs.

Upstairs there’s a game room, where pinball machines, arcade games, a pool table, air hockey, and numerous other activities exist for young and old.  The attention to many public spaces for everyone to lounge and relax in really is what sets this mountainside resort apart from the competition.

The rooms themselves are also beautifully decorated, immaculately kept, and barely show their 7 year age.

The location also couldn’t be better, right at the heart of Vail village, you are only about a five minute walk from the base gondola, and within spitting distance of pubs, restaurants, and more shopping than your Amex will want to partake in.  Everything is fine and dandy except for one VERY large problem I had.  TERRIBLE room service.  Half of the time room service didn’t come to my room until 4PM.  The other half of the time, they made glaring errors, like forgetting to pick up trash, neglecting to refill water bottles in the room, or taking my robe away without replacing it with a fresh one.

I would normally overlook some of these issues but with a 5-star hotel costing north of $750/night you do expect perfect maid service and turn down service.  This hotel really does deserve to be #1, but until they can clean up their maid service, I just can’t recommend it to friends and family without a few reservations.

 

PROS:

• Stunning property with tons of style
• Awesome public spaces – above and beyond
• Great insulation in between rooms.  Really was a quiet and serene experience

CONS:

• Maid service could really use some help
• It’s too bad they didn’t put fireplaces in these ski-friendly rooms
• The ski valet had a terrible selection of items to rent

SECRETS:

• Don’t order room service, order in from the late night restaurants all throughout Vail

THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA:

• Do visit Sweet Basil, a dining establishment that is nearing a 4th decade in Vail.  It’s incredible cuisine and worth every penny!