The Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas, Beaver Creek Mountain

Arrived, no valet. Dragged the bags in myself. Got convoluted instructions how to self-park that made my eyes gloss over as she just kept talking. It wasn’t that complicated. No mention of Bonvoy benefits at all. Getting into my room, there was a dirty napkin from a prior guest left hanging in the shower. I asked for housekeeping. They showed up and took the napkin away, didn’t even make a show of actually cleaning the bathroom. Bed was definitely not the “heavenly bed”- mattress was old and worn and I woke up multiple times every night with hip pain despite letting guest services know after the first night. They just put 2 comforters down under the fitted sheet- no other solutions offered in this near-empty hotel (like changing room, changing mattress). Hair dryer doesn’t work, intermittently blows hot and cold. At that point, I didn’t bother calling again to ask to fix that too. Was put in the villas where the smell of cooking and fried meat from neighboring units fills your unit and can’t help but seep into your clothes. Coffee shop is closed, market is closed, restaurant is closed except for an a la carte breakfast- none of this is outlined on the web site so you wouldn’t know that when booking. No mention of my [lifetime] platinum benefits when checking in despite attaching my number to the reservation. So got none. On the last night, I called to ask where I could eat because even the pool restaurant was closed that day and was told repeatedly by an agent (with someone whispering to her in the background very obviously) to look up the website for the restaurants, and my only option is the lobby bar. The website given shows the lobby bar hours until 10pm and does not say anything about the kitchen closing before that. So I arrived at 9:15. And was told the kitchen had closed and to try in-room dining. In-room dining had also closed at 9 except salads and sandwiches. And adds 22% to each bill plus a 6$ delivery fee After everything, I finally got upset on my last night there, I was starving, having eaten only a couple of granola bars because I spent a good part of the day in a sales pitch for the residences that I genuinely considered but finally declined. I spoke to “service express” whose attitude was clearly that it’s not their problem (though they were the one who sent me to the website that said the place was open til 10 and served food). No acceptance of any responsibility. I asked for the manager- similarly no accountability or care. I was told I could try Domino’s pizza. I have a health problem and this trip was made to try to help as a “wellness” getaway…with all the attention to “wellness” they advertise. Domino’s pizza isn’t even a possibility for me, but they clearly didn’t care why I might have been concerned in the first place. Last night ruined with zero effort to try to help or even figure out how to make amends for their mistake-much less take responsibility for it. They just shifted blame to another department as if that make

I've stayed at a few properties in the Vail/Breckenridge/Avon area and this is my favorite so far. I have not stayed at the Ritz or Grand Hyatt in Vail and those may change my mind but I digress. It's worth noting that there are only a little over 30 villas available at the vacation club property so booking here during ski season is very difficult. I stayed in a 1 BR villa on the 3rd floor with a view of the gondola. The bathroom was really nice with a separate soaking tub and walkin shower. The sofa has a short back and made it awkward to lean back on. That was my only critique of the villa. It's true that the vacation club building has no amenities. I chose to walk through the garage to get to the hotel building rather than walking outside. The 3 large outdoor hot tubs made the effort worth it. The hot tubs here are better than the other ski properties I have stayed at. It's also true that the property is not on the Beaver Creek mountain. I was here the week before the gondola was running. While there are numerous free shuttle and bus options, I chose to drive and park at the mountain for convenience. The drive is not far at all. I also attended a sale meeting. I did not feel pressured. I was looking for an option that would ideally guarantee me a ski week here or improve my chances, but since they are not selling weeks anymore, there are no options to guarantee a reservation. I passed on making a purchase. Beaver Creek turned out to be really fun even though the mountain was partially open during early December. I would love to come back again and would even stay at the nearby Sheraton Mountain Villas (while clearly a downgrade, the property is fine) if the Westin Riverfront is not available.

Such a nice property. Easy access. Friendly staff. The amenities always available. Good food and good ambiance. Great options for families