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Park Hyatt Beaver Creek
The Rockies area near Denver is one of the highest-density ski regions in the whole U.S.; within this area, the Vail Group alone operates four resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Breckenridge) , plus a partnered resort, Arapahoe Basin. Vail is the largest, while Beaver Creek is smaller than Vail, but its high-difficulty runs are better known.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa is located right at the edge of the Beaver Creek slopes, with direct Ski In Ski Out access. It is one of Hyatt’s Category 7 properties, and redeeming for a night requires 30,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points. I used two unrestricted free-night certificates I earned from opening two Chase Hyatt credit cards for this stay.
Because of its great location, it is hard to book during ski-season weekends and holidays. I checked Hyatt.com today and found only one weekend with open availability, while weekday availability was plentiful. If you plan to stay, book it well in advance.
PHBC’s standard rate is generally around $800-$1,000 per night, but during peak times it can jump to $5,000 a night. There is also a $50 resort fee per night (off-season is $25; points and free nights are exempt) , plus $50 per day for Valet parking. (Of course, you can also skip driving and take the airport Shuttle.)
Check-In
The lobby is not large, with most of the main space taken up by a bar. Check-in was very smooth, but it does not have the same luxurious atmosphere as other Park Hyatt properties; this brand feel here seems to come mostly from its association with upscale Vail. The hotel has very few rooms overall, only 190, so there are not many good upgrades available. At best, you might get a Mountain View room; a suite is unlikely, and even a Diamond Suite Upgrade cannot be used. The pricing is also not budget-friendly. Also, some top-floor rooms are sold as Hyatt Residence Club timeshare units.
Since I stayed over Christmas, the lobby was full of holiday decorations.
Rooms
If you have high room expectations, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek can be disappointing, but if you go in expecting a Hyatt Place-level room, you’ll probably feel fine.
The bathroom is very plain, with nothing particularly noteworthy.
Toiletries are from Bergamote.
Skiing?
As a Ski In Ski Out hotel, the biggest convenience is that you do not need to deal with parking, and you do not need to carry your skis very far to get around. It is very easy to come and go from the hotel. The Ski School pick-up point is right at the entrance, which is super convenient if you are taking lessons.
The hotel offers free Ski Valet service to help you store your boots and skis. It is at the entrance facing the mountain side. Of course, gratuity is still required.
If you have an Epic Pass(including Tahoe Pass) , lift tickets for these resorts may be included. If you ski with someone using a Pass, you can also buy a Ski With A Friend (SWAF) ticket or a Buddy Ticket, both cheaper than walk-up rates.
At the end of the day, the fire pit at the hotel entrance gives out free marshmallows that you can skewer on sticks and toast. They are actually pretty good.
After a full day on the mountain, you can also relax in the outdoor hot tub.
You can also go ice skating. There is a large skating rink right outside the hotel, and it is often busy in the evenings.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served at 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill inside the hotel.
Breakfast buffet is $32 per person ($16 for kids) . As a Hyatt Diamond member, breakfast is included, and the hotel also covers gratuity up to 20%. If you want to order from the menu, there is a spending limit of about $60, which is enough to be fully satisfied.
The food choices at 8100 are relatively abundant and cover most of the basics, with made-to-order omelets available as well.
Bread and fruit options are also plentiful. Overall, PHBC’s breakfast still meets Park Hyatt standards.
Summary
Although PHBC’s rooms are not as luxurious as other Park Hyatt hotels, the property is still very good overall. Whether from location or amenities, I was very satisfied with this two-day experience. However, because it is in a premium resort area, there are many elite members, and it is very difficult to get late checkout and other elite benefits.
Price is another important consideration; whether it is worth paying this amount to save a few steps is up to you. Since this hotel generally stays above $800 per night, by adding the Resort Fee and taxes it can approach $1,000. We recommend using 30,000 Hyatt points (points can be transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards) and booking well in advance.
Nearby Hotels
Another lodge on the mountain also has a Ritz-Carlton, The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor, also Ski In Ski Out. I hope I get a chance to stay there in the future. But the room rates there can often get out of control. Since this is a Tier 5 hotel, the few free nights from the Chase Ritz-Carlton credit card cannot be used, and with Ritz-Carlton points it requires 70,000 points per night, which is relatively reasonable.
[caption id="attachment_5009" align="aligncenter" width="4032"] The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch at another side of the lodge[/caption>
Additionally, there is a Westin Riverfront Resort farther away, with a gondola at the hotel entrance so you can go straight uphill. In general it is a bit cheaper and is also a good option.
Bonus
A few days after check-out, while I had downtime I checked my Hyatt account and found that a Free Night had posted points. I’m not sure what the calculation was based on, but there were quite a lot of points.
Looks like there are still plenty of opportunities to chase Hyatt points.
What do you think? Share your thoughts here!