Putting the on Ritz

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Feb 20, 2005 by DEB ACORD THE GAZETTE

At luxury hotels in the Ritz-Carlton chain, amenities fit the environment. An elegant ballroom in Montreal. Gourmet Venetian food in Berlin. Villas along the beach at Bahrain. Hot chocolate and a cold dog's nose at Bachelor Gulch.

That's right. The hotel chain that became known in the early 1900s for its elegance and formality has one of the least elegant, least formal canines working as an official ambassador in its newest Colorado property. At The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, in the shadow of Beaver Creek Mountain west of Denver, a chunky yellow Labrador retriever named Bachelor roams the hallways and lobby, making friends and bumming treats.

A resident dog is one of the features that makes this Ritz- Carlton property unique, and it's one way that this resort reflects its mountain setting, says spokesman Steven Holt.

In its early days, the Ritz-Carlton chain was known for its high- style setting. Staff members were required to wear formal dress, the cuisine was gourmet, the lobbies were small and intimate. Dress codes were strictly enforced, women couldn't lunch alone and the social standing of potential guests might be examined before they were allowed to check in. Doing something in high style became known as "putting on the ritz."

The chain has gone through several incarnations since then, and the current company was established in 1983. It owns 54 hotels around the world and plans for major expansion on several continents.

The Bachelor Gulch location, next door to the ski resort of Beaver Creek Village, opened in November 2002 after two years of construction. It was the first luxury resort to open in Colorado's mountains in more than a decade, and the first in the Ritz-Carlton chain with this kind of decor.

The resort will look and feel familiar to anyone who has visited Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Tetons National Park, Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park or El Tovar at the Grand Canyon.

"We call its style 'parkitecture,'" Holt says. The enor- mous lodge-style building covers 11 acres on the mountainside and features massive wood beams, gleaming wood floors and more than 6.3 million pounds of Colorado moss rock.

It most resembles Old Faithful Inn, down to a centerpiece clock and massive stone fireplace that's a gathering place for guests.

That resemblance was planned and even inspired by the architecture of Robert Reamer, who designed Old Faithful Inn and other national park lodges in the early 1900s, Holt says.

But make no mistake, Bachelor Gulch guests aren't roughing it.

The rough-hewn lodge holds some of the most luxurious, and pricey, accommodations in the Vail-Beaver Creek area, which is known for its high-end lodging. It's popular year-round, but during the ski season, it really shines -- as much for its amenities as for its location just steps from the Bachelor Gulch ski lift.

On a sunny winter day, Bachelor the Lab wanders among guests who have the luxury of:

A hot-chocolate sommelier. A comfort-drink expert guides guests through a menu of steaming chocolate -- from Hershey's to the European delicacy Valrhona -- garnishes such as toasted nuts and chocolate shavings, and heated milk or half-and-half.

A ski nanny. Imagine a day of relaxing while the kids go skiing. The ski nanny picks them up in the morning, guides them through rentals and ski school sign-up, puts on their mittens, drops them off for lessons and treats them to theater or activities afterward.

Access to an acclaimed 21,000-square-foot spa and fitness center that features 19 treatment rooms, a steaming rock-lined grotto with a waterfall and a "Hot Chocolate Stone Massage," with warm chocolate oil and hot stones.

Winter lodging without that pesky snow in the courtyard. OK, here it's called the porte-cochere (a carriage entrance that leads to an enclosed courtyard), which is heated so the pavement stays dry.

Humidity-controlled guest room corridors. Of course.

Marble bathtubs, feather beds, goose-down pillows and three telephones per room (including a cordless).

A ski valet, lift ticket services, twice-daily housekeeping service and a "technology butler."

And then there's Bachelor, who can be borrowed for a stroll, a hike or a snowshoe adventure once a day (twice on Wednesdays). The dog, who has what must be the world's largest dog house, adds to the casual Colorado feel of the hotel and appears unfazed by its opulence.

Even a visiting Yorkshire terrier, wearing a tiny version of its owner's tortoiseshell sunglasses, can't faze the blonde resident. The terrier quivers. Bachelor just wags his tail as the newest guests enter the front door.

PUTTING ON THE RITZ

About The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch

Location: In Bachelor Gulch on Beaver Creek Mountain, next door to Beaver Creek Village; 18 miles west of Vail on I-70.

Accommodations: 237 rooms, including 28 suites and the Ritz- Carlton Suite; ski-in, ski-out, with the Bachelor Gulch lift, a high- speed quad that's a few steps from the back door and offers access to Beaver Creek Resort; 77 rooms have fireplaces; 99 percent of rooms have mountain or valley views.