Story Ideas
Vail Mountain 2008-2009 Story Ideas
Vail Renaissance Redefines Luxury
The experience in Vail today redefines luxury in the travel industry. January 2008 marked the grand opening of the Arrabelle at Vail Square in LionsHead; the luxury boutique hotel caters to a winter-lovers every whim and sets the new service standard for Vail with a ski valet and personal concierge attention. The pristine look of LionsHead today is complemented by a variety of innovative restaurants and shops. Signature dining at Arrabelle’s Centre V, a French-brasserie inspired mountainside restaurant, features simple, decadent dishes to please the palate. Vail Chophouse offers hearty surf and turf just steps from the base of the lifts. Rimini, the high-end chocolate shop, whisks you to the streets of Italy with their wickedly delicious gelatos and hot chocolate. Anchored by the largest slopeside Burton Store in the world, professional or leisure shoppers can’t help but adorn themselves in the latest in resort fashions from Patagonia, North Face and Quicksilver attire.
Vail’s renaissance can be found in all corners of the community. Guests will discover new wonders among the 280 new hotel rooms and 60,000 square feet of new retail space. Work also continues on the Four Seasons Residence Club scheduled to open late 2009 and the Ritz Carlton Residences in 2010. Manor Vail, located at Golden Peak, is set to complete a state-of-the-art renovation and anticipates re-opening for the 2008-2009 ski season.
SKImmersion- Changing the Way Skiers Learn on the Slopes
The Vail Snowsports School is recognized as the largest and one of the best schools in the ski industry. Its diverse offerings reach far beyond the traditional group and private adult and kids lessons, and include developing a series of specialty programs designed for all skier levels. SKImmersion, the newest Focused Learning Program offered by the school’s specially trained coaching staff, applies the methods that top athletes and sports psychologists use to develop skiing skills and tactics. Over the course of the program, participants consult with a boot fitting and alignment specialist, learn from daily video sessions and in-depth reviews, and participate in both specialized indoor and outdoor training on Vail Mountain. After five days, attendees should expect to be mentally and physically stronger, tactically smarter, and ski longer through life. Program dates are Dec. 14-19, 2008; Jan. 18-23, 2009; Feb. 1-6, 2009; March 1-6, 2009.
SPA-tacular
Vail’s renowned spa collection continues to grow with the addition of three more luxury spas, each featuring unique opulent treatment menus. The Arrabelle’s luxurious 10,000-square-foot RockResorts Spa™ is complete with 11 pampering treatment rooms to accommodate individuals, couples, groups and families. Included is a top-notch fitness center, full-service nail salon, relaxation lounges, saunas, whirlpools and more all designed to soothe and rejuvenate after a day on the slopes. Its alpine-inspired treatments incorporate natural ingredients and aromas indigenous to the area- from mountain pine juniper and lavender to white pine and cedar. During the summer of 2008, a new 11,600-square-foot RockResorts Spa™ debuted at the Lodge at Vail, offering 11 treatment rooms including a luxurious couples’ room with a fireside soaking tub for two, a wet treatment room, two facial rooms, and seven massage rooms. It also has a separate women’s relaxation lounge, large co-ed relaxation lounge, as well as a fitness complex with top-of-the-line LifeFitness equipment and a movement studio for yoga, stretch and Pilates classes. Pevonia Botanica’s organic product line allows for treatments such as caviar facials, wildflower aromatherapy, and green tea and chamomile body treatments. For details visit www.rockresorts.com. The Sorrento Spa at the Vail Plaza Hotel is now open featuring Vinotherapy. Using the powerful antioxidants found in wine grapes, treatments such as the Red Wine Vine Bath, the Honey and Wine Wrap or Crushed Cabernet Scrub provide superior anti-aging and skin balancing effects.
Green Stewards
Vail’s ongoing efforts to offset and reduce energy usage continue to set the bar for environmental stewardship throughout the travel industry. After receiving the second annual Gold Leader award from the State of Colorado’s Environmental Leadership Program in 2008, the resort continues to develop, test, and implement programs which contribute to global sustainability. Harnessing the resort’s 300 days of sunshine, the environmental team installed 42 200-watt solar panels on the roof of Bailey's restaurant at Adventure Ridge over the summer, creating an 8.4 kilowatt system that will produce enough energy to power the entire building and the excess electricity will light other facilities at Eagle's Nest. This project is the latest among a number of ongoing initiatives which are intended to reduce and/or offset energy use at the resort. Vail has the largest ski area recycling program in the world, recycling or reusing more than 70 percent of the material on the mountain including cardboard, aluminum, glass and even chairlifts and mechanical parts. Water efficient faucets and restrooms conserve almost two million gallons of water annually and compact fluorescent bulbs already have saved more than $25,000. Combined, the resort’s energy conservation efforts save more than two million kilowatt hours of electricity, which is equal to the electricity used by 187 homes in one year. As stewards of our public lands, the resort also implements springtime terrain closures in the Back Bowls for elk calving. And while tough to spot, Vail installed bat boxes around the mountain, encouraging insectivores to feast on mosquitoes in a natural means. Vail’s free "bat housing" is full of small, winged residents and some use them as a second “vacation home”. These efforts, along with company-wide initiatives such as Appetite for Life, Use Less, Do More, demonstrate a commitment to continuing to act good stewards of the environment.
Events on a Grand Scale
Vail’s seasonal celebrations have brought the perception of ski town events to a new level. The resort offers some of the largest and best attended celebrations in the industry highlighted by multiple big name acts and on mountain contests. Kicking off the ski season, Vail Snow Daze provides the perfect reason to play hooky from work and head to the slopes. This weeklong festival Dec. 8-14, 2008 includes bar parties, on mountain activities such as the Dummy Gelunde contest and headliner concerts. CarniVail, held Feb. 22-24, 2009, is a true Mardi Gras celebration mountain-style, with World’s Highest Low Country Crawfish Boil, town parade and the crowning of the resort’s King and Queen. Spring Back to Vail, April 13-19, 2009 continues to grow and attract top notch performers. The season-ending bash incorporates parties in town, concerts including Ben Harper in April 2008 and the crowd-pleasing World Pond Skimming Championships where costumed participants attempt to skim across an ice cold pool of water on skis or snowboards. March and April also feature other signature community events including the culinary charged Taste of Vail and the culturally driven Vail Film Festival. A complete list of winter events is available on vail.com.
Ski with Koz
Three-time winter Olympian Kristina Koznick offers “Ski with Koz”, a unique program tailored for corporate groups, family outings or events. Kristina, also known as “Koz”, will spend a day on the slopes at Vail offering tips and sharing a day in the life of an Olympic skier. Koz will add a new dimension to your day on the snow and is available for cocktail hours, dinners and speaking engagements. For details visit koznick.com.
Kids Fly FREE To Vail This Winter on American
American Airlines rewards parents who book a vacation into the Vail/ Eagle Valley Regional Airport with their Kids Fly Free program. For each paid adult fare (age 18 and above), American is offering one free child’s ticket for ages 2-12 now through Feb. 13, 2009. Families must travel to the resort between Sunday and Wednesday and from the resort between Tuesday and Friday. This offer is valid for travel Dec. 2-12, 2008 and Jan. 4 - February 13, 2009 with no blackout dates. Additional restrictions may apply. For details visit www.vail.com or call 800-404-3535.
Fly In Ski FREE
Fly non-stop to Vail/ Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) Nov. 21, 2008 through April 19, 2009 and ski for free day of arrival at Vail with a valid boarding pass and Vail lodging confirmation. Passengers on direct flights from Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas/ Ft. Worth and Denver will be able to take advantage of this program. Original or online printed boarding passes must be presented at lift ticket windows along with a valid Vail Valley lodging confirmation receipt and/or photocopy. Only one lift ticket per person, per boarding pass and lodging confirmation permitted. Valid photo ID required. Additional restrictions may apply. For details visit www.vail.com or call 800-503-8748.
Buy 2 Nights/ Days, Get 3rd FREE
Be the first of your friends to hit Vail's legendary terrain including the Front Side, Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin. Buy two nights of lodging and two-day lift and get an extra night of lodging and day of skiing for FREE. Offer features double-occupancy in a hotel room for as low as $339 per person and is valid Nov. 21- Dec. 20, 2008. Additional restrictions may apply. Purchase online at www.vail.com or call 800-404-3535.
