By Helen Olsson By Helen Olsson | July 5, 2022 | People, Lifestyle, Travel, Outdoor,
A NEW LUXURY HOTEL AT THE BASE OF VAIL MOUNTAIN WEAVES A HISTORICAL NARRATIVE THROUGHOUT.
The lobby at The Hythe. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HYTHE, A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT, VAIL
PETE SEIBERT AND EARL EATON WERE SKIERS AND DREAMERS. They both served in World War II, Eaton in the engineer battalion and Seibert in the 10th Mountain Division, which trained at Colorado’s Camp Hale. In 1957, the pair took a seven-hour hike, breaking trail on the ascent, to Ptarmigan Ridge. Overlooking the pristine back bowls, they saw the possibility of a world-class ski resort. After the war, many 10th Mountain veterans, known as “soldiers on skis,” were instrumental in developing ski resorts. Vail officially opened in 1962.
The story of these Vail pioneers and the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division is the inspiration for a new luxury hotel in Vail, The Hythe (thehythevail.com), Marriott International’s first Luxury Collection Resort in Colorado. Located in Vail’s Lionshead Village, the new hotel debuted in fall 2021 with 344 rooms, 22 suites and 16 residences. It’s the result of a $40 million renovation to the original Vail Marriott built in 1970 and added onto over the years. Throughout the reimagined space, the 10th Mountain theme unfolds. One of the four on-site restaurants is named for Margie Haas, who cooked for the troops; historical black-and-white photos line the walls; and the lobby bar is called—wait for it—10th Mountain at The Hythe.
The Hythe is walking distance to the Eagle Bahn gondola. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HYTHE, A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT, VAIL
Marriott tapped Wilson Ishihara Design to elevate the hotel’s interiors with a clean Rocky Mountain design scheme that’s retro but upscale. The lobby floors feature locally quarried calacatta marble, and the walls are fashioned from carved black stone with Douglas fir wood panels inspired by an alpine chalet. Glamorous historical 1960s artwork lends authenticity to the space.
The Hythe is focused on delivering individualized guest interaction, and it all begins with check-in. When guests arrive, they’ll be greeted with a glass of Champagne and invited to sit down at a desk set in an alcove off the lobby. “We want to make a personal connection with each guest,” says Kristen Pryor, the hotel’s general manager. “The Hythe is ushering in a new level of luxury with distinctive moments and experiences that set us apart from other hotels and resorts in the area.” A stay at The Hythe gives guests access to the hotel’s adventure locker, which is stocked with Helly Hansen one-piece ski suits, Oakley goggles, Mongoose fat bikes, yoga mats and board games like Scrabble and Monopoly. The locker also has a Celestron Powerseeker 50AZ telescope, which stargazing guests could pack up and take to Minturn where the skies are dark. The hotel’s concierges are known as “adventure stewards,” who’ll help you tailor your dream visit, from planning adventures in Vail’s mountains to nailing down dinner reservations.
Hythe is Old English for “haven,” and this new space is meant to be a haven for both out-of-towners and locals alike. “Lionshead has been missing a social scene,” Pryor says. The Hythe promises to fill that niche with DJs at Revel Lounge, music on the patio in summer and an abundance of social spaces that invite connection in any season.
Himalayan Salt Inhalation Lounge PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HYTHE, A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT, VAIL
THE WELL & BEING SPA at The Hythe is a quiet sanctuary for indulging in a day of self-care. The spa takes an apothecary-style approach, with treatments like oxygen therapy and a body wrap with CBD-infused oils. The Himalayan Salt Inhalation Lounge is an intimate space constructed of illuminated salt bricks. Settle into a cabana chair draped in a sheepskin rug and breathe in the microscopic medical-grade salt particles. The therapy is designed to restore healthy breathing, fight altitude sickness and improve sleep.
The spa menu offers services from facials to mud scrubs, and a range of massages can be upleveled with enhancements like hot stones, scalp oil or a sugar foot scrub. While you wait for your therapist, stretch out on a daybed in the cold relaxation room over a glass of cucumber-infused water. Down the hall, the spa’s recovery room is stocked with an arsenal of healing tools, including massage guns, heated back pads and thigh-high compression boots to rid sore muscles of lactic acid. Locker rooms come equipped with steam baths, and just outside the spa is a coed hot soaking pool set in a grove of trees with views of Vail Mountain.
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