Upward Snowmobility :: Westin Riverfront Resort, Beaver Creek, Colorado

The beauty of Beaver Creek Resort’s newest development, the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, isn’t in its architecture, services or amenities, but in its location. The luxury hotel, to open next year, is being built next to the ski resort’s new Riverfront Express Gondola that will connect hotel guests and those in the town of Avon to the slopes of Beaver Creek. No more shuttle bus shuffle or scramble to find a parking spot in the Colorado resort’s often crowded core.

The gondola base is located just steps from what will be the hotel’s airy glass lobby adjacent to the Eagle River. The gondola is scheduled to open for this snow season while the hotel’s opening is planned for next autumn.

Riverfront Resort will feature 210 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom residences with mountain views, custom furnishings, large bathrooms, fireplaces and LCD televisions. The project adds to Beaver Creek’s existing luxury offerings with a high-end restaurant, 24,000 square feet of spa and fitness center space, a 25-meter outdoor saltwater lap pool, three riverside hot tubs, ski valet, personal trainers, yoga instructors, shop, market and more. The Westin chain’s usual amenities will be standard, including the signature Heavenly Bed in each room. The Spa Angell will focus on mountain-inspired treatments and ingredients.

Chef Thomas Salamunovich, of the celebrated Larkspur restaurant in Vail, is developing the Westin’s Watermark restaurant with regional products used in what’s described as New American Cuisine.

Westin Riverfront Resort information can be found at www.westinriverfront.com. For details about Beaver Creek Resort, which opens for snow season on Nov. 21, go to www.beavercreek.snow.com/winterhome.asp.