Four Seasons Resort Vail brings big-city polish to one of America's greatest ski resorts. Set between Vail Village and Lionshead, it has spacious rooms with stone fireplaces and balconies, a heated outdoor pool looking straight up at Vail Mountain, and the kind of ski service that makes every morning effortless. It is not ski-in, ski-out, but with a ski concierge looking after your equipment and the gondola a short stroll away, it hardly matters.
Four Seasons Resort Vail brings big-city polish to one of America's greatest ski resorts. Set between Vail Village and Lionshead, it has spacious rooms with stone fireplaces and balconies, a heated outdoor pool looking straight up at Vail Mountain, and the kind of ski service that makes every morning effortless. It is not ski-in, ski-out, but with a ski concierge looking after your equipment and the gondola a short stroll away, it hardly matters.
Location: Vail, Colorado
The hotel stands on Vail Road, at the western edge of Vail Village, within walking distance of the village's pedestrian streets, shops and restaurants and a short walk or shuttle ride from Gondola One and the Lionshead Eagle Bahn Gondola. Its ski concierge stores and prepares equipment slopeside, so you walk to the lifts in comfortable shoes.
Vail is one of the largest ski resorts in North America, with more than 5,300 skiable acres spread across the front face, the famous Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin. The town, built in the 1960s in the style of a Tyrolean village, sits in the Gore Valley along Interstate 70, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) west of Denver. Eagle County Airport is around 55 kilometres away, and Denver International Airport is usually a two- to three-hour drive, depending on traffic and snow.
Rooms and suites at Four Seasons Vail
There are 121 rooms, including 24 suites, and private residences with one to six bedrooms, some with their own hot tubs. Rooms are among the largest in Vail and have a residential feel, with separate seating areas, gas fireplaces set in stone surrounds, and balconies, most looking out over the mountain or the pool.
The style is classic mountain luxury: warm woods, leather, soft fabrics and big, comfortable beds. Families should consider the suites and residences, which have separate living areas and room for everyone to spread out after a long ski day. A mountain-view room is worth the upgrade.
Facilities at Four Seasons Vail
The heart of the hotel is its sunken courtyard, where a heated 75-foot outdoor pool and two hot tubs look straight up at the slopes of Vail Mountain. Swimming here as snow falls, with steam rising off the water, is a wonderful way to end the day.
The full-service spa has 13 treatment rooms, including couples' suites with fireplaces and whirlpools, along with a steam room and sauna. There is also a well-equipped fitness centre.
Flame is the hotel's steakhouse, known for Colorado beef and an excellent wine list, while The Remedy Bar is a lively après-ski spot with mountain views, fire pits, cocktails and small plates. Speyside Cafe covers coffee and lighter meals. The ski concierge is one of the best in Vail, handling rentals, lessons, boot warming and storage at the base, and the hotel runs a shuttle around town.
The mountain moment
The defining Four Seasons moment is a powder day in the Back Bowls. You collect warm boots from the ski concierge, ride the gondola into falling snow and spend the morning floating through the open bowls of Sun Down and Sun Up. By late afternoon you are back by the outdoor pool, then up to The Remedy Bar for a cocktail by the fire as the lights come on across Vail Village.
Why Four Seasons Vail is one of the best mountain hotels
Four Seasons Vail earns its place for service and comfort. The rooms are large, the pool and spa are excellent, and the ski concierge takes the hassle out of every ski day. It is a modern hotel rather than a historic one, and it is not right on the slopes, which some skiers will miss. But for consistent, faultless luxury in Vail, it is very hard to beat.
For a more traditional, family-run alternative in the village, see Sonnenalp Vail. For a hotel right on the plaza in Lionshead, try The Arrabelle at Vail Square.
When to go to Four Seasons Vail
The ski season usually runs from mid-November to mid-April. The Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin typically open fully by late December or January, and January to March brings the most reliable snow. Christmas, New Year, Presidents' Day weekend in February and spring break in March are busiest and most expensive.
Summer, from June to September, is a quieter, lovely alternative, with hiking and mountain biking from the gondola, the Bravo! Vail music festival, golf and alpine wildflowers. Late September brings golden aspen leaves to the valleys.
Questions, answered
- Is Four Seasons Vail ski-in, ski-out?
- No, but it is a short walk or shuttle ride from Gondola One and the Eagle Bahn Gondola, and the ski concierge stores and prepares your equipment at the base.
- Does Four Seasons Vail have a pool?
- Yes. There is a heated 75-foot outdoor pool and two hot tubs in a courtyard facing Vail Mountain.
- How far is Four Seasons Vail from Denver?
- Vail is about 160 kilometres (100 miles) west of Denver, usually a two- to three-hour drive. Eagle County Airport is closer, at around 55 kilometres.
- Is Four Seasons Vail good for families?
- Yes. Suites and residences with up to six bedrooms have plenty of space, and the ski concierge can arrange lessons and rentals for children.
