The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch

Good food and right at the foot of the mountain so you can go skiing without ever leaving the hotel. Beautiful location and views. Did not stay here since we rented a house but I would consider it.

I was very excited about staying at this resort given its accolades from all the big travel and spa publications. Not only did this resort meet our expectations they exponentially exceeded every single desire we had during our 3 night stay in the Vail Valley. There were 3 of us that stayed at the Ritz BC, but my husband and I are doing this review, as my sister had a different room on a different floor so her review will be separate… I must note, on her behalf, she was blown away with her experience at this resort but she will write the rest :)
Moving on… The location was wonderful for our needs as it is tucked away in the mountains but close (20 min max) to Vail and Avon businesses for food and entertainment. You are surrounded by natural beauty… every direction you turn its one breathtaking view after another.
My husband was in constant contact w/​the spa and hotel concierge for the two months leading up to our arrival… The hubs was planning all the special touches to make this trip to Colorado as special as possible as we went celebrate my birthday. He had consistent, warm and useful communications with the Ritz. He was overjoyed with the follow through to his contacts.
Arrival and such… We arrived late on a Sunday night and were warmly greeted by Kevin. Kevin was so kind, helpful and attentive during our entire stay… he went above and beyond time and time again in the three days. We cannot rave more about how much he was instrumental in making our experience as magical as it was. In addition to Kevin, the service at this location is impeccable! Not pretentious but classy. Not hovering but attentive. It was exactly what we love! The resort fee covers access to the spa facilities (gender specific steam/​sauna/​hot tub + coed space) plus and WIFI. There may be more that it covers but these were the items we noted were covered within it. It’s a daily fee ($ 30 in the off season and 60 in the peak season) that was totally worth all it entails!

Check in was quick and smooth. Our room was on the Ritz Club level so there were added perks to our accommodations (visible in the pics I have uploaded). The room was spacious and luxurious with all the perfect rustic lodge touches that I was wanting. The fireplace was warm and created the perfect ambiance in the room. The television was mounted on the wall and had Roku for streaming netflix or hulu, which we liked a lot! The bed was heavenly comfortable. We slept amazingly all the nights of our stay. There are outlets on both sides which we find as a must. The bathroom was quite spacious and water pressure was great! Room service was used for breakfast 2 of the 3 mornings. It’s noteworthy to state that the cost of the items are the same to the room as it is in the Buffalo restaurant downstairs. The only additional cost is the delivery fee so actually the breakfast cost was the same in room and in restaurant!
My husband purchased some swimming trunks at the hotel boutique and was happy with the cost of the impulse buy.
The spa services & facilites were incredible. We had a couples massage and loved every second of it. We used the facilities two days of our stay and were melting in relaxation when we left. Everything was clean and well taken care of!
Getting to the gym internally is a maze if you don’t take the right elevator down… but when you find it… it’s hello heaven! Added perk, the staff were so kind and very welcoming!
The gym was so nice and clean as well. Great view and lots of equipment and machines. I used it twice on our stay. It’s kind of tricky to get to but anyone will be happy to help!
I read, before our stay, that the night time music is loud and annoying but we did not find the night time music to be disruptive whatsoever!
The hotel sent a bottle of champagne up for my birthday and the spa gave me a very nice gift. The Ritz is thoughtful and you get the specialized service without asking for it!
I could go on and on and on about our experience, but in «short» (haha) stay here!
I have a friend who was born and raised in Vail. When I asked her lodging recs she said this place and the sonnenalp were her faves! Ritz was already on our roster so we booked it and are so happy we did!!!

First let me say that this review is really actually close to 5 stars. But the little things do make a difference. This hotel is like a fairytale castle in the woods. We stayed here during the offseason when it is more affordable. As occupancy permitted they gave us an upgrade to a nicer room with a balcony and a fireplace which was just lovely. The bathroom is done beautifully in carrara marble. The pool complex is beautiful set among the Aspen. The only thing keeping me from giving this a full 5-​star review is that there were some loose ends that could have been done better. The room was missing things like sugar and creamer for the coffee. they could have done things like a lobby fruit bowl in the morning or chocolates on the pillow. They couldn’t get the video game in the playroom to work for my son. And we got charged for Honor Bar items that we didn’t use although they removed it when we disputed it.

Beautiful property. Don’t get Bailey’s and coffee. $ 20 a cup. Food was not that great. Have had much better at the Westin Beaver Creek or Hyatt. Drinks and food WAY overpriced for off season. For being a Platnum member and staying 160 nights a year in Marriotts properties I will skip this hotel when not ski season.

Excellent hotel for a quite mountain getaway. We stayed Club Level and if not for the very appreciated surprises up Dillon’s sleeve, I would have just said the service quality was perfectly on par with the high standards the Ritz has taught us to expect based on our past experiences. While the entire Club staff were awesome and Daniela & Cathy were both on point with making the resident feel welcome and appreciated, Dillon really surprised us with his dedication to the Ritz mission (he knows what he did). Also, thanks to Dillon, my wife and I will be planning a trip to Amelia Island for later this year.
Besides the Club Level experience, the Spa was really the «IT» factor for this location. We’ve only been to 5 Ritz locations so far but out of those 5, this one is by far the best. The Grotto is an awesome addition, but really, the locker rooms are destinations in their own right. Each locker room is huge, filled with every tool for relaxation that one could imagine when dreaming up a spa. Also, each one has its own «mini”-Grotto, amazing décor and very attentive staff. I am so happy that this location is not one of those ridiculously annoying Ritz locations where you can only access the spa if you have scheduled some kind of spa treatment (massage, facial, etc.). We will definitely be back to this location in the future and the spa is the single most defining reason as to why.
The rooms were probably the largest rooms I have experienced in a Ritz property. They are perfectly decorated for the environment and the bathrooms are also the best I have experienced, so far.
The only con I experienced was the cost vs. quality of Spago (Wolf Gang’s in-​house restaurant). The food, while good, did not meet the expectations set by past reviews and was nowhere near worth the price, as I thought the Club Level buffet menu was more satisfying. I was told that this week was the last week for Spago to even exist though, so maybe we experienced the B team.
Ritz should make it a company wide policy that Club Level residents be allowed access to the spa at every location. The extra money paid for the Club Level experience should be enough to pay for an hour in a steam room, ya know? Thats my high horse suggestion for this review.

This place is SO amazing that we came back here two months later for our honeymoon. Daniela & Dillon in the club level are bar none exceptional. This is literally everything you’d want in a romantic getaway.

Came here about 6 years ago and I would of given it 5 stars. The quality of this place has gone down. Check in was at 4 and I had to basically complain to a supervisor after 5pm and the room not being ready. Don’t know but I think this hotel was recently renovated. Last time I came I had a nice fireplace in my room, this time didn’t have one. Way too many people in the hotel this time around. Also, Fire Dan isn’t here anymore. He was great to talk to by the fire while we roasted some marshmallows with the kids.

If you have never visited (let alone stayed at) the RC Bachelor Gulch when skiing Beaver Creek, it’s worth a visit. The RC is amazing it itself, but from 1pm, Tue to Sat, they have a great entertainer playing outside at the fire pit, (which they don’t advertise). Rob (gator man — but don’t hold that against him) is a legend at the RC, having played here for over 12 winter seasons, even when the temp is well below freezing. (they have to drag him inside when conditions are bad!) This ‘human juke box’ takes requests from his list (book) of over 600 songs & you can win a beer most arvo’s around 3.30pm, if you can ‘name that tune’. There is an outside (exorbitant– but it is the RC) bar, but on weekends they sometimes have $ 25 buckets of beer. A great spot for a break — and if busy you will be lucky to get a spot round the fire pit. Thanks RC — we would not bother stopping there if not for Rob’s entertainment — and thanks Rob for making our vacation memorable.

Can’t go wrong at this ritz for summer or winter. We just love it here. Everyone is so polite & friendly. Skiing here will definitely spoil you. The lift is literally outside the door. All the ski valets are very helpful. They have a great grotto where you can jump in jacuzzi, sauna, steam room or cold pool. The spa is amazing as well. Had a terrific massage from Stephan he’s been with them over 10+years, I highly recommend getting a service from them. We have stayed on the club level both times & have nothing but nice things to say about the staff and food. It’s great for us with a baby to be able to get breakfast/​lunch/​drinks etc without a wait. You can ski after breakfast come in for lunch no problem. They have a few cute dogs that come out around 4. It’s very relaxing to sit downstairs by the fires & listen to the live music. All around you won’t be disappointed staying here !

What an amazing place! The staff here is the best: so polite and friendly and everything was «our pleasure!» The Club Lounge was wonderful and kept us happily stuffed with yummy snacks throughout the day, and we LOOOOOOOVED the Grotto at the Spa! We went to the Grotto every day and showered at the Spa; it’s sooooo amazingly relaxing there!
The view from our room faces the lift and slopes and it’s so beautiful there. We even got to take a sled ride up to Zach’s Cabin one of the nights and that was so much fun. Our stays at Ritz are always so wonderful and amazing, we can’t wait to return!

So you think of the Ritz and you expect the best. I’ve spent the last few days here and it’s been «nice» there really isn’t much to complain about and if I was at a Hilton Garden Inn or something I’d say it met my expectations. I’m going to list a few things that didn’t meet my expectations but none of them are horrific.
1. I’m allergic to down feathers and during my booking I specified that. Upon my checkin they confirmed they took the down out of my room at 11:00 when I decided to call it a night I found a down topper on the mattress — not cool.
2. The room is nice but shower stall is small with a rain shower head. I don’t like those and found it hard to do anything but stand there and rotate.
3. Biggest beef I have is the spa area is beautiful but only open 9−6pm. Hello! Here for work conference busy during those hours no chance to use the facilities. Try catering to those who are here and be open at least until 9pm so we get a chance to enjoy the place. They charge the same resort fee in off season so if you are going to charge for it then make it available. Worst part about the stay was when I brought up my issue about the spa hours the response I got from the agent at the desk was «in off season there isn’t anybody here so we close early» Hey Ritz I’m here! Am I nobody? Where’s that Ritz personal experience. Answer: in the grotto where I can’t experience it!

The spa is amazing. There are his and her spa circuits (sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and cold plunge) and a beautiful relaxation room. The on-​site grotto is simply dreamy. It reminded me of a thermal spring with a gushing waterfall, and you can take a dip in the steamy water or relax on the lounge chairs. You also have access to the outdoor pool and jacuzzi. The relaxation room has tea, small snacks (nuts, crackers, dried fruit), and infused water for you to enjoy before your treatment. The locker rooms have everything you need.
I have to say that the service was not as impressive — the staff lacks the attention to detail which is usually found at a Ritz-​Carlton. For instance, some of the spa areas did not have towels, the trash cans were overflowing, there were not water cups, etc. It was difficult to find spa staff, and they were just not as attentive or as focused on ensuring the guests were happy. When I ordered lunch, the employee seemed very confused and had to go talk to someone to find out how I could place an order.
My spa service was great, and my aesthetician had been there for nearly nine years. I enjoyed the facial and found it very relaxing. Skin looks great. After the spa treatment, the aesthetician gave me a bowl of fresh berries.
Overall, it was a great visit to a beautiful place!

The location is great, the accommodations are great; however, it lacks the attn to detail of the staff which is usually found at a ritz: being given a room different than booked (fixed on 2^nd night), amenities in room not provided, no follow through after commiting to contact us after we left.

So I went on a writing retreat, smack dab in the awesome Colorado rockies, at one of the most stunning hotels I’ve ever seen, the Bachelor Gulch Ritz-​Carlton. It sits at the top of a mountain, looming over us, looking like Wayne Manor was built by a lumber-​sexual. Everything is massive at this hotel: the hunks of wood and rock that make up it’s cabin façade, the chandeliers, the tables made of tree trunks. It’s quintessentially Western, decorated with both wealthy ranchers and foreign tourists in mind. It’s sized on a grand scale, as if a giant built a house out of Lincoln Logs.
I felt dwarfed by it’s scope.
After our first little work session, we headed out to the pool, you know, to stimulate our brains with fresh, chlorinated blue pool water. Oh and what a pool it was, clear and sparkling and delicious. Nestled up against the base of the mountain, from our pool we could see the ski run, right behind the hot tub surrounded by aspen trees. Yes, you read that right. The hot tubs were surrounded by aspen trees. I felt like we were in a Midsummer’s Night Dream. There was something particularly magical about them.
This is the second time I’ve visited a Ritz-​Carlton for the travel section of this blog, and I have to say that this one blew the Denver one out of the water. The staff at this Ritz Carlton has been out of this world amazing. First, when we arrived we were treated to a personal delivery of smores for the night. Smores! To your door! I feel like this is a business idea that I should maybe write down. Another amazing staff moment was Thursday morning, when Sarah wanted some eggs at breakfast. A server saw her walking towards the buffet table, stopped her, asked if he could get it for her. Sarah said that he didn’t’ have to, that she liked weird stuff on her eggs and the server asked her exactly what that meant. A minute later a mini-​casserole dish with hot eggs, cheese and sausage gravy showed up at our table. The most amazing thing was that I sat down at an empty table to work and realized, to my deep despair that I had forgotten my ear buds — for my writing weekend. I have to listen to music, especially when I’m writing the fantasy stuff. I cannot disappear into another world while hearing elevator music or that damn Ed Sheeran song. A café worker (Rachel) came over and asked if she could get me anything. I asked if there was anywhere in the hotel I could buy some earbuds. She said she would find me some. She returned like ten minutes later with a complimentary pair from the fitness center, and offered me a Caffe Chocolate’ on the house. THIS is what makes the Ritz-​Carlton stand out — unparalleled customer service.
In the evening, my friend and I settled down by the roaring fireplace with our complimentary smores. The stars are pretty magnificent this high, and so we just took those in and enjoyed our hot dripping marshmallows while chatting with fellow visitors at Bachelor Gulch.
The next day, we decided to spend an hour relaxing in the Grotto, which is exactly what it sounds like — an underground grotto for swimming and relaxing. It felt like some sort of secret haven for the very wealthy. In Rome. In 1700 AD. We laid out on the chairs (Only four of them, so it’s a pretty quiet and secluded place) and took a blissful nap to the sounds of water pouring into the pool, cool cucumbers on our eyes. It was as deeply relaxing as it sounds.
As of this morning, we are sadly packing up to leave. This has truly been an escape — a robust mountain escape of elegance. I’ve reviewed probably 25 hotels in the Denver and mountain area, and I would absolutely say that the Bachelor Gulch Ritz Carlton is in my top five hotels, maybe in my top three. The location is absolute perfection, and if you are a skier… oh my friend. You must come. You can ski right out of the hotel right to the lift. The hotels commitment to your experience is astounding, and though the price-​tag is a bit heavy, I can assure you that if you are looking for that Colorado mountain experience, that it’s worth the price.

My husband and I spent our 5^th anniversary at Spago. The facility is beautiful and peaceful. They have spacious dressing rooms/​locker rooms, beautiful art, the grotto is gorgeous and ambient (I could have napped/​read/​meditated in there for hours), and the service is for star. Everyone was extremely friendly, helpful, and polite. Fresh towels, citrus water, and cucumber slices available at multiple locations. We got a 90 minute massage as well and the ladies were professional. A great spa!

This is one of the nicer hotels I’ve stayed at. Very friendly staff, awesome location and a great facility. The staff really bend over backwards to accommodate you. I will go here again if I get the chance.

Great all-​around experience here. Picturesque ski lodge isolated from Beaver Creek but easy 5 minute shuttle ride from Beaver Creek Village. Sure Ritz-​Carlton has a reputation of providing good guest service, but the service and friendliness of the staff here was even better than expected. The front desk staff and concierge were all great. And the ski valet may have been the best part — all of the employees there were welcoming and happy to help out the wife who struggled with the ski boots. They even rectified the one minor complaint I had so I now have to stay our stay there was perfect. Was there on NYE and they had kick-​ass band which put the icing on the cake. Do be warned that the ski in/​ski out of the lodge is not just right for 40ish spastic beginner types without few days of warming up amongst the throngs of toddlers over at top of Buckarroo Express over at Beaver Creek.

This is the best ski resort hotel in America! We stayed here for 3 nights and absolutely loved everything! The location is fantastic with easy lift access at the back door of the hotel. The spa is the best that I have ever visited! Simply amazing service from all the staff. Absolutely what one would expect from a Ritz Carlton! Can’t wait to return…

This is a review as a wedding venue only!
I love experiencing venues that I would never normally visit, and anything with the title «Ritz Carlton» is not going to be in my normal life. I was already a bit apprehensive, though, when I tried to find driving directions and this Ritz Carlton’s website could not give me any directions on their mobile site. Why not use Google Maps? Well, in ski resorts, often the directions are wrong because it’s telling you to, say, drive directly up a mountain, and I wanted directions directly from the venue. When that proved impossible I went with Google Map directions, which turned out to be accurate.
To get here, you have to go through a series of, for lack of a better term, toll booths. You need to get permission to drive up, and although it wasn’t difficult it definitely was a bit annoying. It is worth noting that there is NO parking lot at the resort itself. You can only park using valet. Thankfully the valet was kind to me and didn’t charge me but I have a feeling it isn’t free to guests.
Upon arriving I had to ask the front desk employee a bunch of questions, and unfortunately she didn’t have a lot of answers. If you have a wedding here, you have an option to get an in-​house coordinator and I would strongly recommend that if you are considering having your wedding here. I was dealing with an off-​site coordinator and she was difficult to find and didn’t actually communicate with the Ritz Carlton staff, so the left hand and the right hand weren’t communicating. The staff did know the wedding location AND they had a backup location in chance of rain, so I’ll give them that.
I found my way to the outdoor lawn location, but in order to get there, every single vendor and guest had to walk through the outdoor pool. Me, in heels, with my expensive equipment, had to teeter through an uneven pool deck with a zero-​clearance pool while the guests were trying to sunbathe and swim. They need to fix this because it is seriously tacky; the wedding guests had to walk through the pool in black tie to get to the wedding and to the cocktail hour.
The location wasn’t as scenic as I thought but had some good mountain views. Unfortunately, the lawn was also incredibly muddy and every woman’s shoes sunk straight into the ground. This location was right by guest rooms and many guests were actually gawking our their windows at the wedding taking place. After the wedding, the cocktail hour took place outside the resort in a courtyard, which was pleasant and the staff was very responsive with passing appetizers, serving drinks, and clearing plates. Unfortunately, it seems renting the outdoor space doesn’t make it exclusively yours because other hotel guests were frequently walking through the ceremony space and the cocktail hour, and there was even a large fire pit where hotel guests were sitting in their North Face jackets and drinking. That’s not a problem in itself, but it is when you’re paying to rent the space; it would not be difficult to hang a «private party in session» sign on the door.
I cannot find any information about pricing, but, I’m going to take that to mean «if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.» I don’t actually have many issues with this venue, but, mostly I just don’t think it’s worth it: it’s hard to get to, the website doesn’t work on mobile, the directions won’t load, there is no parking, every hotel guest will be part of your wedding, and you don’t get any privacy. It’s pretty, and it’s all in one place, but there are far better mountain venues for our money.

I am so excited to be getting married here this October. Everything has been perfection in our interactions with the sales team at the Ritz. They have gone above and beyond to help make our wedding picture perfect. Everyone from the Sales and Catering Manager to the Event Planning Manager have extended nothing but five star attention our way.
Planning a destination wedding is never easy, but I can honestly say that with a team like the one at the Ritz working by my side, the process has been an enjoyable one.
My fiancée, his family and my family stayed at the Ritz this past weekend to complete the majority of our planning. We were housed on the Concierge Level, which felt like some VIP, special access floor. There were complimentary treats, and food at our disposal whenever we wanted. Can I just say that the coconut macaroons were to die for? They also had a dessert spread around dinner time that would make any sweet-​tooth fiend swoon! Our rooms were well stocked with amazing bath products and a platter of cheese, fruit and nuts. Everything we could have needed to make our stay comfortable was tended to prior to our arrival.
The staff really went out of their way to answer questions and prepare us for our menu tasting. I really appreciated that Chef Ben took a step outside of his comfort zone and prepared an Afghan/​Pakistani/​Indian menu for our wedding. Talk about making your customer happy! We were resigned to having american fare at our wedding and never even thought we would have asked for an ethnic menu. The fact that they chef took our backgrounds and tastes into consideration was not only a pleasant surprise, but incredibly thoughtful. He welcome our constructive criticism about certain items and was more than happy to accommodate our requests!
The same was true for the pastry chef. I had emailed a picture of the cake that I wanted and they were more than happy to recreate it for us! We opted for the vanilla genoise with lemon cream and a butter cream frosting… mmmmmmmmmm!
The presentation of all the items was beautiful and it has upped our excitement of our big day!
I can’t wait to return to the Ritz in a few weeks and have my guests experience the same out of this world service I have enjoyed.
Thanks Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch! You really rock my world!