Vail Mountain Lodge

The location and spa area were the best parts of Gravity Haus. The spa has a gym, dry and wet sauna, cold plunge, and outdoor hot tubs. The room, though, looked a little outdated compared with the hotel photos, especially at $360 a night, plus $60 a day for parking. We stayed for a birthday weekend, our first time in Vail, and the dog policy made mornings noisy. Dogs howled down the hall, and one guest’s dog jumped on me in the lobby. I’m glad I’m not allergic, but that seemed unprofessional for a hotel that’s supposed to be high end. The bar and restaurant were very expensive too. We ordered a $16 carrot cake to go for dessert, waited 20 minutes, and got the wrong order. The carrot cake wasn’t even cake, more like a cookie with lemon frosting. Very disappointing. I doubt I’d stay here again.

The beds are really comfortable, the tub is deep, and housekeeping did a thorough job. The breakfast burrito was good, and my friend enjoyed the three-course dinner. For the price, especially this time of year, having coworking space and gym classes included is a great deal. Most of the front desk staff were warm and helpful, including Ryan, Roco (?), Taylor, the taller plaid-shirted guy with glasses who was training, the guy training him who helped me change the reservation, and the overnight staff. I came down at 2 a.m. for Advil and they were great. We stayed four nights, and things were mostly going well until today. I’m here because my friend is working at the hospital. A couple of weeks ago he was offered an off-season discount, so he called before this stay, explained why he was coming, and assumed the rate quoted by phone was the best one. Later I saw we could have saved almost $400 by booking online. They let us cancel and rebook, but it was an avoidable hassle. There are a few room issues. The shades let in a lot of morning light, the fridge froze my food on the first morning, and after I reported it, a soda froze and exploded all over me and the room. I couldn’t find a way to adjust the fridge temperature. The room temperature controls are confusing too, with three different systems on the wall and no instructions this time. We set it around 69 or 70 for the first couple nights and woke up to 53 or 57. Engineering explained it better yesterday. The heated bathroom floor didn’t seem to work, though that wasn’t a big deal. There’s no microwave access. The TV stopped working today, which I think may be an Xfinity problem. Today the gym music was so loud in the “focus work area” that I could hear every word, which defeats the point. I wish I’d brought better noise-canceling headphones. I don’t understand why gyms blast music when nearly everyone seems to use their own. That work area also runs much hotter than the rest of the coworking space, but that’s minor. The coworking Wi-Fi was down for a couple of hours. When I reported it, the front desk guy just said they were having issues, with no apology or estimate, so I kept refreshing. It’s back now but spotty. I almost lowered my rating to 3, though my friend says it’s working fine for him now. When we checked in Monday, we were told the slope room would open at 5. We came down to eat at 5:30 and asked why it was closed. The woman said she’d forgotten it didn’t open until Wednesday. The one disappointing staff interaction was with a man I think is the manager, who wears a black vest, is a bit shorter, and has black hair and glasses. On Tuesday, my Amazon app showed a couple of packages delivered 30 minutes earlier. He said they didn’t have them and Amazon often marks packages delivered before they arrive, which I’ve never experienced. He didn’t offer help and seemed to shrug it off as I stood there confused. A woman overheard, checked downstairs, and returned a few minutes later with my packages and several others. He saw that and didn’t apologize. A different man at the gym desk was similarly dismissive when I asked about ordering from unravel coffee.

We’ve already booked another visit after a lovely weekend here. It was shoulder season, so the place was quiet and fairly empty. We didn’t try the restaurant or bar, but the rooms were spacious and pleasant, the staff kind and helpful, and the gym and sauna were excellent. The spot in Vail Village is hard to beat.

I’m grateful to everyone who keeps this place running, especially Nadine, who’s often busy but still easy to reach with a question. As a second-year member, I’m so glad to live near the shining star of the GH properties and to train and work here often. The team spirit is lovely, and people in every role are friendly and helpful. For a traveling athlete who also works, Vail GH has a lot to offer. There are work areas from shared spaces to private offices, a well-stocked gym with equipment suited to all kinds of mountain riding, and plenty of classes if you want them. The spa is great too, with a dry sauna, steam room, salt room, cold plunge, and outdoor hot tubs with a peekaboo mountain view. Cynthia and Chrissie are especially good at combining professional care with a friendly manner that makes you feel welcome. Veronika and Dani are top-notch trainers. Their focus on functional strength, balance, and cardio has taken my fitness to another level. You all rock!