Review: Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

This is one situation where the comparable Marriott (Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch) seems meaningfully better

Looks like a nice property, but should not be a Park Hyatt. I could see it being a Grand. The Category 7 can be justified (I suppose) by the location, like the Centric Park City.

Thank you foe the review. I’m staying here over Christmas. Did you fly into Denver or Vail? I am considering flying into Denver and taking a shuttle to Beaver Creek. I’m wondering if flying unit Vail is worth the connecting flight and the additional cost.

Thanks for the review. I have a stay booked at this property over Christmas week. Right now I am looking into flying into Denver and taking a shuttle to Beaver Creek. Do you think it’s worth risking a connecting flight and extra $$$ to fly into Vail instead?

Nice. I'm actually headed here for a night later this week, booked using cash ($475)+6K points for the Park Fireside.

Since you visited in November, you missed out on one of my fav things about this hotel. The ski valet! You can ski right up to the property, and the valet will take your skis right out of your hands. They will help you remove your boots - and put them on the dryers overnight so they are crisp the next morning. I already have two trips booked for this upcoming ski season thanks to our experience last year. Truly above and beyond!

Depends on your risk tolerance and how much you value your money, of course. After living in Jackson Hole and Denver, I would simply shuttle or drive. Roads closures and flight delays are pretty normal, so why spend the extra cash! Just my thoughts…

I agree with the other sentiment here, The RC in Bachelor Gulch is overall nicer. Which I hate saying as I am a Park Hyatt fan and despise Bonvoy. I mean, that bathroom and the furnishings? Bottom line is that any hotel that only has a tub/shower combo should not be ranked on the luxury scale. Really though, when skiing here I often just get a condo as the "thing" you point out is a huge one when there in winter...laundry. Even better is having a washer and dryer in your rental. It's a must.

I always fly into Denver and then rent a car. This was pre pandemic though so the rates now for rentals...god only knows. The drive is fine on I-70 and have done it in heavy snow (road was still open though) and while it's slow going during a standard storm, it's not horrible. The shuttles may be less inclined though and having issues during snow. If it were me, I would reserve a 4WD, but if the weather forecast is good a day or two before - just ditch the rental and reserve the shuttle.

Exterior is horrible. Anyone ignoring that is kidding themselves. Reminds me of that horrible block of concrete that is the Hyatt Regency in Savannah. Probably great views if you stay there, but whoever granted planning permission didn't care about preserving the area.

I expect more from Park Hyatt. Be respectful of the area. Don't dilute the brand by converting a building which didn't care.

Great review though. Structure is fantastic.

I don’t find this properly appealing in any way - it’s dark and dreary and plastic shower curtains over a step in tub are just awful

I have stayed at the Park Y in Beaver Creek 3 -4 times a season since 1992 and will be there 20 days in Dec and January
Its a wonderful property in a great location
the lobby used to have a large wood burning fireplace( loved it)-and chandeliers made out of horn- did not like it
the hot tub used to be more spacious and had gushing fountains of hot water-it was great but they got rid of it
I have my favorite rooms which i always get( am a Globalist /diamond for decades) with a fireplace and a nice terrace facing the ski rink
I always stay facing the village as the ski groomers do the bottom slopes at 3-4:00 AM causing a racket
if you are an avid skier and can afford it-this property is the best-breakfast buffet was much more elaborate before Covid

I went here twice last season, once flying into DEN and once into EGE. I'd say it depends on whether you're traveling with kids or not. My EGE flights were with my family, including 2 kids. The convenience of the airport being nearby and walking to/from your rental car cannot be understated. I paid $300 per person for flights and it was worth it. When I flew to DEN I was solo and got a $99 round-trip fare. They were social distancing the rental car shuttle buses and it took 1 hour to get from the airport curb to the Avis lot. On the return the line for buses was 1.5 hours long and I was afraid I'd miss my flight. Then huge lines to check-in and another for security, I barely made my flight despite arriving 2.5 hours early. Would never want to deal with that hassle and stress as part of a family trip. So EGE for me is a must traveling with kids, but I'd put up with DEN if I was without kids and got a very good deal on flights.

Dreadful room, especially the bathroom.

Hyatt Regency, tops.

Looks like a good option if staying in this area. Thanks for the great review!

wow, massive yikes to daily gym visits and indoor dining in 2020... i can see why you withheld this review until now

Sounds like ur a newb in that market. You can't compare vail area hotels in the off season to the peak season. They change completely. Great deals in the off season but not a full experience. There's a reason why it's 4x as much in the ski season and it isn't only ski access.

Which regency would you compare this too? I've never seen an American HR that comes close. Definitely a grand at least

Unattractive building. Unattractive rooms. Awful bathrooms.
Clearly Hyatt does not enforce brand standards. I genuinely could never imagine paying even 200 USD per night to stay in that hotel.

This new layout is so horrible. Makes it almost unreadable. You really should have tested it and gotten feedback from readers. I never read the comments section anymore because you have to open it in a separate window instead of everything on one page.

It is a ski in and ski out hotel. It is really the only one on the mountain besides the Ritz you can book with points. I love it but i also ski and value staying on the slopes in the village and not isolated from everything like the Ritz. Its so nice to ski in the morning go right to the ski valet drop off your stuff eat lunch in the village change into dry ski cloths and be fresh again for afternoon skiing. To me this is more important than a shower curtain. But yes if you are not skiing then there is no point going to this hotel.

I live in Denver so I've been to both a lot. The Ritz is definitely nicer. There is something about the Hyatt that's just a little "off." Inside it feels like a big-city convention hotel, and access to Beaver Creek Village isn't much of a perk (it's not that great of a "village" and the Ritz will drive you over there whenever you want). The Hyatt is still a nice hotel and a great place to ski from, but all other things being equal I definitely prefer the Ritz.

The Ritz is obviously better if all was equal, but all is not equal. The Ritz is never cheaper than the Hyatt (as its obviously nicer). The Ritz is really hard too to book on points and impossible during prime ski season, the hyatt is not.

Stayed here for 4 nights over Christmas last year with points. The value prop is pretty clear - if you like skiing/boarding, are a hyatt loyalist, and don’t want to fork over the $$ for the Ritz, then this property is absolutely for you. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Sure the rooms don’t feel like a PH, but they are still better than a room you’d get in a major city around the $200 price range. The village is a cute place to hang out with plenty of shops and cafes. The PH lobby/bar area has a great vibe with the high ceilings and view of the slopes. All in all I’d happily go back again.

Just stayed at the Grand Hyatt Vail, about a 20 min drive away. Was completely redone in 2015 when Hyatt took it over, formerly a boutique property. Less points/nt than the PH & sure looks a whole lot nicer than the PH pictures. Also got an upgrade to the Gote Creek Suite by applying a Suite Upgrade award + some cash extra. Great property.

Heading there for the first time in February and wanted to use an SUA to secure a bigger room for a family of 5. Not looking bright :(.
Any special discounts on rental/lift tickets for staying at the PH?

From the very start, the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek was a huge disappointment.

I’ve stayed at multiple Park Hyatt’s in many countries over the years…and this hotel does not deserve that flag. The staff provides no service and lacking in basic hospitality. If you're looking for a hotel closest to the slopes, this may be it…but for $1,600/nt during President’s week for a base room and $2,000/nt for the “suite” room we booked, you should have Motel 6 expectations of competence and hospitality.

First, I booked the “Parkside Suite” for 6 nights. When I arrived, I find out it is a single slightly larger room (no separate bedroom) for our family. Not a suite as defined in every dictionary definition. When I asked if their staff could find anything on the internet where a “suite” was defined as a single room, I would gladly withdraw my protest, but every definition of the word when we looked online had the word “suite” meaning “multiple connecting rooms in a hotel”.

Second, the breakfast was an incompetent mess. The restaurant did not open until 7am, had no reservations, and waits of 25 mins to 1.5 hours every day. Room service would not open for orders until 7:30, with 1-2 hour waits. Other families waiting in the restaurant got into huge screaming matches every 15 minutes with a staff that just did not give a darn. Getting to kid's lessons that start at 9am was stressful and anxious all 5 days we hit the slopes. We had to skip breakfast and pay for our kid's breakfast at other off-hotel restaurants even though hotel breakfast was included with our rate.

To finish it off, as Globalist I’m eligible for a 4pm late checkout. I asked for 2pm, to give enough time to spin the room for the next guest checkin at 4pm. However, this hotel lied and said it was impossible. Just icing on the cake for the lack of hospitality...especially after all the missed marks of trying to gaslight that a larger single room is a "suite".

The general manager Herb Reckliff should be ashamed at his “5 star” hotel.

Pleased be advised that the Park Hyatt Beaver Creak is not longer accepting suite upgrade awards. I even spoke to a WoH supervisor which confirmed that properties have the possibility to opt out of the suite upgrades.

Specifically this Park Hyatt accepted suite upgrades earlier in 2023. This seems to be a recent change. According to the supervisor there is no way to check online if a property participates - the phone agent can look it up once you try to apply an award certificate.

This is very disappointing since I specifically saved an suite upgrade award for an upcoming stay in 2024. Please note that suites are available for my planned travel dates for purchase, including the one that Lucky reviewed.