VAIL — There was something missing at that visitors have come to expect when staying at luxury hotels in Vail.
There was no shortage of attentive service, spacious accommodations or thoughtful convenience at the boutique hotel.
What they didn’t have was antlers.
Breaking from high-country tradition, no animals contributed appendages, nor chainsaws wielded nor timbers rough-hewn for the décor of this chic, modern hotel.
One could make a case that the grand chandelier in the lobby is evocative of antlers, but it’s actually metal fabricated “twigs” by North Carolina craftsman Joe Cooper. J Banks Design Group, the hotel’s interior designer, specifically commissioned the chandeliers, glasswork and other interior details to complement the hotel’s extensive contemporary-art collection.
From the private collection of the hotel’s owners (Ferruco Vail Ventures, a family-owned investment group in Mexico City), oil paintings and steel-and-bronze sculptures are on display throughout the hotel.
Despite sweltering under a pile of ski clothes, my daughters were stopped in their tracks by a sculpture taller than they are called “Dog.”
The artist, Leonora Carrington, was a world-renowned Mexican artist, surrealist painter, sculptor and novelist. Born in Britain, she eloped with Surrealist artist Max Ernst and ran in the same circles as Picasso and Dali before settling in Mexico. Leonora’s, the hotel’s acclaimed restaurant, is named after the artist, who died in 2011, the year the hotel opened.
My daughters stood spellbound in front of the sculpture studying its lithe body, talon-like feet and the fringe framing its face. As we walked to the lifts, I got into a rousing discussion on artistic interpretation with my 10-year-old, who was convinced “Dog” was actually a dragon. I love fitting a little cultural enrichment into my ski day.
The Sebastian’s modern décor is only one of the ways the hotel surprised me when my family visited in mid-December.
Since the 110-room hotel is where Michelle Obama and the girls stayed for a ski vacation in 2011, I pictured marble hallways with regal guards (most likely wearing some sort of poufy velvet hat) posted at each doorway.
Once again I was wrong about the headgear: no antlers, no pompous hats. In fact, the vibe at The Sebastian is as far from pretentious as you can get on the luxury spectrum (and at about $800 a night during ski season, it’s in that category). As a place to stay, it’s as comfortable as your favorite soft sweater, a place where you can sit in the lobby enjoying après ski libations and not worry about how your hair looks after a day in a helmet.
I’d say it’s homey, but unfortunately I don’t have millions of dollars of artwork at my house. So let’s say it’s warm and welcoming.
I chatted with the staff like I’d been going there for years and we had a long-standing relationship. It’s the first hotel where I’ve felt comfortable enough to leave my children alone in the room eating breakfast while my husband and I took a powder run. Well, I felt comfortable enough after I gave strict orders to Justin in room service not to let my children order any more pancakes.
My daughters didn’t have any trouble keeping themselves entertained in the large, newly renovated, well-appointed rooms. How large? Let’s just say back in my college days, a half-dozen of my friends could have had space on the bedroom floor for their sleeping bags.
Of course The Sebastian has all the other features you want in a ski town resort: a hip bar (Frost), a mountain-view pool and collection of hot tubs and easy slope access. One disclaimer here: The Sebastian is not slope-side, but they have a ski shop that is. You make the 5-minute walk past galleries, shops and eateries in your snow boots and then put on your gear steps away from Gondola One.
Luxury resorts think of these things because on a ski vacation, convenience is the ultimate luxury.
Chryss Cada is a freelance writer and journalism instructor at Colorado State University. Visit her at chryss.com.
