Snowbasin Set To Get First On-Site Lodging With Ultra-Luxury Club Med Development
Updated:
October 13, 2024
Background
As part of a radical base area transformation, Snowbasin is set to getits first on-site lodging optionin 2024. An all-inclusive Club Med hotel, the first new experience from the chain in the United States in two decades, will be constructed for opening in December of that year. The luxury hotel will be built at the current site of the original Day Lodge and Wildcat Parking area, and will feature complimentary food, drink, and lift tickets. The new hotel will be paired with a Littlecat lift upgrade to a multi-use lift (likely a chondola). Construction on the hotel is set to begin in 2022.
A few other upgrades are set to be complete for the 2024-25 season as part of Snowbasin’s Village Concept Phase One. The resort will construct a new beginner area called Ridgeline just below the Littlecat Express, and a new chairlift and magic carpet will complement the new slopes.
Additional upgradeswill followas part of Snowbasin’s Village Concept Long Term Vision. A number of other lodging developments are on track for 2025, as are two additional chairlifts from the Ridgeline beginner area; one of these will service a dedicated learning slope while the other will provide a direct link to the main base. An expanded pedestrian village is on track for completion some time around this time.
Keystone’s first phase of its base development, set for completion in December 2024, will include the all-inclusive Club Med hotel, new beginner terrain, and a new chairlift.Figure by Snowbasin
Our Take
Snowbasin’s lack of on-site lodging can be traced back to its roots as a local hill before it was massively expanded for events for the 2002 Olympic games. But now that it’s a full-fledged ski resortthat competes effectivelywith the rest in Utah, it could really use a hotel to attract the destination crowd.
This new all-inclusive Club Med will only attract one type of destination crowd: the ultra-wealthy one. If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford to stay at this new Club Med experience, which will likely mandate at least a two-night stay and command at least a four-figure price tag. However, the resort will be all-inclusive, so if you haven’t bought your tickets yet and plan to ski every day, you’ll make a considerable amount of the cost back. Moreover, it looks like more hotels will be coming in future seasons, and hopefully they will offer considerably more reasonable pricing.
Snowbasin’s existing beginner terrain is limited, and the resort is aiming to address this key weakness with the Ridgeline trail upgrade part of this plan. There are currently only a handful of green trails outside the small Littlecat beginner area, and any additional beginner runs will help the mountain with this demographic. However, at least for the first year, the initial Ridgeline lift will not follow a very intuitive line, ending just short of the top of Littlecat and forcing guests onto a magic carpet to reach the other areas of the resort. It looks like this issue will be resolved once the Ridgeline-to-Village lift is constructed.
The final plan for Snowbasin’s base village will address the logistical issues with the Ridgeline lift setup in Phase One of the project.Figure by Snowbasin
Snowbasin is starting its transformation this season with a high-speed upgrade to its Middle Bowl chairlift, which we’ve written about in detailhere, as well as expanded parking. This is an exciting time for Snowbasin, and we’re excited to visit the resort both this year and in future seasons to assess how these improvements materialize.
For more on Snowbasin and the Utah resort landscape, check out ourSnowbasin reviewandUtah rankings.
Recent Articles
Salt Lake City Has Been Selected for the 2034 Olympics. Here Are the Ski Resort Upgrades to Expect.
Salt Lake City is set to host the Winter Olympics for the second time in the 21st century. We cover the likely host mountains and capital investments to expect over the next decade.
Analysis
News
Deal
Announcement
Video
Investigative Journalism
August 28, 2024
Utah
Park City
Deer Valley
Snowbasin
Olympics
Ikon Pass Adds Sierra-at-Tahoe for 2024-25 Season
Sierra-at-Tahoe will become the second Tahoe destination—and the first on the south side of the lake—to join the Ikon Pass starting this winter.
Analysis
News
Deal
Announcement
Video
Investigative Journalism
August 27, 2024
West Coast
Lake Tahoe
Ikon Pass
California
Cali Pass
No results found...
