By Katy Black, Ryan Mark
Over the past decade, Telluride has gained popularity as a secluded resort destination during both the summer and winter months. However, when compared to other mountain resort destinations throughout the region, Telluride has few luxury-resort lodging options.
With the Madeline Telluride becoming an Auberge Resort in late 2017, followed by an extensive renovation and repositioning in 2021/22, the Madeline is essentially the only traditional, high-end lodging option in Telluride. The Town of Mountain Village, which is located within the Telluride Ski Resort, is seeking to improve Telluride’s position as a domestic and international travel destination. Thus, the town has approved two new luxury resorts in Mountain Village, including a Four Seasons. These developments are expected to change the landscape of Mountain Village, essentially tripling the amount of high-end hotel and resort-residential supply in this market.
As with any mountain destination resort, weather patterns and seasonality pose challenges to hotels from an operational perspective. Both Telluride and Mountain Village close down during the shoulder months, resulting in minimal demand levels during April, May, October, and November. This trend is not likely to change with the new resorts; however, increased inventory and new event space may narrow the shoulder seasons by attracting more demand from groups during those months.
Similar markets that also are experiencing growth in the luxury segment include Park City/Deer Valley, Utah, and Big Sky, Montana. Recent openings in these markets include the Pendry Park City and the Montage Big Sky, and construction is underway on the Grand Hyatt Mayflower Deer Valley and the One&Only Moonlight Basin in Big Sky. Within Colorado, while the ski resorts are generally built out, a site at the base of Aspen Mountain is slated for resort development (rumored as an Aman Resort). Additional projects within the ski areas of Colorado are relatively small or redevelopment-oriented, such as the recent conversion of the Westin Snowmass to the Viewline Resort Snowmass, Autograph Collection affiliate, and the conversion of the Vail Marriott to The Hythe, a Luxury Collection Resort.
Colorado continues to lead the way for mountain-resort offerings. The high-quality resort developments at the base of Telluride are expected to spark increased interest and enhance the overall attractiveness of Mountain Village/Telluride as a place to vacation, own a second home, or host a wedding or corporate event.
For more information on Telluride or other ski markets, please contact Katy Black or Ryan Mark with HVS Denver.
