- Life Update: Why I’m Living In Hotels Full Time
- Review: Thompson Hotel Dallas
- Review: Thompson Hotel Nashville
- Review: Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Las Olas
- Review: Hyatt Centric Miami Brickell
- Review: Hyatt Centric New Orleans French Quarter
- Review: Thompson Hotel Chicago
- Review: Four Seasons Miami Brickell
- Review: Park Hyatt Beaver Creek
- Review: Grand Hyatt Denver
- Review: St. Regis Deer Valley (Park City, Utah)
Want to take advantage of Hyatt Privé benefits, including a room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more, when booking a cash stay? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
We’ve been living in hotels for quite a while, and in late 2020 we spent a couple of weeks at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek (as I’ll explain below, the economics worked out very favorably). Yes, I realize I’m way late with this review, but better late than never, right?
In this post:
Booking our stay at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek
There’s huge variance in the rates at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, as you’d expect for a seasonal ski resort. In peak season the hotel runs over $800 per night. However, we stayed in late November before peak season, and paid a lot less than that.
We booked through a Hyatt Privé travel advisor (Ford, specifically), meaning we paid the same as the standard rate at the hotel, and received the following additional perks:
- Daily full breakfast for two in the hotel’s restaurant
- A $100 property credit per room per stay
- A one category room upgrade confirmed within 24 hours of booking (room-to-room or suite-to-suite) — based on availability at the time of booking
- Early check-in (as early as 9AM) and late check-out (as late as 4PM), subject to availability
- A welcome gift and letter
On top of that, at the time the hotel was offering a third night free promotion, and we ended up paying around $200 per night. Best of all, this stay was at a time when World of Hyatt had a fantastic promotion offering triple points. As as a World of Hyatt Globalist member paying with the World of Hyatt Credit Card (review) I was earning 21.5x World of Hyatt points per dollar spent. I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, so to me that’s a 32% return on spending.
Redeeming points at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek
While we paid cash, I should note that you can also redeem points at the hotel. The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek is a Category 7 World of Hyatt property, meaning that a free night redemption costs the following number of points:
- 30,000 points in a standard room
- 48,000 points in a standard suite
- 60,000 points in a premium suite
To me redeeming 30,000 points per night would be the equivalent of paying $450. In winter redeeming points can be an amazing value, while in other seasons it’s not as great of a value.
Even if you’re not a Hyatt loyalist, earning World of Hyatt points can be pretty easy. In addition to being able to earn World of Hyatt points with the World of Hyatt Credit Card (review), you can also transfer over points from Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- Earn 4x Points at Hyatt Properties
- Free Night Every Year
- Complimentary Discoverist Status
- $95
- 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel purchases
- $95
- 3x points on Travel after the $300 Annual Travel Credit
- 3x points on Dining
- $300 Travel Credit
- $550
- Earn 3x points on travel
- Earn 3x points on shipping purchases
- Cell Phone Protection
- $95
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Car Rental Coverage
- Extended Warranty Protection
- $0
- Earn 5% Cash Back at office supply stores
- Earn 5% Cash Back on internet, cable TV, mobile phones, and landlines
- Car Rental Coverage
- $0
- Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
- Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
- Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
- $0
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek’s interesting history
In order to manage expectations, I think it’s important to understand the property’s history. The 190-room hotel actually opened as the Hyatt Regency Beaver Creek back in 1989, and was converted into a Park Hyatt in 2001. While the hotel has been updated over time, it doesn’t have the full-on Park Hyatt feel.
Ultimately hotel groups are highly inconsistent. I find Park Hyatt to be one of the most consistent brands, but this property is an outlier. The hotel doesn’t have the sleek minimalist design you’ll find at most Park Hyatts, but rather the property feels more like a traditional mountain resort, which makes sense given the location.
At the end of the day this is a fantastic property for its great location in Beaver Creek village and the ski-in, ski-out potential, but don’t come here expecting this to be the Park Hyatt Sydney in terms of design or service.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek location
One of the best things about the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek is its location, as it’s located right in heart of the village of Beaver Creek. The village is tiny and super quaint, and it’s almost built around the hotel. Not only does this give you direct access to ski slopes, but you also have access to the restaurants and shops in Beaver Creek.
Below is a map of the village of Beaver Creek, which gives you a sense of the layout.
Below are some pictures of Beaver Creek, to give you a sense of what it’s like (in the first picture below that’s the Park Hyatt on the left).
The Park Hyatt also offers a complimentary hotel car, either within Beaver Creek, or to Bachelor Gulch (where the Ritz-Carlton is located).
As far as accessing Beaver Creek goes, the Park Hyatt is about 30 minutes from Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) or around two hours from Denver International Airport (DEN). Of course weather and traffic can greatly impact travel time.
I do appreciate how much closer Beaver Creek is to Denver than Aspen, since it makes it much easier to get there from a major airport, especially with the possibility of a snowstorm.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek check-in & lobby
We arrived in Beaver Creek after some heavy snowfall, which sure made for some beautiful views.
The bellmen helped us with our bags, and we headed for reception, which was just inside the entrance past the (fake) fireplace. There were three separate check-in desks, so that guests could also take a seat while going through the check-in process.
I quickly took a look around the lobby. It’s my understanding that the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek recently underwent a renovation to the lobby area, and it gives me high hopes for how the rest of the hotel may be renovated as well.
Brass Bear Bar is the Park Hyatt’s lobby bar, and it has lots of cozy seating, and massive floor-to-ceiling windows that give you an amazing view of the ski slopes. 
We were checked in pretty quickly, and were informed that we had been upgraded to a Park Fireside Suite, which is the standard suite at this hotel for Globalist upgrades (though there’s lots of competition for upgrades here, so I’d recommend using a Globalist Suite Upgrade Award if possible).
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Park Fireside Suite
We were assigned room 3006, a Park Fireside Suite on the third floor (the hotel has four floors). While the lobby bar was freshly renovated, the hotel started to look a lot more “rustic” starting with the elevators, and then towards the guest room hallways.
Our room was just down the hall and on the left side.
The Park Fireside Suite is marketed as being 600 square feet, so I’d consider it to be a fairly spacious junior suite, rather than a full suite. Inside the entryway was the bathroom to the right, and then the living area and then bedroom area was straight ahead.
In the living area was an “L” shaped couch and a chair, along with a side table. This faced a TV and a gas fireplace.
Behind the couch was a workstation with a comfortable chair.
Then in the far right corner of the room was a king size bed.
There was a console with a Nespresso machine and an empty mini-fridge.
As you can tell, the room has a rather awkward shape, but I think they do a pretty good job furnishing it in light of that.
The Park Fireside Suites at the hotel face the driveway rather than the ski slopes, so that’s something to be aware of if you care about having a particular view. I still enjoyed the view, though.
As far as the bathroom goes, it could use a renovation, and didn’t feel very luxurious. The bathroom had double sinks in one room, and then there was a room behind that with a toilet and a shower & tub combo. This felt more like a “standard” bathroom at a Hyatt Regency, rather than a bathroom in the suite of a Park Hyatt.
As is standard for Park Hyatt, toiletries were from Le Labo, which is always lovely.
All things considered, we appreciated the size of the room, and for what we were paying, we got a heck of a deal. The room was clean and well maintained, though didn’t feel like your typical Park Hyatt. I’m hopeful that the hotel will undergo a full renovation in the coming years.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Mountain View room
Ford’s mom joined us for part of the trip. We just booked her a standard room through Hyatt Privé, and she was upgraded to a Mountain View king room (she was in room 3011, just down the hall from us). I wanted to briefly share my impressions of that room, since it had clearly been renovated more recently, and felt higher end.
The room had a king size bed, a loveseat, a desk with a chair, and a TV on top of a console.
The bathroom had double sinks, a toilet, and a shower & tub combo.
The room had an awesome view of the mountain.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek pool & hot tub
While most people probably don’t come to a ski resort to swim, the Park Hyatt had a reasonably nice lap pool, as well as several hot tubs (which we enjoyed on multiple occasions).
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek spa & gym
The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek has a spa and gym, which also has a retail space. We didn’t get any spa treatments, but we did use the gym every day.
The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek gym was massive, which was much appreciated. Most of the equipment was pretty good but not cutting edge.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Fall Line Market
The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek has a 24/7 market in the lobby, just next to reception. This is a great place to buy snacks, soft drinks, a bottle of wine, a protein shake, etc. There’s also a coffee machine, for easy access to 24/7 coffee (it’s not a great machine, but it’s something).
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill
The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek’s signature restaurant is 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill (8,100 feet is the elevation of Beaver Creek, hence the name). It’s open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The restaurant has a bar area, then an indoor dining area, and then a huge terrace with heat lamps.
Breakfast was served daily from 7:30AM until 10:30AM at Mountainside Bar & Grill, and that was included both thanks to my World of Hyatt Globalist status, and thanks to booking through Hyatt Privé. Breakfast had been adjusted due to coronavirus, and consisted of a staffed buffet with shields. You’d simply point to what you wanted, and then they’d plate the food for you.
The buffet included fresh fruit, yogurt, pastries, croissants, toast, cereal, cold cuts, scrambled eggs, sausage, oatmeal, french toast, hash browns, and more. The selection alternated a little daily, and the people working at the buffet were lovely.
Breakfast included drip coffee. Espresso-based drinks were extra, and I was a bit surprised that the hotel had no fresh juice options, even for purchase.
Mountainside Bar & Grill serves lunch daily from 11:30AM until 2:30PM, and we loved sitting on the terrace and enjoying drinks and meals there. You can find the lunch menu here.
To give you a sense of the food, we had chicken flatbread and chili one day, which were tasty.
We also had dinner at the restaurant once, and you can find the dinner menu here. We shared a bibb salad, and had the cauliflower steak and salmon.
The food was decent across the board, though ultimately nothing to get excited about.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek laundry facilities
The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek has guest laundry facilities, which is easily one of my favorite hotel amenities ever, especially when you’re living in hotels. One of my biggest frustrations with living in hotels is the laundry situation — you either have to go to a laundromat, or pay more to have a hotel wash something than you’d pay to buy it new (at least for underwear and socks).
So having laundry facilities at the Park Hyatt was noteworthy.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek s’mores
The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek has a fire pit near the mountain, and guests at the Park Hyatt can get free s’mores daily. You can go to Fall Line Market to pick up your s’mores daily at any time.
Bottom line
I’ve always been curious about the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, and I’m happy we finally had the chance to stay there with a great deal. This is a solid option if you’re into skiing, and having direct access to the cute village of Beaver Creek is awesome as well. We got an attractive rate in the off season, and in peak season redeeming points here can represent a phenomenal value.
Just make sure you come into a stay here with reasonable expectations, as this physically feels a lot more like a nice Hyatt Regency than a Park Hyatt, in my opinion.
If you’ve stayed at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, what was your experience like?
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...
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.
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...
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.
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?
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.
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 $$ for the Ritz, then this property is absolutely for you. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Sure the rooms don’t feel like a PH, but they are still better than a room you’d get in a major city around...
Stayed here for 4 nights over Christmas last year with points. The value prop is pretty clear - if you like skiing/boarding, are a hyatt loyalist, and don’t want to fork over the $$ 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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
wow, massive yikes to daily gym visits and indoor dining in 2020... i can see why you withheld this review until now
Looks like a good option if staying in this area. Thanks for the great review!
Dreadful room, especially the bathroom.
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...
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 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
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 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...
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.
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!
Nice. I'm actually headed here for a night later this week, booked using cash ($475)+6K points for the Park Fireside.
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?
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 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...
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
Hyatt Regency, tops.
Which regency would you compare this too? I've never seen an American HR that comes close. Definitely a grand at least
This is one situation where the comparable Marriott (Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch) seems meaningfully better
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.