Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Resort is now ready for a full-tilt, year-round run designed to bring new forms of green (prosperity and environmental leadership) to the Green Mountain State.
Like a lot of kids in northern Vermont, Dave Bennett’s first recreational thrills came from hurtling down the snow-covered, 4,000-foot Green Mountains. Bennett took to skiing so well, in fact, that as a teenager he ranked first in the nation for his age in Alpine slalom racing.
A blown-out knee at 18, however, suddenly left Bennett looking for new athletic challenges. When there hadn’t been enough snow to pursue his first passion, he’d also developed an affinity for golf, so he decided to now devote his full attention to the game. Here, too, he soon excelled, becoming a Division I All-American at the University of North Florida.
Stowe Mountain Resort At A Glance
• Location: Stowe, Vt. |
Bennett then competed for a few years on pro tours and became a PGA Class A professional. He landed a plum job as an assistant pro at the new Palencia Club in St. Augustine, Fla. The sun was warm, the grass was green, and the golfing was good. But the thrill of the Green Mountains kept pulling at him—especially as people back home told him of big changes in the works there, to create the best of all worlds for those who seek to enjoy all the different seasons can offer.
Aiming Higher
The focal point of Vermont’s Green Mountain region, literally, has always been its highest peak, Mt. Mansfield. And the center of recreational activity on the mountain has been Stowe Mountain Resort, operated on the peak’s east flank a few miles up from the town of Stowe by Mount Mansfield Company (MMC), a business started in 1968 by American International Group (AIG), the global insurance giant.
Into the new millennium, Stowe Mountain Resort was a typical, winter-oriented ski-lift operation. Golf was available through the Stowe Country Club, an open-to-the-public property run by MMC with a course that opened in 1962.
As recovery from 9/11 began, however, AIG took new stock of all that it had within easy reach of its Mt. Mansfield base:
• Rich history—A grand hotel, the Summit House, was built on the mountain’s peak in 1858 and frequented in its heyday by Roosevelts and Vanderbilts. Mt. Mansfield was also the birthplace, in 1934, of what became the model for ski patrols throughout North America, and where the first chairlift in Vermont, ranking at the time as the world’s highest, was built in 1940. All of this had once established a since-withered reputation for Stowe as the “Ski Capital of the East.”
• Recreational reputation—Stowe’s “Front Four” of steep and unforgiving trails have proved gnarly enough to earn the respect of even the most European- and Western-biased ski buffs. And hiking enthusiasts have long enjoyed the challenges of descriptively named routes (Long Trail, Profanity Trail, and Cliff Trail) that lead to Vermont’s highest point, “The Chin” (Mt. Mansfield has “facial” features when viewed from a distance horizontally).
• Surrounding attractions—The town of Stowe has retained its classic New England charm while also attaining what one travel writer called a “world-class, chic ski-town culture.” In addition, the diverse, natural and all-season attributes of the Lake Champlain region are less than an hour away, unique cities like Montreal (84 miles) and Boston (166) are reasonably accessible, and if none of that offers enough appeal, the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream factory tour, a few miles down the road in Waterbury, usually does the trick on its own.
Serving Notice
Combining these built-in, well-established assets of what it had at Stowe with the still-favorable investment climate, AIG moved aggressively in the earlier part of this decade to launch a major real estate development and build new facilities—including a private golf club with a championship course and a luxury lodge and world-class spa—designed to put Stowe Mountain Resort on the map as a year-round destination.
Five years and some $400 million later, the new Stowe Mountain Resort is now fully open for business. And Dave Bennett, now back home as Director of Golf for the new Stowe Mountain Club, affirms that it’s been a total transformation.
“Some things, like what we [locals] remember about the original experiences on the lifts and at the lodges, have been retained, and that’s as it should be, because it’s a historical site,” Bennett says. “But surrounding all of that now are some amazing amenities that make this a true, high-end resort.”
Key components of the resort’s revival include:
• Stowe Mountain Club—This new, four-season private club offers exclusive access to alpine skiing, golf, spa services and dining. Membership is primarily tied to ownership in the Spruce Peak at Stowe real estate development, but Lodge guests and local residents can also obtain privileges.
The club’s showcase facilities include a “ski-in, ski-out” Alpine Clubhouse that provides private access to special storage areas for ski gear and a valet service for comforts like pre-run boot warming. For golf, there’s the picturesque Bob Cupp-designed, 6,400-yard, par-72 championship course, with 400-foot elevation changes and a 111-million-gallon manmade lake (see photos, pg. 14 and 15).
“It’s challenging, but the undisturbed mountain setting [with no residences along the course] is what really makes it unique,” says Bennett, who thinks usage could eventually reach 10,000 rounds for the May-to-October season. “It offers cool shot values—but best of all, if you lose, you don’t care, because of how you enjoy yourself.”
• Stowe Mountain Lodge—By the time it opened last June, the 139-guestroom Lodge (see photo, pg. 19) had already drawn buzz as “New England’s most highly anticipated resort hotel.” Managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts, the Lodge includes 34 fractionally owned units in a private “Front Four” wing with dedicated concierge service. But that hardly means others are left to fend for themselves. In fact, a cornerstone of the personalized attention that the Lodge staff seeks to provide for every guest is The Alpine Concierge program, which initiates pre-arrival contact and creates personal profiles to track preferences and prepare customized amenity packages.
The latest showpiece of Stowe Mountain Resort, Stowe Mountain Lodge (left), opened last June. VP/Managing Director Jim Horsman (above) heads the Destination Hotels & Resorts management team that seeks to make all Lodge guests wonder, “Why go West?” |
“It’s all about finding the right fit with each individual’s lifestyle,” says Jim Horsman, a 25-year veteran of luxury hospitality management who returned to his native Vermont to serve as the Lodge’s Vice President/Managing Director. “No matter who we’re catering to or what they want to do, we have to find ways to provide truly unique and memorable experiences. And we’re dealing with a demographic that’s likely to have already done a lot, so we have to be relentless in finding new ways to step up to that challenge.”
With that as the mission, it’s not surprising to hear Recreation Manager Matt Hesser report he’s already “rewritten our program seven times” to accommodate new ideas such as snowshoeing on a trail system that winds through the golf course (hot chocolate included, with moonlight options), or Level 1 avalanche education. “I keep coming across new [recreational] resources every week,” says Hesser. “The potential for all we can do here is amazing.”
Similarly, retailing at the resort now goes well beyond logoed fleece pullovers and key chains. Directed by Retail Manager Colleen Garrett, the Lodge’s shops include showcases for high-end, Vermont-based artisans such as Charles Shackleton (furniture), Miranda Thomas (pottery), and Simon Pearce (glassware), plus the state’s only Ralph Lauren Polo store. “It’s already clear that if we focus on quality and unique selection, we can do well with a wide variety of things,” Garrett says.
Spa Director Maggy Dunphy (left) and Wellness Director Kim Rausch have ways to challenge even those who swim outside when it’s -30. |
The same emphasis on unique, home-grown selection drives the culinary program, as guided by Director of F&B Kim Lam-brechts and Executive Chef Sean Buchanan. A Vermont-based “farm to table” menu is featured in the Solstice restaurant, and local products, like a regional microbrew exclusive to the Hourglass bar, are included in signature dishes. “Even for an October wedding, we’ll emphasize seasonality,” says Lambrechts.
“People are very receptive.”
“Our restaurant is already making a name for itself with locals, too,” he adds. “Once we’re settled in, I think this could be a $6 million [F&B operation], with over half from banquets.”
Director of F&B Kim Lambrechts says Stowe-area locals are taking to the resort’s dining offers as much as Lodge guests. |
• The Spa at Stowe Mountain Lodge—On a recent January night when the outdoor temperature would eventually drop to 30 below, more than a few resort guests still slipped through an enclosed entry into Stowe Mountain Lodge’s unique heated outdoor lagoon pool (there is no indoor swimming option) and went out to splash around amid clouds of steam that looked like the eruption of a glacial volcano.
That’s the kind of gusto Stowe Mountain Lodge wants to harness through its 21,000-sq. ft., world-class spa that, not surprisingly, features distinctive services themed around the changing seasons of the region. The spa also includes Cooper Wellness at Stowe, offering programs, seminars, counseling and training sessions focused on healthy lifestyle choices. Here, too, the natural surroundings of the resort are incorporated as much as possible into prescribed treatments, through activities like hiking, trail running, golf, snowshoeing and skiing.
“We’re not just slapping on the [Cooper] brand; it’s a true partnership where we use that expertise in everything we do, to assess and educate,” says Spa Director Maggy Dunphy. “We think we have a unique opportunity here to bridge recreation and the Cooper philosophy.” Adds Wellness Director Kim Rausch: “We’re always focused on the ‘why’ component, to emphasize the end purpose of every exercise.”
• Spruce Peak at Stowe—The master plan—under the direction of hospitality industry veteran C. Robert McEleney (Callaway Gardens, The Resort at Squaw Valley) as the new CEO and President of Stowe Mountain Resort—is to continue to bundle all of the above, and more, into a “four-season, alpine resort community.” On the drawing board for future phases: a pedestrian plaza, ice skating rink, community pool, and 400-seat Performing Arts Center.
Executive Chef Sean Buchanan is bringing Vermont’s farms (and microbrews—see recipe here) to the resort’s tables. |
“It will probably take at least six more years to have everything,” says Horsman. “But there will be a finite residential component of roughly 500 units, and that’s a key point. From the beginning, it’s been a priority to do all of this in an environmentally responsible manner and keep most of the land untouched, while creating year-round recreational opportunities and a new village experience here, for both residents and visitors.”
The stewardship demonstrated by Stowe Mountain Resort from the start of its renaissance has already earned numerous forms of “green” recognition, and continues through an aggressive waste stream management program guided by Landscape Manager Andre Blais.
“Even with the current economy, we are still cautiously optimistic,” Horsman says of progress to date. “We’ve done a lot of active marketing in Europe, and have been very pleased with the response—Europeans seem to have a natural affinity for New England. Overall, bookings continue to meet goals, and we seem to be bucking the trend.
“We won’t be overconfident,” he adds. “But it does appear we’ve positioned ourselves, especially in the East, as a good new alternative to where people traditionally go, especially in winter. Now we have to maintain that year-round, so it will always be natural to wonder, ‘Why go West, or anywhere else, when we can go to Stowe?’ ” C&RB
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