The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Vail Valley — Hotel in Avon

First off, let me say that I've been a platinum member for years and I travel extensively and I am also a total hotel snob when it comes to design and service.

Of all the hotels and resorts I have stayed at throughout the country, and world for that matter, the Westin Riverfront is probably on of my most favorite and most visited property of any brand.

First off, the design is wonderful and modern. I am so sick of boring 'mountain decor' in ski resorts that I have seen over and over, unchanging, since the seventies. This hotel is very well designed to a very high quality level. Even more important it is impeccably maintained. My first visit was two months after it had opened and my last visit this month, revealed no wear and tear. I am always amazed that everything looks brand new every time I return. Other hotels I do this with seem to be trashed after one year, but not this one.

The service here is excellent. Many of the same waiters, front desk staff and concierge staff and the behind the scenes staff are the ones that were here when they first opened. It is hard to keep staff at a resort town but this one is able to do it and I really believe that is why the experience here stays so wonderful. It is always nice to see a familiar face and even nicer when they often remember and recognize you.

The rooms here are spectacular. First off, even though this is a Westin Hotel, you are really staying in someone's multimillion dollar condo when you stay here. All the units are condominiums which are rented out via the Westin when the owner's are not in residence. Because of this the design, finish out and amenities are truly wonderful. They have regular hotel rooms, which are nice, but the studios are exceptional with small kitchens in them. I would strongly suggest upgrading your stay to a one bedroom suite or bigger. The difference is extraordinary and well worth the few extra dollars when you literally double the amount of space and enjoy a huge beautiful living room, dining room and a gorgeous fully equipped gourmet kitchen along with your huge separate bedroom and bath.

These suites have great closet space and a washer and dryer in unit. Did I mention the fully equipped kitchen? These kitchens are not something thrown together without thought or taste. They are exceedingly well equipped with top of the line everything. All the appliances, all the small electrics from blenders and mixers to toasters and coffee grinders are present. Every size pot and pan and even a huge roaster are included. Not just any old pot and pan either, we're talking All-Clad in these units. Everything else takes that same sort of quality to task from the extensive dish ware collection, the flatware and Zwilling J.A. Henckels cutlery. Full side by side refrigerator and freezer, high end appliance package and beautiful woodwork and stone countertops make for a wonderful cooking experience. Suites and Studios have big fireplaces and great expanses of windows for an open and airy feeling. Most have some sort of a balcony and some have spectacular terraces that are particularly wonderful in the summer.

For those who don't want to cook, they have 24 hour room service which is VERY GOOD! They also have one of the top restaurants in the area located in the hotel called CIMA which is amazing. It has the reputation of being expensive but they have many items on the menu that are not and they also have great happy hour offerings that are on sale or 50% off. There is also the Market Cafe which is hidden off to the side of the hotel where the Gondola is. This has a small grocery store, fresh fruits and veggies, wonderful coffee and tea drinks, delicious house made ice creams and a collection of ever changing food offerings that come from Cima's kitchen and are priced about the same a fast food restaurant. I have often found inexpensive offering there that rival the main restaurant in taste and quality.

The lobby is beautiful and they host occasional events and entertainment there. They also have a small and chic wine bar incorporated into the lobby which is great for a small git together and some people watching.

This hotel has one of the best gyms, best spas and has the best hot tubs and swimming pool in the area. Excellent equipment in the gym, many locals actually sign up to be members because it is so awesome. Class rooms and classes are on going. The pool is a gargantuan multilane outdoor lap pool and is salt water and is mostly protected by the wrap of the surrounding hotel with views up the slopes of Beaver Creek. The entire pool patio sits adjacent to the rushing sounds and sight of the Eagle river with huge infinity edge hot tubs just feet away from the rushing waters.

The gym and spa are adding a cafe, additional exercise areas and already are updating exceptional men's and woman's locker rooms. The spa is a real treat and is extremely well designed with modern, clean and luxurious design elements and amenities.

This whole resort is truly one of the best in the area. There are certainly more expensive ones, I have stayed at them, and they really don't hold a candle to the Westin. If you are a skier, the gondola and ski valet are in the hotel and make your trip to the slopes a breeze of luxury and simplicity. There is very little time loss to the slopes from this location and the ease and luxury of the complementary ski valet combined with all the other aspects of this hotel make it a very easy choice if you are debating being up higher on the mountain vs here.

I can rarely write a glowing review of anyplace, but I have been so consistently impressed by every aspect of this property I do so with joy. If I have to give one criticism it would be the fact they have a smaller TV in the bedrooms than in the living rooms 50" vs 40" I think. I hate that, big TV's everywhere please! There! I complained about something.

Stay here and enjoy yourself and a property like no other...

Just returned from a summer stay at this hotel last week. My family had 2 rooms, a 2 bedroom suite and a single king bed suite over the course of a week.

Rooms: Upon initial inspection the rooms are quite nice. Well put together, tastefully decorated, and the beds are comfortable. Note that the couch bed is not comfortable enough to sleep on for a prolonged duration, the couches alone are significantly more comfortable.

Concern: During our stay, the 2BR Suite started to have a smell of sewage leaking out from the bathroom. We notified the service desk and they arrive promptly, but then suggested that the smell was coming from the gas fireplace. They removed the cover of the fireplace and when they discovered the leak was not originating from there, they couldn't figure out how to put the cover back on and left it hanging on a hinge for an entire day.

They then proceeded to detach pipes in the bathroom, identified that the sewage smell was indeed coming from leaking pipes in the bathroom, but then when they did not have the proper pieces to fix the pipes, they left them open and the entire room quickly became unlivable with the smell of open sewage. They then left to "go to Home Depot" to find parts. We then left for dinner for approximately an hour and a half and asked them if that would be sufficient time for maintenance to get the issue resolved. The manager on duty was quite curt with us and would not give us a firm answer. When we returned to the hotel, she had not kept in touch with maintenance and couldn't tell us if our room was ready to return to or not. After 20 minutes of waiting someone finally contacted maintenance and we were informed the issue was resolved.

We returned to the room and discovered they had fixed the pipes but did not air out the room at all. When we called for box fans to help push air out of the bathroom and rest of the suite, maintenance was reluctant to provide any. They finally did, the rest of the room was livable again, but the bathroom itself never quite completely aired out. I think they have a problem with their plumbing on the west side of the hotel. For all of this inconvenience the hotel decided to comp 1 of our nights, which was a nice recovery, but their handling of the issue throughout lacked tact or efficiency.

That being said, in my 1 bed king suite, I experienced no problems at all.

Restaurant: Maya, the contemporary Mexican place within the hotel has great food at Vail-reasonable prices (note the 'Vail', this place is expensive, but what isn't up there). Service there is horrendous. We had reservations on 2 nights, one night we were seated promptly but did not see our waiter for 30-40 minutes, the only reason we got drinks / chips and salsa was because we flagged down a busboy who noticed we hadn't spoken to anyone yet. The second night we were kept from being seated until 45 minutes after our reservation time (we were told the wait staff needed to "catch up"). Service was more prompt but still very slow for food / refills, etc. The food is fantastic, the fresh salsa's are amazing, but the management of the restaurant needs serious work.

The rest of the facilities are great, and the location is perfect. This place has a lot of potential, it just needs a refresher course in resort management.

As far as Platinum recognition, I am an SPG 75 nights for this year already, heading towards 100 quickly, and I did not feel any differently than a standard guest, but it is a resort and not a business establishment.

Go there if your an SPG looking for a Beaver Creek trip, but keep your eyes open for other places, and be careful with your expectations, this place is nice, but the logistics scream of...

Our stay at The Westin Avon was an excellent experience, thanks to the outstanding hospitality and thoughtful amenities. The staff went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable, and the beautiful common area with panoramic mountain views was a lively hub where families gathered to relax, play games, and enjoy snacks.||What We Loved| • Exceptional Hospitality & Service: Every staff member was incredibly accommodating. The valet team was top-notch—they tagged and delivered our luggage, loaded our skis, and made everything effortless.| • Common Area & Atmosphere: The lobby and lounge area offered stunning mountain views and a great place to unwind. It was always buzzing with people, creating a welcoming après-ski vibe.| • Cookie & Hot Chocolate Hour (3:30–4:30 PM): A daily highlight for kids! While I found the hot chocolate mediocre, the experience itself was fun.| • Ski Valet: One of the best features of the hotel. They tag and store your skis, boots, and even ski bags. Everything is prepped and ready when you need it, whether you’re taking the gondola or shuttle.| • Gym & Spa Facilities: The gym is fantastic, and the changing rooms include a steam room. The Anjali Spa has great infrastructure, but our experience with the masseuse wasn’t great.| • Rooms & Room Service: Our mountain-view room was comfortable, with solid darkening curtains for a restful sleep. The bathroom was spacious, featuring dual sinks and a separate shower. The kitchenette had all the basics, but a few essentials like salt, pepper, and oil would have been appreciated.| • Amex FHR Benefits: We received two drink coupons, a $60 breakfast credit per day, and a $150 Anjali Spa credit. While they couldn’t accommodate early check-in, we did get a 4 PM late checkout, which was great.||What Could Be Better:| • Mountain Access via Riverfront Gondola: While it has short wait times, it’s not the most efficient route to the slopes. It requires taking three lifts (gondola + two more) before reaching a skiable area.| • Dining:| • Stoke & Rye (the main restaurant) had a nice ambiance but limited breakfast options.| • The Lookout Bar had incredible views, but the food was underwhelming.| • Best Dining Option: A black food truck across the hotel served fantastic food—a great alternative!| • Family Changing Room Issue: The hotel lacks a dedicated family changing area. They suggested using the accessible restroom, but that’s not an ideal solution. Most families just wrapped their kids in towels and walked them back to their rooms.| • Pool & Hot Tubs: The outdoor heated pool and three hot tubs were great, but the hot tubs get very crowded after 4 PM.||Other Notes:| • Parking is $45 per night (valet and self-park are the same price).| • Rooms felt a little congested, but we managed to find space for shoes.||Final Verdict:||Despite a few minor drawbacks, The Westin Avon excels in hospitality and service. The ski valet is top-tier, the common area is lively and inviting, and the kids absolutely loved the property. While mountain access requires patience and dining could improve, the overall experience was fantastic. If you’re looking for a family-friendly ski resort with great service, this is a...