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| Waldorf Lobby |
Since my layoff last October, I haven't been in many hotels. Marie dropped by in November, providing an excellent excuse to head up into the hills for a night out.
I made dinner reservations at Montage Deer Valley's Apex. When she found out Apex was in the Montage, she said something like, "That big monstrosity of a place?"
I for one, have never had a negative thought about the Montage. But wanting to be objective, I remained silent and entertained her perspective.
At the Montage, we ate in an echoey dinning room and watched an inebriated fifty-something woman, desperate for a shag, working the two bartenders and solitary male.
In the offseason, and without people, the scale of the Montage seemed off somehow. It gave me the feeling of wandering around an empty cathedral intended to reinforce the glory of architecture and the insignificance of man. The hotel's great room, built to be a cozy gathering spot, could have been a set from The Shining.
Marie convinced me to drop in for dessert at the Waldorf Astoria Park City, near Canyons ski resort. I've never wanted to visit the Waldorf, because its location in sagebrush pastureland a mile or so from ski runs has none of the romance of the pine-nestled Montage.
We lounged by the fire, and then snacked on gingerbread and ice cream after being comfortably tucked away on a plush banquette in the hotel's Slopes restaurant.
I was willing to concede this one. Marie was right. For cozy, off season dining, the Waldorf wins.
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| To be fair, here is a color photo of the Montage's Lobby Great Room. |
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| Montage Lobby Great Room. |
Hmmmm... I've been to the Montage as well, and to be perfectly fair, I suspect if you took a color photo of that living room of theirs and posted it alongside a black & white photo of the cold, black marble floors of the Waldorf lobby, you would be able to demonstrate a convincing argument for the reverse. And perhaps this lack of integrity is connected in some way to your recent layoff. Suggesting that Montage may have been built to 'reinforce the insignificance of man' seems more than a bit over the top. But it is the holidays, so I don't want to be too mean. I'm glad you found comfort in the remote sagebrush. I bet the folks at Montage are happy they don't have to throw you any comp rooms in the near future.
ReplyDeleteHmm indeed! . .this comment comes across somewhat as a veiled threat! Whoever you are, please don't blacklist my name in the Montage guest database, because I will be back to stay soon.
ReplyDeleteI visited the hotel on a particularly low-occupancy night in November. The fireplace in the Lobby Great Room wasn't working, and all that emptiness made me want to rush to one of the Montage's perfectly-proportioned rooms to walk around barefoot on my heated bathroom floor.
I still stand by claim that Slopes is more of an intimate space than Apex for one couple. So if you don't mind pulling into the suburban sagebrush and tumbleweed cul-de-sac that is the Waldorf, its not a bad option.
Anonymous sounds bored and lonely. He must be at Montage now...
ReplyDeleteWe can't be too hard on Utah ski hotels this year. They are probably hurting for more business. . .and more snow! I'll have to take you to dinner at the Montage and desert at the Wally so you can decide for yourself.
ReplyDeleteHey Chris:
ReplyDeleteSaw this blog pop up in my media coverage report today. Sorry to hear you weren't impressed with us on a day where we were in snow 'accumulation' mode. We're running 100% occupancy today so you would feel right at home with all of the buzz in the hotel - and plenty of snow all around for a packed day of skiing on the mountain. I have to agree with the original comment that some of the words you chose to describe us were a bit on the melodramatic side, but I've always been entertained by your writing style. Don't worry about any kind of backlash here - its clear the first poster was just one of our fans - and they tend to be passionate. I appreciate that you are one of them - and we'll have you back in your cozy room with the heated floors soon enough. Thanks for posting the color photo of Vista Lounge - which now features a new sushi bar open for the winter season. Kampai!
Yes, always subjective and always melodramatic--but still a huge fan. I can't wait to eat at the sushi bar. Thanks for the heads up!
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