A cozy retreat with convenient skiing: A review of the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Vail Valley

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The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa provided TPG with a complimentary two-night stay so that we could get an inside look at the hotel and its amenities shortly after its renovation. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author and weren’t subject to review by the hotel or any external entity.

From direct gondola access to the slopes to fireside dining and apres-ski cocktails, the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa is a self-contained spot in Colorado’s popular Vail Valley that offers pretty much everything one would need for an easygoing ski vacation.

Located conveniently next to Beaver Creek Resort, which is on our list of the best ski resorts in Colorado, the property just unveiled a major renovation that has left it with extra-comfy beds and refreshed, mountain-inspired decor. While the customer service can be laidback at times, most features of the hotel live up to the steep price tag.

Here’s what I experienced during my recent stay at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, which is part of Marriott Bonvoy.

Related: 17 of our favorite ski-friendly resort hotels you can book using reward points

Getting there

The Westin Riverfront is located in Avon, Colorado, next door to Beaver Creek Resort and a 15-minute drive to the slopes at Vail.

You can fly into Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) and drive about half an hour to the Westin, with ride-hailing services starting around $50 each way. If you fly into Denver International Airport (DEN), the drive will take at least 2 hours and 15 minutes — often significantly longer if you hit traffic (in which case, you may want to spend a night at one of our favorite hotels in Denver).

If you drive to this hotel, be aware that they charge $45 per night for either self or valet parking. This isn’t well advertised on the hotel website, and you’ll need to factor it into your ski trip budget.

Booking details

The Westin Riverfront has 230 accommodations, which it dubs “residences,” ranging from traditional rooms to three-bedroom condos.

On peak ski weekends, prices start around $900 or 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night for rooms and studio suites. If you book with cash, the hotel offers a 20% discount for stays of five or more nights during ski season.

Since you can top up Marriott free night award certificates from cobranded credit cards with up to 15,000 Bonvoy points, you could use an 85,000-point certificate plus 15,000 points to book a night here. But remember that you’ll still have to pay the $45-per-night resort fee on award stays.

If you visit during off-peak dates in the spring and fall (prime time for activities like hiking, biking and rafting in the Vail Valley), rates start around $290 or 61,000 points per night.

I stayed in a one-bedroom suite with a balcony and fireplace, which cost $1,364 or 198,000 points per night on my February weekend dates. That comes out to a value of 0.69 cents per Marriott point — right on par with the averages we’ve been seeing since Marriott’s recent devaluation.

You can maximize your points at the Westin Riverfront by booking your stay with a Marriott credit card. Or, if you’d rather earn transferable points and hold The Platinum Card® from American Express, you can book the Westin Riverfront via Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and take advantage of elitelike perks. You can also book with points or cash through Chase Travel℠   and Capital One Travel.

When booking this Westin, you’ll want to use one of the credit cards that earn the most points for Marriott stays, as well as one that possibly offers automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status for value-added benefits. These include:

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Platinum Elite status and 25 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Silver Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card: Earn 3 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program; automatic Silver Elite status; and 5 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.

The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: The best ski resorts in the US for your next trip to the slopes

Standout features

• Very comfortable beds and spa-quality robes in every room.
• Amenities include a well-outfitted fitness center, mountain-view hot tubs, live music on-site and a hot cocoa bar in the lobby.
• Wide-ranging menus and nice service at the in-house restaurant, plus fun tableside service for some menu items.
• Kitchens, connecting rooms and plenty of storage make this hotel a great choice for large groups and extended families. (You can even bring your dog.)
• Convenient location for skiing the nearby Beaver Creek and Vail resorts, plus ski-friendly services like an in-house gear rental service and ski valet.

Drawbacks

• Prices are high during peak ski season, both in points and cash. Between costs like resort fees and parking (even the in-room safes require an extra fee) and add-ons like dining and spa treatments, costs can add up fast.
• If you have dietary restrictions or picky eaters in your group, dining at the hotel isn’t worth the high price.
• The location is convenient for skiing but less so for exploring the Beaver Creek and Vail villages. If you want to spend most of your time wandering the towns’ dining and shopping scenes, you’re better off staying elsewhere.
• The check-in and parking processes can be chaotic, and the front-desk staff weren’t always informed about things like fees and public transportation.
• There are very few accessibility features for visually impaired guests.

The vibe

The Westin Riverfront’s mountain-inspired style embraces what most travelers come here for: snow sports and the great outdoors.

The hotel leans into the beauty of its natural surroundings. Everywhere you turn, floor-to-ceiling windows provide views of the Rocky Mountains.

The decor reflects the outdoors through the use of neutral colors, natural materials and artwork featuring mountains and aspen trees. Fireplaces and firepits abound, providing plenty of cozy spaces to take in the views.

The hotel also highlights its sporting roots with photos of Olympic skiers who cut their teeth in the Vail area and decorative snowboards adorning the walls.

The room

Although I only stayed two nights, my one-bedroom suite had everything I would have needed for an extended sojourn: a full kitchen with breakfast bar and dining table, a washer and dryer, a workspace, plentiful storage, a pull-out sofa, a gas fireplace, a balcony with mountains views and even a humidifier in the closet.

Not all room types offer these amenities, but you can get a fireplace and kitchenette in the studio suite (which costs the same as a standard room). With the high cost of dining in ski towns, you could save a lot of money on your vacation by cooking in your accommodations. Plus, many accommodation types offer connecting rooms, excellent for friend groups or extended families.

As part of its recent renovation, the Westin Riverfront revamped each guest room with Next Generation Heavenly Beds — and mine was indeed heavenly. As someone with back problems who often struggles to get comfortable in hotel beds, I never thought I’d say this, but I loved that bed.

If you bring a furry friend (for a fee of $150 per stay), the front desk will provide them with a Heavenly Dog Bed, too.

The hotel’s renovation also included modern furniture and new Western-inspired artwork, which felt aligned with the views of the Vail Valley outside my window.

The spacious, recently remodeled bathroom included plenty of light and storage as well as Lather bath products. I availed myself of the luxurious bathrobes for nightly trips to the resort’s hot tubs.

Snow sports

As mentioned before, the Westin Riverfront is adjacent to Beaver Creek, a high-end, family-friendly ski resort near Vail.

Although the Westin Riverfront isn’t technically a ski-in, ski-out hotel, it provides a free gondola called the Riverfront Express, which takes you to a chairlift at the base of Beaver Creek’s Bachelor Gulch area in just a couple of minutes. From there, you can ski and take lifts to any other runs or dining venues in Beaver Creek.

If you’d rather start your ski day in Beaver Creek village or explore neighboring Vail, the hotel offers a free shuttle to both Beaver Creek and Vail villages. The Beaver Creek shuttle runs every 30 minutes during peak ski hours; the Vail shuttle runs every three hours or so.

To make it as convenient as possible, there’s a ski valet (free for hotel guests) and ski rental shop inside the hotel. There’s also another gear rental shop and lift ticket office at the other end of the Riverfront Express gondola.

If your vacation plans will take you beyond the ski slopes, you can borrow snowshoes, sleds and other equipment (including gear for summer activities like fly-fishing) right from the hotel.

Beaver Creek offers a good variety of terrain for all skill levels. You could stay in the McCoy Park area if you’re a newbie looking for greens, hang out on the Arrowhead side for intermediate blue terrain or head to the central area for black diamonds. There are also plenty of nice glade runs through evergreen and aspen trees for more experienced skiers.

Both Beaver Creek and Vail are on the Epic Pass. If you’re not an Epic passholder, a lift ticket will set you back $295 per day for adults, $285 for seniors age 65-plus or $204 for children between 5 and 12. Lift tickets include access to both Beaver Creek and Vail.

Related: How to ski for free by showing this airline’s boarding pass

Amenities and service

When you’re done shredding for the day, the Westin Riverfront has good offerings for relaxing and refueling.

Cozy touches like cookies, a hot cocoa bar and live music every afternoon (only during ski season) made the hotel lobby a fun place to relax for apres-ski. Plus, you can warm up at the balcony firepits overlooking the mountains or in the heated saltwater pool and three infinity hot tubs.

On the hotel’s lower level, you’ll find a spacious fitness center with additional rooms for classes like aerial yoga and cardio kickboxing ($20 per class for hotel guests).

The hotel’s Spa Anjali offers a full menu of massage, nail and facial treatments, plus a boutique with spa products and souvenirs.

There’s also 24-hour room service and a grocery shopping service. And the Riverfront Market, open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., peddles everything from toiletries and to-go meals to s’mores kits and board games.

Although the dining staff we interacted with were always on their game, the front desk staff were a little less helpful. The check-in process was confusing since the staff didn’t communicate how parking and luggage transport worked. When we stopped by the front desk later in our stay to inquire about shuttles and transportation, the lobby staff weren’t able to answer our questions, which may have just been due to post-renovation growing pains.

Food and drink

The Westin houses a few dining venues, including the lobby bar and lounge and a Starbucks. But the flagship is in-house restaurant Stoke & Rye, helmed by award-winning chef Richard Sandoval, who has appeared on “Top Chef Masters” and “Beat Bobby Flay.”

Stoke & Rye offers elevated American fare and — as you may have guessed from the name — a large whiskey selection. My husband’s entree, the cacio e pepe pasta with chicken ($45), came with a fun tableside service involving an enormous cheese wheel.

There are limited vegan options on the menu, but the kitchen was happy to prepare an off-menu couscous and vegetable dish for me ($30). I also sampled the butternut squash soup ($16), the broccolini with citrus sweet potato puree ($15), romanesco cauliflower ($16) and a flight of homemade fruit sorbets ($15).

For breakfast, Stoke & Rye typically offers both a buffet option ($25) and an a la carte menu. However, on the Sunday morning we visited, the restaurant was hosting a special jazz brunch ($45 adult, $28 child). The buffet had more options than normal, with all the usual suspects plus a seafood spread, omelet bar and live music with Vail Valley musician Kathy Morrow.

Next door, the hotel operates the aptly named Lookout Bar, a hip spot for cocktails and light bites with stupendous views. We tried the Goshawk and Lamplighter drinks ($24 each), which were delicious — and watching the cinnamon on my drink get smoked with a blowtorch was a fun touch. We also tried the spiced almonds ($10).

Overall, we agreed the Westin’s food was mostly very good, the service was exceptional and the atmosphere was lovely, though the menus were pricy. Foodies with the budget for it will likely indulge, but if you have dietary restrictions or picky kids in your party, you may prefer to eat elsewhere.

Related: Which card should I pay with when dining at a hotel?

Out and about

The surrounding town of Avon has plenty of dining and shopping options, but it’s less charming — and less walkable — than the nearby Beaver Creek ski village, which also offers other activities, like shows and concerts at the Vilar Performing Arts Center and an outdoor ice rink. Fifteen minutes down the highway, Vail village has even more to do.

Free public buses and hotel shuttles make it easy to reach the Vail and Beaver Creek villages from the Westin, though these options run less frequently after ski hours. Be sure to grab a transportation brochure from the front desk and check the schedule before planning your evening activities — otherwise, you may find yourself stuck and in need of a ride-hailing service. You could also opt to drive yourself; just be prepared to pay for parking.

Related: Haven’t booked your ski trip yet? Here are the best places to find snow right now

Accessibility

When I searched hotel availability and opened the Room Details section for each room type, most stated, “This room type does not offer mobility accessible rooms,” or “This room type does not offer hearing accessible rooms.” However, when I contacted the hotel, I was told they offer the following accessibility features at the property:

• Accessible on-site parking
• Elevators
• Self-operating lift or sloped entry in swimming pools
• Service animals are welcome
• Accessible vanities
• Roll-in showers and adjustable-height shower wands
• Bathtub seats and grab bars
• Wheelchair-height toilet seats
• Lowered handles, deadbolts, viewports and night guards on doors
• Lowered electrical outlets
• Hearing-accessible rooms and/or kits
• Closed-captioned TV

It seems the hotel can accommodate guests with wheelchairs or hearing impairments, but be sure to call before you book to confirm. Also, I didn’t notice any Braille signs around the building, so the hotel may be less prepared for visually impaired guests.

Checking out

With its cozy accommodations, array of amenities and easy access to the slopes, the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa is a great option for a ski trip, especially if you’re traveling with a large group and have the budget for this property. Although there are some kinks that need to be ironed out with the front desk service, I would happily stay here again.

Of course, rates aren’t cheap during ski season, especially when you tack on parking fees and steep menu prices. However, the Westin is more affordable than you might think when compared to ski-out properties like the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch and Park Hyatt Beaver Creek — and getting to the slopes is only slightly less convenient.

Plus, you can save big by forgoing the Westin’s high-end dining scene in favor of in-room kitchens and kitchenettes, and by using public transportation and ride-hailing services to avoid hefty parking fees.