To access the best of what Vail has to offer, Destination Services of Colorado can hook planners into some of the more unique activities and facilities in this rapidly improving Rocky Mountains destination.
The DMC, which has served Vail for more than 20 years and now covers the entire state, has grown with the destination itself.
“Back then Vail really didn’t do any group business,” says Danielle Mason, senior marketing manager of Destination Services of Colorado. “Now the raft guides wear uniforms and hand out bottled water.”
Mason says the destination first saw big changes coming about six years ago with the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, which upped the ante on the accommodations scene.
“Vail was always a great ski destination, but in all honesty, a lot of the hotels were getting a little dated,” she says. “Beaver Creek opened and that gave it a fresh, new life, but when the Ritz-Carlton opened, it really rejuvenated the whole valley—it just looks like a first-class resort now.”
A first-class resort destination demands top-tier activity options, of course, and Destination Services of Colorado has put on the ritz for its clientele.
Mason says her company arranged for a group from CBS Radio to mount horses upon their arrival in Beaver Creek, followed by a ride to a small cabin for a gourmet five-course meal and live entertainment by a band. Afterward, participants warmed up around fire pits before being driven back to their hotel.
Participants who really need the full-on luxury experience can even be sent on a helicopter for shopping in Aspen and then dining in Telluride before flying back to their hotel in Vail.
Because of the world-class skiing in the area, groups can also take advantage of a wide range of inspirational speakers.
“One of the best things about here is that renowned skiers and Olympians live within a few hours from us, if they don’t actually live here already,” Mason says, mentioning a visually impaired climber who she has used for speaking engagements. “There’s a blind climber that has climbed Mount Everest. Some people can’t see the connection between an adventurous outdoor lifestyle and corporate America, but there is, and it’s very inspirational.”
