Resort report: Checking out the St. Regis at Deer Valley

Deer Valley has long been considered the Gstaad of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, thanks in large part to the five-star Stein Eriksen Lodge, which looks as if it had been air-lifted from the Alps. Well, Stein Eriksen got some formidable competition this season with the opening of the St. Regis Deer Crest. Like Stein Eriksen, the St. Regis is a ski-in/ski-out hotel, although it’s actually situated atop its own small mountain, which is accessible only by a funicular, which guests ride after they’ve checked in at its base.

The hotel is packed with luxuries, like valets who fetch your skis and help buckle you into your boots, a sparkling Remyde spa and a J&G Grill (that’s for Jean-George Vongerichten). But most impressive are its signature white-gloved butlers who are on hand to do everything from unpacking suitcases to suggesting the best bump runs for your kids.

While the butlers’ duties are supposed to be hotel-based, I lucked out and found myself riding up a chairlift with one on my last day. He recognized the St. Regis sticker on my skis, and next thing I knew, I was getting a tour of all the off-the-grid tree skiing that a newbie like me would never have found herself.

As a beauty editor, of course it was my duty to check out the spa, which is tricked out with a waterfall and indoor brooks running through the halls, and offers the full range of massages, facials and body treatments. There, I had a fantastic massage, which included one of the best foot-paraffin treatments I’ve ever experienced.

It’s worth noting that competition for most impressive hotel spa in Deer Valley is only just heating up. Stein Eriksen recently expanded its spa from 4,000 to 20,000 square feet, and a third luxury hotel, the Montage (of Laguna Beach and Beverly Hills fame), is set to open this summer. The Montage’s spa will be 35,000 square feet—practically enough space for a bunny hill.

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