Town looks for more info on BV hotel
05.04.2007, 21:02
Town staff and members of Town Council are seeking additional information on the Kor Hotel Group, its Viceroy Hotel brand and the state of the condo-hotel industry. The research will be used to determine whether or not the Kor Hotel Group and its Viceroy Hotel brand satisfy previous Base Village approvals and whether they are appropriate lodging operators for the flagship hotel at Base Village.
Hotels in Vilnius
“With Town Council’s approval, we’re going to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a third-party hotel analyst to determine whether or not the Kor Hotel Group and its Viceroy brand are a nationally recognized hotel chain,” said Russ Forrest, Snowmass Village town manager. “We’ll also ask them for any other information that will help us make this decision” on a hotel for Base Village.
After being encouraged by town staff to submit a minor PUD (planned unit development) regarding the proposed hotel, Related WestPac is expected to submit one this week. At last week’s Town Council meeting Pat Smith, president of Related WestPac, indicated they were interested in making part of the condo-hotel fractional.
Whether or not the Kor Hotel Group is right for the flagship hotel at Base Village has been the focus of discussions for the last couple of months. A Westin Hotel was previously announced for the Base Village site, but that agreement is no longer in effect. The year-long delay in getting Base Village started (because of a delay in receiving a 404 permit from the Army Corp of Engineers) pushed construction dates back and resulted in a missed February, 2007 trigger date for hotel construction to begin. By the time Related WestPac took control of Base Village this past March, the agreement with Westin had been terminated, necessitating a search for a new hotel operator.
At last week’s Town Council meeting, Gisle Sarheim, a vice president for HVS International, a hospitality industry consulting firm, reported what they had determined about the Kor Hotel Group and its Viceroy Hotel brand. According to Sarheim, HVS determined that “Snowmass Village will benefit substantially from the development of a Viceroy Hotel.” Since HVS had been retained by Related WestPac to study Kor and the Viceroy some members of Town Council wished to have a more independent third party opinion.