A penthouse refresh at Sitzmark Lodge

The timeframe for remodeling the Sitzmark Lodge smacked of one of those reality shows. The team had 90 days between the start of the project and the day the first guest was booked in the penthouse — it was a challenging-but-possible feat, given the challenges with the supply chain. 

Lodging Capital Partners purchased the penthouse last November from its previous owners, who had lived there for 50 years.  

“It had good bones, but it had to be brought into more of a modern mountain feel consistent with luxury accommodations in today’s world,” said Steve Kisielica, principal of Lodging Capital Partners. “We saw it as an opportunity to create a spectacular suite of rooms for guests.” 

The team gutted most of the 2,800-square-foot penthouse and reconfigured the great room, dining area and office, transforming the manner in which they were used through furnishings. Fortunately for them, the previous owners had already updated the entire kitchen and bathrooms. 

Guests access the penthouse from a stairway in the common hotel corridor and walk into a mud room with floor-to-ceiling windows, which look out onto Gore Creek, so the team created a luxurious space to sit and take ski boots off, complete with a boot-drying system for a dozen pairs of boots and spots to hang ski clothing.  

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Another stairway ushers guests to the main level, where the great room, with its vaulted ceilings, opens to panoramic views of Vail Mountain. Before, older furnishings, including a small round dining table, wooden end tables and overstuffed seating that didn’t quite look cohesive, cluttered the area. After the remodel, gray sofas with a complementary metal and marble coffee table and area rug brought the room into contemporary luxury. A modern dining table, large television and artwork now define the dining room area. 

The adjacent sunroom, or après room, is one of the showpieces of the penthouse. Formerly a dining room filled with plants, it acted more like a greenhouse. Now, it’s a sleek après lounging area that has the “best views in the apartment,” Kisielica said, with a clean modern look featuring custom upholstered chairs, sofas and built-in seating, along with a large area rug, which complements the one in the great room. A small terrace and adjoining bar area complete the lounge. 

The other space that benefited from a fresh vision is the former office, which the team transformed into a bunk room that sleeps six, with two full beds and a stack of two twins. They also added a closet to the room and created a small workspace area for a desk in the spacious hallway. 

The master suite transitioned from cherrywood bedframes, nightstands and dressers to a sleek gray headboard and frame that has no footboard. A desk allows guests to work in a private room, while a cozy chair in the corner helps them to relax in their own space. Bedrooms also feature plenty of places to plug in devices, as well as high-quality sheets, duvets, pillow tops and robes. 

“We had to be creative with today’s supply chain — we were dealt a hand — but I think we did a great job,” Kisielica said. “It has a modern mountain feel with a European flair, in keeping with the Bavarian architecture of the building.”