New Chalet at Whistler: A Stay for the Riches

Joseph Ruttle, from the Vancouver Sun reports on the new chalet located in Whistler, in his article, New Whistler corporate retreat takes chalet experience to new heights, posted Wednesday December 13th, 2023.

   

 The new, and luxurious 10-bedroom chalet is open to the public for "corporate retreats and gatherings," under the name 'Wedge Mountain Lodge and Spa.' The lodge draws architectural design from "classic comforts of a European chalet with modern finishings and amenities more commonly seen at a luxury hotel." The chalet was founded by the means of the Holdsworth Family, who share "an extensive background in travel hospitality, design and engineering," likely the reasoning behind their immaculate taste and execution. With their previous history and experience in the hospitality industry, the Holdsworth Family "built the lodge knowing precisely what our guests were looking for," pulling inspiration from European centric lodge designs, as well as elements from modern luxury hotels, creating a space where guests could feel the at-home and cozy feel of the mountains, whilst incorporating the relaxing, hands-free services from a hotel. With a central location, the 12,000-square-foot lodge is minutes from the Whistler Village, whilst attaining almost 360 degrees of coastal mountain view from the floor-to-ceiling windows. With amenities such as "10 ensuite bedrooms, a private theatre, a games room, outdoor heated hot tub and pools...a fire pit, Nordic-style spa...[and on-site] access to executive chef Bill Grimshaw," combined with the location, guests are expected to spend a minimum of $13,500 per night on their luxurious stay. At a three-night minimum stay, and prices peaking at $26,450 per night during the holiday season, a minimum stay at this new lodge is valued at a $60,000 average.

    The chalet is a beautiful piece of architecture, with all the necessary and unnecessary amenities. The exterior is beautiful, yet modest with tasteful beams and windows for natural light. With a balance of privacy and accessibility, the location is beyond desirable. I have been fascinated with architecture and interior design since childhood and have rarely come across a property that satisfies my taste as much as the Wedge Mountain Lodge and Spa, let alone have local access to one. While I can see the purpose and design was well thought out and executed with educated experience, I question the target audience of this lodge. Obviously, with such a perfect location, design, and variety of luxury amenities, the value would be substantial, for such an accommodation, yet the price still shocked me. Even split 10 ways, as per the amount of rooms the chalet houses, the cost would still be approximately $6,000 per family/room, which is in my opinion an outrageous amount of money. Seeing that Whistler is an extremely desirable, and marketable resort, it is understandable to market to the existing industry, with knowledge of wealthy customers, yet again, the current pricing is beyond that range, and broadcasted to elite clientele, likely non-local. As a producer with an extensive history in hospitality and travel industries, I wonder why the Holdsworth family decided to market to such an elite crowd. Maybe they purposely wanted to design a space specifically for just the elite, or they wanted to contribute to the tourism culture of whistler. Either way, I am mildly disappointed that such promising architecture wasn't made accessible to anyone below and elite status, something that easily could have been avoided. Whilst the range of amenities is an incredible luxury, it is unnecessary, even just reducing the size of each service could reduce the cost to a more accessible target audience, growing popularity and demand to the lodge business. Overall, it is a beautiful Lodge with every service imaginable, at an insane cost.