Colorado Captivates in 2008

New Hotels, Museums, Attractions and Restaurants Set To Debut in Colorado

Denver, Colo. (January 07, 2008) - With a slew of new developments and major events, Colorado is looking for big things in 2008. From brand new resorts, museums and restaurants to new recreational activities, adventure sports and attractions, the state is brimming with exciting new things to see and do in all four seasons. Below are highlights of Colorado's new developments in 2008. For more information or a copy of the 2008 Official State Vacation Guide, visit www.COLORADO.com or call 1-800-COLORADO.

• The Ritz-Carlton, Denver (Denver): The city's first branded five star luxury hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, Denver will open to the public in January 2008. This luxurious property will boast 202 spacious guest rooms, the biggest in the city, and will feature all the services and amenities that have made The Ritz-Carlton the standard for service in hospitality. www.ritzcarlton.com
  
• The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa (Avon): Nestled at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain and on the banks of the Eagle River, this posh, full-service resort features 210 distinctive guest rooms offering instant access to Beaver Creek Mountain via the new Riverfront Express Gondola located right outside its doors. The Westin Riverfront will open in summer 2008 offering guest state-of-the-art amenities and services including a world-class spa and signature restaurant. www.westinriverfront.com
  
• Capella Telluride (Telluride): Capella Telluride is the vision of Horst Schulze, founding President of the Ritz-Carlton. This 148-unit ultra luxurious, ski-in/ski-out property will open in the winter of 2008 and offer an unprecedented level of service that includes personal assistants on each floor. Plus a "Kid's Club" that provides adult-supervised games, activities and events for children. www.capellatelluride.com
  
• The Arabelle (Vail): The Arrabelle at Vail Square is set to open in January 2008 at the foot of the gondola at Vail Mountain. This new premier property will offer a luxurious hotel experience that combines Old World charm and the timeless elegance of Europe's grand resorts with the romance and world-class style of Vail's alpine heritage. www.arrabelle.com.
  
• Hotel Chateau Chamonix (Georgetown): The only upscale property on the I-70 Corridor, the Hotel Chateau Chamonix comes to the historic mining town of Georgetown in the Spring/Summer of 2008. The hotel is located on Clear Creek will feature beautifully appointed rooms including fireplaces and two person hot tubs. www.hotelchateauchamonix.com
  
• Wine Country Inn (Palisade): The 80-room Wine Country Inn in the vineyards of Palisade invokes the Victorian feel of farm homes in small towns across America. Guests can stroll through the surrounding vineyards and pamper themselves with first-class accommodations. Opening summer 2008. www.coloradowinecountryinn.com

• Arapahoe Basin: A-Basin (as it's known to locals) is moving forward with the construction of the Montezuma Bowl expansion project, its largest expansion since its inception in 1946. A-Basin recently received final approval to construct Zuma Lift, which will provide access to approximately 400 acres of intermediate and advanced skiing in Montezuma Bowl. The expansion will increase the ski area's terrain by 80percent, bringing A-Basin's total skiable acres to 900. Lift construction began this summer and the bowl is scheduled to open during the 2007-08 ski season. www.a-basin.com
  
• The Treehouse Kid's Adventure Center (Snowmass): The Aspen Skiing Company recently unveiled The Treehouse Kids' Adventure Center in Snowmass, a $17 million, two-story, 25,000-square-foot facility just for families, the first of its kind in the snow sports industry. The Treehouse serves as the focal point for kids' programming in Snowmass and is linked to a system of seven new lifts, including kid-friendly gondolas and magic carpets, to provide a seamless on-mountain learning experience. Features include ski and snowboard schools; themed rooms tailored for specific age groups; retail and family après entertainment; a climbing wall and more. http://www.aspensnowmass.com
  
• Steamboat Mountain Resort: Steamboat is moving ahead with a record $16 million on-mountain investment program highlighted by the six-passenger Christie Peak Express chairlift. In addition to on-mountain improvements, the mountain base area will be transformed and several new real estate developments will take place, all part of Steamboat Unbridled, a multi-faced enhancement project extending from the mountain through downtown Steamboat Springs. Nearly one billion dollars is anticipated to be spent now and in the coming years, including major upgrades to Ski Time Square, the creation of a promenade and plaza at the base area, and numerous residential and commercial developments. www.steamboat.com 
  
• Winter Park: Change is everywhere-on the slopes, on the trails, but the hub for all the happenings is the new village. The Village is the new heart of Winter Park and includes classic mountain architecture balanced with modern amenities. The shops are combined with enough family-friendly amenities to keep even the busiest of children entertained. Designed to be a true pedestrian village, Winter Park has begun construction on the new three-tier parking structure which will boast 290 parking spaces. Also, scheduled to open in December 2007 is the new Panoramic Express Chairlift, North America's highest six-passenger chairlift, providing faster access to over 1,123 acres of terrain. www.skiwinterpark.com

Colorado's Culture and Dining Scene

• Spago at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch (Bachelor Gulch): Wolfgang Puck will open the Colorado outpost of his legendary Spago at The Ritz-Carlton this winter. In keeping with Chef Puck's guiding culinary philosophy, Spago Bachelor Gulch will follow the Eating, Loving and Living (Well)^TM program and include a commitment to sourcing from local family farmers and purveyors. The 126-seat restaurant was designed by esteemed New York-based hospitality designer, Tony Chi. www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/BachelorGulch/Dining/Default.htm
  
• Thomas Salamunovich Expands His Empire (Vail): Acclaimed chef Thomas Salamunovich of Larkspur in Vail will open two new restaurants in the Vail Valley in 2008. Watermark will open in the new Westin Riverfront in Avon this summer and will focus on New American cuisine featuring regional artisanal products emphasizing purity or ingredients and abundance of flavor. He will also debut Centre V, a French-brasserie inspired mountainside restaurant located in the Arabelle in Vail. www.larkspurvail.com
  
• Museum of Contemporary Art (Denver): The highly anticipated opening of the newly designed Museum of Contemporary Art took place in Denver's LoDo (Lower Downtown) late fall 2007. The new building was designed by British architect David Adjaye and is the first Gold Level LEED Certified Contemporary Art Museum in the country. It contains four permanent commissions, three by Colorado-based artists, and will feature traveling exhibitions throughout the year. www.mcartdenver.org

• The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Expansion (Colorado Springs): More than 70 years after its grand opening, The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center has entered a new era with the debut of a new two-story, 48,000 square-foot museum building. The new building was designed by award-winning architect David Owen Tryba. Featuring spacious galleries and contemporary design, the new museum houses the finest exhibitions traveling the world today. The Fine Art Center's historic spaces have been renovated and feature meticulous touches, including three Dale Chihuly chandeliers. www.csfineartscenter.org

• Mountaineering Museum (Golden): Opening in early 2008, the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum is dedicated to the stories of the mountains and mountaineers. The only museum of its type in the United States, it will introduce visitors to the world of mountain and rock climbing and honor the achievements of mountaineers from America and around the world. It will include interactive exhibits on climate, science, culture and humanities as they relate to the mountains. http://bwamm.blogspot.com

• Dig This^TM Heavy Equipment Play Area (Steamboat Springs): Dig This^TM is America's first heavy equipment play area offering 20 tons of year round fun in an authentic construction setting with structured full and half day courses. Participants will operate brand new
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