Keystone’s Highly Anticipated Luxury Resort Opens

Photo: Kindred Resort/Summit Multimedia

As longtime lovers of summer events in Keystone, we’ve been to this village many times. For several years, we’ve watched Kindred Resort taking shape, and this past May it opened.

This is Keystone’s first major development at the base in more than 20 years, and it comes at a time when another major change took place at this 56 year old Colorado ski resort. While the Kindred Resort project broke ground in 2022, in February 2024, Keystone officially became an incorporated town. 

Photo: Kindred Resort/Summit Multimedia

River Run, the village at the base of the ski resort has always been a bustling place—filled with music and dancing in the summer, and skiers and boarders in the winter. Many of whom are Colorado locals who have been coming to Keystone for years. 

That last part made me a little nervous. Would Kindred Resort fit the laidback Colorado aesthetic of Keystone? I knew this was going to be a luxury property with the first-ever private alpine club, but I also knew pretentious luxury would never be the right fit for this town. 

Photo: Kindred Resort/Summit Multimedia

My worries began to melt away upon check in. Light flooded the lobby which was buzzing with excited energy. A wedding party was loading in, and smiles and laughter permeated the air. 

Plus, our dog, Fritzi, was gaining a great deal of attention which arrived mostly in the form of “what a beautiful dog” and lots of treats. She really only cares about the latter, but of course, I am always proud of the compliments. 

Photo: By Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer

The stresses of the week melted away entirely when we arrived in our 450 square foot room, the size of all 107 rooms in the hotel section of Kindred Resort. Broken into three interconnected sections above a shared space, each tower is situated to give the guest rooms direct line of sight to the mountain. 

To our delight, two big dog bowls awaited Frizi along with a large dog bed, appropriate for her German Shepherd size. She also got a tug-toy which made her very happy, a bandada, and a bag-filled dog-bag holder that I immediately clipped to my purse. 

Photo: Kindred Resort/Summit Multimedia

Our room looked out to the mountain and directly down on Kindred Resort’s main plaza which contains seating, fire pits and a turf covered area for things like morning yoga, which guests can enjoy on weekend mornings. There are a variety of activities available to Kindred Resort guests. 

On both mornings we went on long walks with Fritzi next to the Snake River, which runs directly in front of the resort. Surprisingly, Keystone has few dog-friendly lodging options, so this is a welcome amenity at Kindred Resort. 

Photo: By Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer

We also indulge with gusto in Keystone Wine & Jazz Festival, one of a flight of events that Keystone Festivals hosts in River Run Village each summer. The resort, which was built in what was a dirt parking lot near the River Run Gondola, ties together this area of the resort with the main village. 

Kindred Resort, offering private residences as well as a hotel, is located across from River Run Gondola making this a convenient place for a new public Ski & Ride School at the base of the resort. 

Photo: By Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer

Everything at the resort has been curated with care and attention to Keystone’s mountain location and mining past. Even the carpet is a custom piece based on a topographical map of the Argentine Mine, and is often photographed by guests.

The overall aesthetic gives a nod to the wood and metals associated with Keystone’s history, but has been added with a contemporary twist and an emphasis on natural light in all the resort’s spaces. 

Photo: Kindred Resort/Summit Multimedia

We enjoyed dinner and a brunch at the inhouse restaurants, Lula’s, named for an original Keystone settler whose home was on this site in the early 1900s. I highly recommend the Snake River Trout. 

Kindred Resort features three restaurants, Lula’s, Kinji Sushi and Goodz Tavern. We dined at Goodz on our last night in town. With the windows open allowing chatter from the patio, and fine steaks on our plates, it was the perfect ending to our wine festival day. 

Photo: Kindred Resort/Summit Multimedia

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the pool deck. Swimming surrounded by mountains is my favorite activity, and this pool and two huge hot tubs have unimpeded mountain views. The pool deck includes plenty of seating, as well as cabanas around the outside. Eventually, offerings will include poolside service. 

Lastly, the art collection is like no other in Summit County. Curated by NINE dot ARTS, a Denver-based firm that’s done the art for many of Colorado’s great hotels, includes a total of 270-plus pieces by artists from the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest. Three of these are hand-painted murals and three ceramic wall sculpture installations. Each artwork is accompanied by a QR code so that guests can learn more about the piece. 

Photo: Kindred Resort/Summit Multimedia

While Kindred Resort is posh in many ways, it still feels like a place where a guest can drink a glass of wine in their ski boots on the main plaza. I stole that line from Dan Dohner, the General Manager of Kindred Resort, and it’s true.

Walking through the lobby, dog in tow, Kindred Resort has managed to capture the essence of what Colorado mountain life is all about; a little refinement in the way of elevated interior design, cuisine and art, but still wearing jeans.

Follow Heidi on more adventures at heiditown.com.