The St. Regis Deer Valley

Character and identity

Set on 12 slopeside acres in the gated Deer Crest enclave at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, this 181-room lodge announces itself with a Swiss-built funicular that climbs 230 vertical feet to the entrance. The design steers clear of alpine cliché, pairing stone and wood with deep red and orange accents in the grand lobby, and carrying a dark-wood, refined-mountain palette into the rooms. Jean-Georges Vongerichten's J&G Grill anchors the dining (with a 13,000-bottle cellar), the Four-Star spa wraps around twin infinity pools, and butler service, ski valets, daily champagne sabering and an après hot chocolate bar set the tone.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What you're paying for is the combination of gated seclusion, slope access and the choreography of St. Regis service: butlers, ski valets, sabering, hot chocolate at four. Book a mountain-view room with a fireplace, lean on the butler, and target a winter stay; shoulder-season rates make the spa and pool the centrepiece rather than the lift.