Where to stay in Breckenridge, CO: Gravity Haus

As new hotels scramble to draw distinct differences between their property and others, at least in design, few emphasize the beauty and allure of their immediate proximity over their interior. Yes, hotels love to tell guests about restaurants and bars around the block, but not many suggest day-long adventures or group treks off site. Gravity Haus does just that and more for its outdoors-oriented guests and members. Breck Haus, their newly opened Breckenridge, Colorado property is first and foremost a hotel: located at Peak 9’s foot, their ski-in/ski-out philosophy draws a certain type, but their design-forward feel—high ceilings with refined modern furniture—will attract all with a discerning eye. Plus, Gravity Haus founder, Jim Deters, recognizes that mountain homes were a semi-affordable entry point to an outdoors-oriented lifestyle 15 or 20 years ago but no longer.

Breck Haus, the debut property under the Gravity Haus umbrella, marks Deters’ first effort at introducing a social club/hotel concept to the notoriously expensive ski resort market. Though the property boasts only 60 rooms (ranging from bunk bed configurations that sleep eight to a standard arrangement that sleeps two), the comprehensive orbit of on-site activities offers plenty to do outside an assigned abode: complimentary bikes let guests ride throughout town, ski valet and storage make hotel-to-slope transitions seamless, and a 13.5% resort fee offers guests admission to Dryland Sports (a nearby “functional fitness and training facility” also owned by Deters), the hotel’s Japanese Onsen, an on-site co-working space called Starter Haus, and an on-property offshoot of Colorado Adventure Guides.

If you’re local, or a frequent booker, enrolling in one Gravity Haus’ offered subscription plans might prove worth it, at least cost-wise. The Open Haus plan gives you 20% off room bookings and a few other beneficial perks. The Breck Haus plan, on the other hand, offers the same treats as the former but unlimited coworking hours, a dedicated ski locker (which, if you’re up to it, you could decorate), late checkout, discounted drinks and dinners, and much more—I, for one, would revel in the opportunity to drink Colorado beers at a slashed price, even if it’s at the arch of a renovated lobby bar. 

After all, for many, the apres ski is actually the best part. And though Gravity Haus deviates from this popular aesthetic—especially inside Breck Haus—the conviviality remains. “Apres Reimagined” informs Breck Haus’ restaurant and bar, Cabin Juice. Though I’m not certain where the name originates, their menus, filled with locally-sourced and health conscious bites and superb cocktails (including a few barrel aged ones), offer welcome replenishment after a day of physical activity or fuel for the next one—and plenty to inspire revelry amongst guests and members. 

The company and its forthcoming properties are certainly peddling interconnectivity—honestly, almost every hotel these days aims to unite their guests in some way or another. That being said, few do it well or with any sense of purpose. At a city-dwelling hotel, for example, there’s no sense in gathering in the hotel’s undersized lobby for nightly story-telling or cocktail hour: there are better bars, and probably people, around the corner. That’s no knock on those implementing this type of programming in New York City, for instance, but community fostering feels far more natural at elevation, at the base of one of Colorado’s most splendid natural features. Returning to work, in an environment as nice or even nicer than your usual office, after a day on the slopes feels right here. And, more likely than not, the guests here are people you’ve seen before or at least those with similar interests. And that makes the Haus feel that much more like a semi-permanent home—with a $399-$479/night price range for peak season.

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