Washington School House Hotel

The trouble with ski hotels, all too often, is that the majesty of the mountain setting seems to tempt hoteliers into taking the easy way out. You can’t compete with nature, so why even try? Happily it’s an attitude that’s by no means universal these days — the proprietors of Park City’s Washington School House, for one, suffer from no such affliction.

Here the natural environment, sublime as it is, is only complemented by a thoughtfully conceived built environment. Yes, it’s a 19th-century schoolhouse, but rustic cutesiness is far from the dominant tone. These twelve rooms and suites vary in style, but they’re all stylish, and all cleanly focused, so that antique elements, from aged hardwood floors to classic Europe-via-Rockies furnishings, are given their proper space against a simple white backdrop.

On top of all that, the Washington School House might just be the intimate little boutique hotel Park City needs. There’s something to be said for the rowdy fun of the ski resorts, but there’s also something to be said for a hotel that’s small enough that you could conceivably know all the guests by name. And sacrifices in the name of small size are minimal — there’s an outdoor pool, a private chef, in-room massage by appointment, and it’s all walking distance from Park City’s in-town ski lift.

How to get there: Washington School House Hotel (two blocks from Park City's town lift) is a 45 minute drive from Salt Lake International Airport and Million Air Jet center.