When the news broke in November 2022 that one of Vail’s oldest hotels, the Sitzmark Lodge, would remain a small boutique hotel under new ownership, the community breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Sisters Jeanne Fritch, Nancy Fritch, and Leslie Chapman, daughters of Bob and Helen Fritch, longtime owners and residents of the lodge, entertained multiple offers from out-of-town investors—including one that would have redeveloped the lodge into condominiums. Instead, they sold the Sitzmark to a partnership led by Amy and Steve Kisielica, Vail locals with vast experience in the resort hotel industry and, more importantly, an interest in paying tribute to the legacy and history of the landmark property, including retaining its current staff.

Bob and Helen Fritch purchased the 1960s-era lodge in 1974 and lived in the top-floor apartment for almost 50 years, creating a welcoming and homey atmosphere that attracted generations of repeat guests. Their commitment to hospitality and making Vail Village an international destination extended beyond the hotel, most notably to the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, which they co-founded in 1983.

How Steve and Amy Kisielica took ownership of the historic Sitzmark Lodge is a story in itself, recalls Jeanne Fritch, who began running the hotel after the death of her parents (Bob died in 2018, at 95, and Helen died the following year, at 87.). For a short while it was great, she says, and then things changed. “After the loss of my parents and the challenges of COVID, it felt like it was time for me to let it go,” she explains. “The Sitzmark was a bubble in Vail—a last bastion where you could get a reasonable room in a family-run lodge and not feel gouged or too extravagant. Vail was going somewhere that I wasn’t.”

In 2022 Fritch called her cousin, a commercial realtor, for advice, asking, “How do I sell a hotel?” After initial conversations, she recalls, “he mentioned that his colleagues knew someone in the Vail Valley who could help me, and did I want to meet him?” That person was Steve Kisielica, co-founder of Lodging Capital Partners, a premier owner and asset manager of an impressive range of luxury hotels, including Aspen’s Hotel Jerome, the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago, the Four Seasons Los Cabos, and the Ritz Carlton Residences on Waikiki Beach. No stranger to the hospitality business, Kisielica completed his due diligence on the potential for a “top-to-bottom refresh” of the historic building and concluded that he would like to purchase it.

Fast-forward two years and the Sitzmark Vail is open for business following a multimillion-dollar renovation. Showcasing the new owners’ commitment to honoring the hotel’s history and family ownership, the remodel, orchestrated by Los Angeles-based interior design firm Cole Martinez Curtis & Associates (CMCA), has created an ambience that’s serene and understated, yet highly sophisticated. 

CMCA’s Jill Cole has worked with Kisielica on a variety of projects and credits the hotelier with having a vision that is at once a labor of love and an investment in his community. “It looked tired, but it wasn’t terrible because it’s in a fabulous location,” recalls Cole, who first toured the property in 2022. “No matter how much great design you put into a place, if it’s not in a good location, it becomes that much more difficult to convince people that they want to stay there.”

On the flip side, the location—on the banks of Gore Creek in the heart of Vail Village—made the renovation trickier, she adds, because of its historic status and the logistics of actually doing the work.

A renovated model guest room debuted in spring 2023, followed by the lobby and the Fritch Penthouse (from $2,500), the Fritch family’s former 2,600-square-foot residence on the hotel’s top floor. Cole transformed the space—funky and rambling, with low ceiling and big, south-facing windows overlooking Vail Mountain—into one of Vail Village’s most luxurious penthouse suites, complete with vaulted ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, a fully equipped modern kitchen, three full bathrooms, and four bedrooms that can accommodate large parties and can sleep as many as 13 guests. The Fritch family dining room—a glass-enclosed former greenhouse that Jeanne says looked directly into President Gerald Ford’s living room in the Lodge at Vail across the street—is now an open sunroom. Cushions adorn converted raised planters, once the centerpiece of Helen Fritch’s green thumb.

Almost everything in the boutique hotel—except structural elements—has been updated. That includes the hotel’s name (Sitzmark Vail) and logo (rebranded with a hip, slalom “S” curve), and design details in 36 guest rooms. From crisp white shower tiles embedded with a textural relief resembling a mogul run to light fixtures offering a contemporary take on the aspen tree and Gore Creek-influenced wallpaper (look for the gold flecks mimicking stream bubbles).

Other in-room upgrades include built-in cabinets offering plenty of space for all the gear that inevitably accompanies a ski vacation, mini-fridges, Lavazza coffee service, private balconies, gas fireplaces, and a variety of sleeping arrangements, including sofa beds and lofts (a.k.a. bunk beds)—a playful and cost-effective alternative for families.

The most noticeable change to the building’s exterior is a flip-out counter in the sunny, south-facing bar area so guests can mingle indoors and out. Above it, Kisielica mounted three large bells that ring daily at 3 p.m. to announce the arrival of après-ski time. Ski lockers, located on the lodge’s lower level, are free for guests.

A Sitz Club locker membership gives locals year-round access to the pool, hot tub, and fitness center, complimentary Continental breakfast, après treats, a changing and shower room, and discounts on hotel rooms.

“We wanted to create a space that still reflects its very specific location in the mountains but make it more contemporary and fresh,” Cole says. “[But] we didn’t want to make it so elegant that we scare people away. It’s meant to feel friendly, cozy, and happy. After all, Vail is a place that people go to relax and have fun on vacation.”

That even includes four-legged guests, who lounge in custom Sitzmark-branded dog beds.