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Book Early for a Date with Bachelor
By Jane Singleton
When
asked, Steven Holt says with obvious pride, “I’m Bachelor’s person.
Yes. That would be me.” Bachelor is the Lab-In-Residence at the
Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, Colorado, where Steven is Director of Public Relations.
Steven
and Bachelor share a home that is a 10-minute drive from the
Ritz-Carlton. Every morning, seven-days-a-week, when Steven asks
Bachelor if he is ready to go to work, Bachelor is ready and waiting at
the front door. “He has a routine,” Steven said. “Even if I’m not
working that day, I drop Bachelor off at the resort and he hangs out in
the lobby where he has a big bed we call the ‘Bachelor Pad’.”
When
Ritz-Carlton executives began laying groundwork for the welcoming
ambiance of the resort, they were in the forefront of the trend—or
perhaps the first—to pay homage to America’s love of dogs.
“Our
Lab program is an important element of the image we want to portray at
the Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch. And we invite guests to bring their
own dog, if they would like,” Steven said. “We don’t have specific
rooms for families who bring their dog along—they can stay wherever
they choose. A per-stay fee of $125 covers the cost of a special
deep-cleaning process we use that keeps the standard of the room whole.
Our guests are so excited to be able to bring their own dogs on
vacation with them. It’s pretty exciting.”
And
if the family dog can’t travel, Bachelor is there to fill the void. As
the Resident Labrador Retriever at the Ritz, Bachelor is available and
anxious to accompany guests on a hike or a snowshoeing expedition
through a program the resort calls Loan-A-Lab. Or he will stay close by
for pats and embraces while guests relax in the ambiance of the
resort’s Great Room. Bachelor is a popular guy and is booked-up months
in advance. “It’s crazy how far out he does book!” Steven said.
Bachelor's time is complimentary, but guests have the opportunity to make a donation to Colorado's Eagle Valley Humane Society. Guests can mail pre-addressed envelopes to the Society or place the envelope in Bachelor's lock box at the concierge desk. The Society checks the lockbox periodically and appreciates the support. Bachelor raises and donates around $5,000 a year. Steven says it's amazing how many of the guests really connect with Bachelor.
Steven
recalls a favorite story about Bachelor and one adoring fan: “The phone
rings—I’m down in my office and Bachelor is up in the lobby. The
concierge tells me there are guests here who just took Bachelor for a
walk and they want to make a donation, but their envelope won’t fit in
the box. Can I come and get it? I say, ‘What? OK, great. I’ll be
there.’ I couldn’t understand what this could be—are they giving a ton
of money or what? So I went to the lobby and there stood a little
six-year old girl and her mother. The little girl was holding an
envelope that was bursting at the seams and filled with change. It was
her piggy bank that she brought from home to give to Bachelor after
walking him. I thanked the little girl enthusiastically. It was so
sweet. Her mother was so proud!”
Since
the hotel’s opening, and as far into the future as they can see, the
Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, will always have a yellow Labrador Retriever named Bachelor on staff. The current Bachelor is the second yellow Lab to hold the position.
“We
make a conscious effort to get rescue dogs,” Steven said. “But we have
to be very careful about the dogs we select because there’s no room for
error in our selections.” The current Bachelor is a rescue found last
summer in Denver. “And it was great for me because I wanted a dog anyway. He comes to work with me everyday, he gets walked every single day, and I take time at work every day to spend with him, so he has a great quality of life.”
Bachelor
stays on the main floor most of the day, although he does take a couple
of breaks—midday between noon and two o’clock he is downstairs in the
offices so he can relax a little bit and avoid the temptation of people
food during the main dining time.
For the guest experience, Bachelor is around the resort throughout the day. He is especially popular during the Ritz Kids Roundup as he does his walk through and visits the hotel's youngest guests. As part of the program, the kids in attendance write letters to Bachelor and put them in the drop box. Later in the day at The Fire Pit Lighting there is hot chocolate and snacks for the kids and Bachelor is there as well. This is followed up with time for a little ball playing; both kids and adults lineup and wait to throw the ball for Bachelor. It's not unusual to have ten people in line waiting for Bachelor. "It's a good life!" Steven said.
Part of the magic of the resort is the building itself-it looks as if it belongs there, nestled into its mountainside environment. The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, is a huge stone and log cabin, sort of authentic Rocky Mountain luxury, according to Steven, built slope-side at the Beaver Creek Ski Resort, just west of Vail, Colorado. "When you walk in, it feels very warm, very Rocky Mountain, very Colorado," Steven said. "And you get that Ritz-Carlton tradition of service that is already ingrained. That's what you find-tradition in all aspects."
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