The Lodge at Vail

THE LODGE AT VAIL
Vail, Colorado, USA – 2024

The Lodge at Vail was the first proper hotel to operate in a resort that arrived at the Colorado ski party exceptionally late. The first stones of Vail were laid in 1962 making it the new kid on the block versus other Colorado ski towns such as Aspen, Breckenridge, or Steamboat Springs, which existed as 19th century mining towns prior to the establishment of their ski resorts.

To begin with, the hotel was a “white elephant”, losing $100,000 every year until the faux Bavarian town matured into something of substance. But to borrow from Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come” and sure enough they came. The Lodge at Vail became the epicentre of a town that enjoyed growing popularity because of its abundant skiing and ease of travel.

The facade of the hotel has not changed much for several decades and I thought I could use that as a backdrop, in much the same way we did at Badrutt’s Palace in St Moritz, Switzerland in 2023. That photograph - which lent on the glamour of the 1970s in the resort - was hugely popular. There was an element of James Bond to it coupled with intense femininity.

The formula worked and so this became the prompt for my shot outside the Lodge. After all, Vail became a place to be seen fairly quickly and by the mid 70s it was in vogue. Bohemian glamour was as prevalent in Colorado as it was in the Swiss Alps, maybe even more so.

Who better, therefore, than Alessandra Ambrosio - the Brazilian supermodel - to play the lead in this narrative. She has such presence and authority and is a joy to work with.

We would also like to thank Austin Akers for the use of the beautiful 1956 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing.


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