The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Outside additions include covered stage and pergola
By Kendra Walker
The Elevation Hotel and Spa is undergoing a major remodel and rebranding as the Beckwith, which will include converting some hotel rooms into 49 for-sale condos, renovating public areas and making exterior improvements. Interior work is slated to begin this winter, with the majority of exterior work occurring in summer 2026.
The property owner, 9380 Real Estate LLC, is working with the town of Mt. Crested Butte on a series of approvals associated with the renovation. During their December 16 meeting, the town council reviewed and approved two applications related to the project.
9380 Real Estate wants to presell the new condominium units but in order to do so, a preliminary plat must be approved by the town. The project will convert some of the hotel rooms into 49 condo units, with 96 rooms remaining to be operated as hotel rooms.
“We anticipate 80-90% of those condo owners putting them back into the rental pool,” said Elevation managing director Nick Klaus. “They will be individually owned, but 80-90% would be rented out through Beckwith.”
Council members asked how the new condos will impact the hotel’s occupancy rates.
“We run 45ish% annually. It’s very seasonal, we’re overbooked sometimes and underbooked a lot of the year. We sell out over New Year’s, we sell out over Spring Break, we sell out in July,” said Klaus. “But one of the challenges is we have two product types – we have a hotel room and a one-bedroom suite. People who come on vacation, especially skiing, want to be in a unit with their families, a two, three, four-bedroom unit which we don’t have today. So we think this will improve our occupancy overall.”
The Elevation currently has 262 units, however, only 190 of those are in the rental inventory because the Elevation has a master lease with CBMR/Vail Resorts for employee housing and uses the remainder of the units for the hotel’s workforce housing.
“We’re going to retain 18 units for our workforce housing and we still have another four apartments that we’ll utilize for workforce housing,” said Klaus. He noted that they are working on master leases with other properties to further address their workforce housing needs in the future. “I would encourage CBMR to be proactive and find a long-term solution for their employees and invest in that,” he said.
“Do you anticipate changes to your parking needs?” asked mayor Nicholas Kempin.
Klaus said the Elevation has signed a lease with the town for 30 dedicated spaces in the Snowmass Lot and will move toward valet-only parking and a shuttle service to Crested Butte and the airport in the future.
The council approved the preliminary condominium plat application for Beckwith.
The remodel will also include exterior improvements to the José patio and hot tub area, including the addition of a permanent stage and pergola. The pergola will be built on the existing patio and will not alter the building footprint, however, the stage will require a slight expansion of the patio and a minor change to the patio’s footprint.
Klaus requested a variance to allow construction of the pergola and stage that encroach into the required setbacks on the north, east and south sides of the property.
“We do quite a bit of live music and try to bring as much life and vitality to the base area as we can,” said Klaus. “Going forward we want to continue to do that and as professionally as we can.” With the pergola, “We want to provide shade but also to primarily climate control the patio more. We can have heaters underneath that will keep people there longer and more comfortable. We want to make this a place where people want to gather and stay longer than they do now.”
The planning commission reviewed the variance application and recommended approval at its public hearing on December 3. In a staff memo to the council, planner Shannon Hessler said, “The design and placement are tailored to the patio layout and existing building, providing improvements that are practical and appropriate for the site in order to retain the patio’s current occupancy while adding a live music venue and a shade structure with lighting to enhance ambiance and provide daytime sun protection.”
She continued, “Staff finds that these encroachments are consistent with the goals of the Mt. Crested Butte Master Plan, particularly regarding base area activation and public gathering spaces. The plan emphasizes that the base area should function as a central, walkable community hub, with improved connectivity, gathering spaces and amenities for live music.”
The planning commission public hearing did receive several public comments related to concerns of the stage roof impeding people’s views in the neighboring Axtel building. Klaus and his team explained that they are looking to reduce the height of the front by another foot-and-a-half to mitigate those concerns as well as minimize snow shed.
“I don’t think there was a real concern (from the planning commission) that it was blocking their views,” said Klaus. “We’ll do our best to feasibly adjust it to be good neighbors.”
“Thank you for your focus and intention,” said council member Valeda Scribner. “Whatever we can do to bring more vibrancy to the base area.”
The council unanimously approved the variance application.
