The CEO of the potential developer of Warm Springs Ranch Resort has told Ketchum officials that partnering with a well-known hotel brand will be difficult before the project is approved.
In anticipation of upcoming public hearings on the proposed development, the City Council heard details on branding and marketing from Park City-based developers DDRM Greatplace during a workshop Tuesday.
Company CEO Stan Castleton addressed the council and over 20 members of the public, delving into the issue of potential partnerships with a well-known hotel brand.
At previous meetings, the fact that a brand has yet to come on board with the project had been voiced as a cause for concern. However, Castleton said that without entitlements from the city, including approval of the planned-unit development and annexation of land, large hotel brands will not take a serious look at the resort.
Castleton said his firm had had conversations with brands such as St. Regis, Rosewood and Ritz-Carlton. St. Regis appears to be the front runner, as Castleton said the chain had asked DDRM Greatplace to get involved in the project in the first place.
According to Castleton, though, some of these brands would impose restrictions that would not allow for certain amenities, such as the Warm Springs Restaurant or the proposed spa and wellness facility. Castleton has repeated on numerous occasions that these are two vital pieces of the large-scale project.
As proposed, the resort would also feature a five-star luxury hotel, employee housing, townhomes, estate lots, events house and nine-hole golf course. The resort is planned for Warm Springs Ranch, a 78-acre property at the foot of Bald Mountain partway between the Warm Springs bridge and the Warm Springs base area.
Just over 11 acres of the land are within the city, while the remaining 67 acres would require annexation into Ketchum.
Castleton said hospitality specialists PKF Consultants have said the project could be better off without a brand name company by creating a unique and iconic hotel under its own name. However, Castleton said it would be more difficult to finance the project without a brand.
Castleton also said that while he's committed to providing a five-star-quality resort, this is also difficult to finance because of the cost of construction and high-end service.
Councilman Baird Gourlay asked how the developers could guarantee that this level of service is continued once the project is built, a question also asked during Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. Community and Economic Development Director Lisa Horowitz said a clause could be included in the development agreement that would give the city some form of recourse should the level decline.
The City Council has two more workshops, scheduled for Oct. 20 and 21, with a third possible before the official public hearings begin in November at the earliest.
The meeting on Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m. will be preceded by a visit to the site at noon to give the council a better idea of the project's layout.
The council and members of the public requested that the developer provide balloons, story poles or some other means of delineating the height of the top floor of the hotel, proposed to be 93 feet.
