Reaching the Summit

Montage Deer Valley - Part 1

Park City, Utah

Dec. 1 - 3, 2012

I was the last passenger to be dropped off by the airport shuttle. After the zig-zag drive up the Empire Canyon area, the magnificent resort gently revealed itself. There it was snuggled near the top of the mountain amid snow-covered fir trees. As I alighted the vehicle, warm and friendly faces welcomed me to Montage Deer Valley. This was my first time here but I already knew it was going to be a memorable stay.  Something about this place felt...magical. Maybe I'll run into Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke. With his sidekick Tattoo.

I was impressed as soon as I walked in the lobby.  The front desk associate was already waiting to escort me to my luxurious room. Magical.

I loved my spacious bedroom -- lavish yet comfortable and truly an elegant home away from home. 

This was how my private patio looked after a snowy night.  I was on the ground floor and this led to the Grand Lawn.

I could live in this bathroom! Soaking tub, separate shower, heated floor, and plush bathrobes!  

I came here to attend the Digiday Brand Summit.  But I arrived way ahead of schedule so I arranged to visit Main Street while I could. I took the resort's complimentary Mercedes Benz shuttle to get there. It was fun meandering down the historic street and exploring the charming boutique shops. I found a few Christmas ornaments, little gifts, and souvenirs. I was glad I grabbed my hat and gloves because it showered during my leisurely stroll. 

The historic Main Street was all of 5 minutes away by shuttle.

Digiday's welcome reception that evening was followed by a networking of sorts. I met a lot of wonderful people.  Everyone was so nice.  (It's a magical place, remember?) My best bonding moment was over a game of bowling with a few other attendees:  Liz Philips, Matt Corey, and John Engler.

Daly's Pub has a mini bowling alley.
Photo courtesy of Montana Triplett (@montanatriplett on Twitter or mtinnyc on Instagram). 

I couldn't believe I bowled a turkey! Doing my victory dance, I cheered, "Yay! Three strikes in a row! I've never played this well before even when I was in a bowling league." 

"You were in a league?!!!"  My new-found friends were outraged.  I don't think I'll ever live that down. Good times!

The next morning while waiting for the Summit to begin, the tech-savvy attendees with their mobile devices snapped pictures of the snow-covered grounds. It was difficult to ignore.  Right outside the ballroom was a wide terrace overlooking the pristine mountains cloaked in white. It was a such a beautiful sight to see.

Montage Deer Valley's Grand Lawn after a night's worth of snowfall.

There were several conversation pieces throughout the resort.  One favorite subject of Instagram aficionados was the life-size gingerbread house.  It was even flanked by doghouses for the resident dogs Monty and Jonas.

This life-size gingerbread house was created using real ingredients.
Photo courtesy of Esty Gorman (@esty501 on Twitter and Instagram).

Check out his paws!  I met the lovable Monty, one of the resident Bernese Mountain Dogs in Montage Deer Valley.

The Digiday Brand Summit covered relevant topics and great content. (You can read Chas' recap here.) There were several notable speakers too.  I must say the Digiday team really did a great job.  Not only did they select the perfect venue, they thought of every detail such as including afternoon "play time" in the schedule.  So at the end of the day's summit activities, everyone was excited to go skiing. We were in skier's paradise after all.  I, however, decided I would go snowshoeing. You'll read more about that in my following story.

Sharing the stage with Nestle's Greg Samarge and moderator Giselle Abramovich, Digiday's Sr. Editor - Brands.
Panel discussion on Brand Presence in a Multi-Platform World.
Photo courtesy of Tony Winders (@tonywinders on Twitter).  

Photo Credits:
Thanks to Montana Triplett and Esty Gorman for allowing me to use their Instagram photos in this blog article.  Thanks to Tony Winders for the twitpic of our panel discussion.