Keystone’s new $300 million development is opening to the public in May after delays
Kindred Resort general manager explains construction delays at 366,000-square-foot residential and commercial property
Allison Moore/Summit Daily News
Keystone’s new 366,000-square-foot residential and commercial resort will open to the public on May 7.
After years of planning, construction delays and mounting public anticipation, Kindred Resort is preparing to welcome its first guests at the base of the River Run Gondola in the coming weeks. General Manager Dan Dohner described the development as a “campfire luxury” experience designed to feel both elevated and inviting.
“It’s the first luxury hotel in Summit County, as in full-service. Nobody has done it,” Dohner said. “In the first winter going into it, we’re seeing no resistance to having a luxury resort in Keystone. It’s a family resort town, but families also want this.”
While the resort’s first two weekends are already booked with wedding groups that reserved their stays a year in advance, Dohner said the management team is intentionally limiting reservations prior to May 7 to ensure a smooth debut.
“We want to just make sure that all the buttons are tested and everything is in place,” he said.
Dohner said Kindred was designed to draw people in rather than keep them out. Much of the resort will be open and accessible to the broader public, including an expansive patio, three restaurants and a bar in the lobby. The location at the foot of Dercum Mountain — home base for Keystone Resort — provides prime real estate for Kindred. Dohner said the resort will likely become a major hub for locals, out-of-town skiers and hotel guests alike.
“It’s designed for skiers to come off the mountain — not just for guests — to come up and enjoy this area,” Dohner said while standing between firepits and yard games on the main patio. “It’s for everyone.”
A sprawling patio just steps from the gondola sits at the center of the resort, accessible through the main lobby or via a “grand staircase” rising from the base area. Already, the space features nearly a dozen fire pits, lawn games like cornhole and jumbo chess and sweeping views of the surrounding mountains, wetlands and the Snake River.
Just over the last week, the patio has already been put to public use.
“Since we dropped the fences a week ago, there’s been a constant stream of people up here playing the games,” Dohner said.
Plans call for additional amenities, including a mobile bar, upscale s’mores fixings and occasional live music — further positioning the patio as an apres-ski and summer social space.
The resort’s bar and three restaurants will also be open year-round to the public, an opportunity Dohner said is both unusual and important for the local economy, which has historically relied on ski season to generate sales tax revenue.
Among the restaurants on site is Lula’s, built on the former homesite of Lula Myers, a well-known local teacher in the early 1900s remembered for her hospitality and culinary talent. The resort will also house Goodz Tavern, Kinji Sushi and a bar called Kindred Spirits.
“We are really set to be the center of Keystone, and we believe that we’ll help drive more activity,” Dohner said. “Absolutely nothing like this has happened in the area, like, ever.”
Kindred staff aiming to deliver five-star service at four-star hotel
Inside, Kindred leans heavily into what Dohner calls a storytelling-driven design philosophy.
“The developers put a lot of intention into the whole design,” he said. “When they walk in, we want them to have that ‘wow’ moment.”
Guests entering the lobby are greeted by high wood-paneled ceilings, cozy seating areas and carpeting designed to resemble a topographical map of Keystone. A wall lined with windows opens to views of the patio, ski trails and surrounding wildlife. Metal and wood touches throughout the property are meant to resemble the feel of old mining towns — “well, a really fancy mine,” Dohner said.
Three 52-foot-tall towers comprising the resort — two for condos and one for the hotel — are intended to mimic the three mountain peaks featured in the Kindred logo.
At full operation, the resort will book out 107 hotel rooms managed by RockResorts, 95 private residences, a membership-only Alpine club, a spa and salon, fitness center and over 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
Dohner referred to the property as a “four-and-a-half-star hotel.” He said while Kindred is technically classified as a four-star resort based on its services, it intends to function like a five-star hotel.
The resort already employs around 100 staff members and Dohner expects that to grow to around 140 when fully operational.
“We’ve got a really good team here, and we’ve really had time to refine our staffing so that when guests are here we’re more than prepared,” Dohner said.
Delayed opening tied to environmental factors, finishing design touches
Kindred’s official opening date comes months later than initially planned, following a series of delays that pushed its debut from summer 2025 to winter, and now to spring 2026.
Dohner said those delays were driven largely by a desire to meet high standards rather than rush to open. Pointing to minor imperfections still being addressed during a recent tour of the property with Summit Daily News — like small chips in the paint down the first-floor hallways — Dohner said the team opted to take extra time.
“In a normal hotel, that would probably be acceptable, but we wanted it just right,” he said.
Construction challenges were also amplified by the resort’s high-Alpine location.
“When you’re building at 9,000 feet, things come up,” Dohner added.
The resort has gone through more than four developers since the land was acquired nearly 14 years ago. OZ Architecture, Kindred’s current developer, has remained with the project since 2024.
Despite the delays, Dohner said the project continues to generate strong demand. All but seven of the resort’s 95 residences have already been sold and early interest in bookings has been steady. Once the restaurants open, Dohner said he expects reservations to flood in.
The roughly $300 million development transformed what was once a dirt parking lot into what Dohner imagines as Keystone’s next central gathering space. The resort is opening almost three years after residents voted to approve the incorporation of Keystone as a home-rule town.
In the coming months, the resort will announce “sneak peek” opportunities for residents to view the amenities inside.
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Dohner leads the way inside Kindred Resort’s front doors, where he said guests will be greeted by valet service and music.
Allison Moore/Summit Daily News
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The central lobby inside Kindred Resort features dozens of seating options, a fireplace and carpets designed to mirror the topography of Keystone. Kindred Spirits, the resort’s bar, will operate inside the lobby.
Allison Moore/Summit Daily News
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An elongated tabletop fire lights up along the resort’s back wall at night, giving the impression that “the hotel is on fire,” according to General Manager Don Dohner.
Allison Moore/Summit Daily News
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A handmade stone replica of the mountains behind Keystone Resort sits outside the lobby.
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Lula’s Restaurant, housed inside Kindred Resort, features an elevated farm-to-table menu and a private dining area with a long chandelier that transforms into the silhouette of mountains at night.
Allison Moore/Summit Daily News
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Dohner, the resort’s general manager, walks through one of the last remaining construction zones inside the hotel portion of Kindred Resort.
Allison Moore/Summit Daily News
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Inside a first-floor hotel room at Kindred Resort, pictured Thursday, April 16.
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The interior of one of the last for-sale residential units inside Kindred Resort.
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Dohner looks out on a third-floor balcony inside one of Kindred Resort’s few remaining vacant residential properties. He said he expects residents to make Kindred’s luxury condos their longtime homes.
Allison Moore/Summit Daily News
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An expansive conference room — part of Kindred’s 6,000 square feet of events space — will serve as the central destination for wedding parties, company retreats and more.
Allison Moore/Summit Daily News
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Both the hotel and residential areas of Kindred Resort feature pools, hot tubs and cabanas where spa treatments will later take place.
Allison Moore/Summit Daily News
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