TAOS, N.M. (KRQE) – An icon of the Taos Ski Valley, the Hotel St. Bernard is entering its final days as crews work toward demolishing and rebuilding the 60-year-old structure. Ahead of the anticipated teardown, Taos Ski Valley Inc. is now giving the public a look at the future of the structure that will replace the historic hotel.
In a website FAQ, Taos Ski Valley officials say the original building is “beyond repair” after a review of its structural, civil and electrical health. According to the resort, engineers have “deemed the building to be significantly out of code compliance, structurally unsound, and at the end of its operational life.”
In the coming years, Taos Ski Valley says the Hotel St. Bernard will be replaced with a newly reimagined hotel, featuring, in part, a copy of one of the most memorable parts of the original hotel. Ski Valley reps are intending to rebuild and replicate the original Hotel St. Bernard’s European chalet-style dining room, as envisioned by the property’s original owner, Jean Mayer. Mayer died in October 2020.
“Obviously the dining room and the hearth were component parts that are just key elements that captured the spirit and essence of the Hotel St. Bernard,” Peter Talty said in a recently published video about the future of the hotel. Talty is the vice president and a board member of Taos Ski Valley Inc.
“Not to be lost on all of this, or any of this are the programmatic pieces that Jean [Mayer] brought,” Talty said. “In particular: a heightened sense of hospitality and personal service that was unique to him and the hotel St. Bernard.”
In an effort to carry over the building’s beloved vibe, Taos Ski Valley staff spent the last several months documenting and inventorying the contents of the hotel. It’s anticipated that many of those items will be used to decorate the rebuilt Hotel St. Bernard, while contractors rebuild some of the hotel’s look from photographs and old, salvaged timber.
According to the Ski Valley, the future hotel will have three food and beverage options, including a bar and lounge, the rebuilt original dining room and a fine dining experience. The new property will also feature two new chalets next to the hotel with larger suites for families and groups, and aqua-therapy and wellness offerings. Architects are aiming to emulating Jean Mayer’s native French ski villages with the new build, which will add 30 additional rooms for a total of 57.
Construction on the new hotel is expected to begin in 2023. The Taos Ski Valley hopes to reopen the new Hotel St. Bernard in 2023. Demolition is expected to begin “this summer,” 2022.