Vermont Business Magazine MCR Development from New York City — the country’s 4th-largest hotel owner-operator — announced Thursday that it has acquired the 117-room Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa in Stowe, Vermont. Financial terms were not disclosed. The resort was founded, owned and operated by the Baraw family since 1948.
MCR is a hotel owner-operator which has expanded through a series of acquisitions since its founding in 2006 with three Value Place hotels.
Just downslope from Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak, Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa is your home base for four seasons of outdoor adventure.
Come for the mountain biking, leaf-peeping, hiking and snowshoeing; stay for the spacious guestrooms (with fireplaces), 50,000-square-foot spa, two pools and outdoor jacuzzi. Want to link up with friends and family? We’ve got a nine-hole golf course and 32 townhomes, too!
Before catching the lifts at Stowe Mountain Resort this winter, carb up with a hearty breakfast at Charlie B’s, our on-site restaurant and pub serving a delicious buffet of eggs, home fries and oatmeal. We’ll be waiting for you at dinnertime with steaming French onion soup and lemon pepper-crusted salmon.
Not a snow bunny? At Stoweflake, it’s always a spa day! The world-class spa offers 120 therapeutic treatments in 30 rooms plus a fully equipped salon. The true highlight is the Aqua Solarium, a 12-foot Hungarian mineral soaking pool with a cascading waterfall inspired by the area’s famous Bingham Falls!
Get moving again at the sports and wellness center, which has Cybex fitness equipment, spinning and Pilates studios, tennis courts and a racquetball/squash court! Schedule a class with an instructor or splash in the indoor and outdoor pools (with a bubbling jacuzzi).
With so much to do on the grounds, Stoweflake is the perfect place for an event. Gather your guests for a conference, wedding or family reunion — we have 25,000 square feet of meeting space in 17 rooms and outdoor terrain bordered by the Green Mountains. If you need more space than the resort’s guestrooms, opt for one of our 32 townhomes, each equipped with a full kitchen and private deck for cocoa-sipping and stargazing.
Stoweflake’s location means off-property outings couldn’t be more convenient. Visit the Von Trapp family home (yes, the real-life Sound of Music clan, who settled in Stowe after leaving Germany!) or Alchemist Brewery. Take a short drive into town, where 80 boutiques, country stores and galleries — all twinkling with holiday lights — await.
Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa is located at 1746 Mountain Road and features:
● 117 guestrooms and suites
● 32 one-, two- or three-bedroom townhome rentals
● A 50,000-square-foot spa and sports center with a waterfall and meditative garden
● Two tennis courts
● A racquetball and squash court
● An executive nine-hole, par-3 golf course
● Indoor and outdoor pools with a jacuzzi
● A 25,000-square-foot conference center with 17 meeting rooms
● Charlie B’s Restaurant & Pub
● Fast Wi-Fi
● On-site parking
STOWEFLAKE: 50 YEARS OF UNCOMPROMISING COMMITMENT TO HOSPITALITY
For more than fifty years, the Baraw family has owned and operated Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa in Stowe, Vermont. Initially a modest motel built in 1963, the Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa has evolved into a world-class resort.
Under the guidance of Chuck Baraw, the Stoweflake has developed into one of Vermont’s premier destinations. Today, three generations of the Baraw family participate at the resort. And as part of the 40th anniversary celebration in 2003, the property opened the Spa at Stoweflake, a facility that established Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa as a premier spa destination in the country and the largest and most inclusive spa in Vermont.
Chronology of the Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa
1948 Native Vermonter, Stuart Baraw, Sr. and wife, Beatrice, purchase three acres of pasture from the Gale Farm on the Mountain Road. Stu and Bea build a small cottage for weekend ski trips.
1950’s The Baraws build a series of additions onto the cottage, and add bunk beds to make room for family, friends and other ski enthusiasts.
1963 The Baraws move to Stowe permanently, and build a large, two-story structure with extra rooms for Bea to rent out. The new building consists of 20 guestrooms, a dining room and an apartment for Stu and Bea. The couple calls the place “Stoweflake” and the Inn opens!
1970 The Baraws purchase neighboring hotel, the Nordic Motor Inn. Tennis courts, chip and pitch course, and poolside cabana are added for summer guests to enjoy.
1980 The Stoweflake Townhouses, featuring two or three bedrooms, sitting area and kitchenette or full kitchens, dining rooms, fireplace, decks and living rooms are completed.
1981 The Baraws combine the two inns into one resort. A new restaurant and pub, The Rib Room is completed. The resort officially takes on the name Stoweflake Resort.
1984 Stoweflake is renovated and upgraded to include deluxe guest rooms.
1986 The first Stoweflake Annual Balloon Festival is launched! Modest in its early years, the weekend event now draws thousands of visitors to Stowe each July. The family fun filled festival includes children’s activities, live band and sunrise and sunset launches with two dozen expert pilots, (including Chuck Baraw, brother Stu and son-in-law Eric Smith.) In 1986 Chuck is also named the “Innkeeper of the Year” by the Vermont Lodging & Restaurant Association.
1989 The Rib Room is renovated, and becomes Winfield’s, an elegant restaurant named after Stuart Winfield Baraw, Sr. The more casual pub is renamed Charlie B’s Pub & Wine Bar, after Charles Henry Baraw.
1990 1800 square foot Atrium reception area opens along with the Beatrice Room, an executive boardroom. The front entry, lobby, offices and grounds are upgraded. Professional golf practice area opens.
1992 The Baraw family mourns the loss of co-founder, Stu Baraw, Sr.
1993 Sheri Baraw, Stu and Beatrice’s granddaughter, is appointed as Operations Manager. She is later promoted to General Manager in 1997.
1998 The newly constructed East Wing, which replaces the original Stoweflake building, is dedicated to founders, Stuart and Beatrice Baraw. The wing adds 40 luxury rooms and suites, a 4,500 square foot conference room/ballroom and Spa & Sports & Wellness Center. The resort is re-named Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa.
2000 The new Meadows luxury townhouses are completed. The one, two or three bedroom units boast over 2,200 square feet of living space, fully-equipped kitchen, living room with fireplace, dining room, laundry, and private decks.
2001 The Baraw family mourns the loss of co-founder, Beatrice Baraw. The same year, Scot Baraw, Beatrice and Stu’s grandson, who joined Stoweflake in 1995, is promoted to Director of Sales.
2003 The 50,000 square foot Spa at Stoweflake opens to the public. Facilities feature private men/women’s Sanctuary Lounges, an Aqua Solarium with Bingham Hydrotherapy Waterfall, Hungarian Mineral Soaking Pool, 30 treatment rooms and 41 new luxury guest rooms!
2004 The Spa at Stoweflake Educational Center of the Healing Arts is launched as a means to educate therapists on distinctive, unique spa treatments. Sheri Baraw, General Manager is also appointed Vice President of Stoweflake. Scot Baraw is promoted to Vice President of Sales.
2005 A par-three executive golf course opens on property. This course winds through our meadows next to the spa and townhouses.
2007 Conference Center at Stoweflake celebrates the 10th anniversary of receiving Successful Meetings Magazine’s Pinnacle Award making the Conference Center the most award-winning venue of its kind in New England! The Conference Center celebrates with the opening of a Boston satellite office.
2007 Chuck Baraw is named the “2007 Vermont Travel Person of the Year” for his dedication to the development of Vermont’s tourism over the past 30 years.
2008 The Vermont Hospitality Council/VT Chamber presents Sheri Baraw Smith with the 28th Annual Borden Avery Innkeeper of the Year Awards. Sheri represents 16 years of service to the hospitality industry and the Vermont community at large, promoting beneficial legislation, and participating in industry issues on a statewide and national scale.
2010 Scot Baraw is presented with the Helms Briscoe Independent Hotel Sales Person of the Year for his dedication to the Meeting and Conference Industry.
2013 Stoweflake celebrates its 50th Anniversary as a family owned and operated resort! Vermont Hospitality has certainly grown in the last 50 years; however the family charm is certainly still here. The highlight of the celebrations included a 1963 themed party and 50% off-themed special offers. Simultaneously, Stu and Marion celebrated 50 golden years of marriage and Chuck Baraw Jr. rung in 50 years of age!
Three Generations
Chuck Baraw, President
Sheri Baraw Smith, Vice President and General Manager (Chuck’s daughter)
Amy Dwyre-Baraw, Stoweflake Wedding Sales and Interior Designer (Chuck’s wife)
Scot Baraw, Vice President of Sales (Stu Jr.’s son)
Stu Jr. and Marion Baraw own Mountain Associates Realtors located on the Stoweflake property
Source: stoweflake.com. 12.30.2021