Makarewicz for The New York Times The living room of a suite at the Four Seasons Whistler in Whistler, British Columbia. Somebody who owns a suite has services not available to the owner of a traditional ski house.

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Bonny Makarewicz for The New York Times The nearby village of Whistler.

Buyers of hotel condos are a well-traveled group who frequently decide to buy a second home after an initial vacation stay. Consequently, the brand is critical.

“Our buyers and hotel guests are discerning,” said Stanley R. Castleton, founder and chief executive of DDRM Greatplace L.L.C., which is developing the St. Regis Deer Crest. “They’re willing to pay a premium for service, and we’re certainly experienced at providing that.”

Years ago, people bought one single-family vacation home that they visited again and again. These days, the trend is to collect vacation homes, according to Jerry Landeck, a senior partner with Gencom Group, which developed and owns the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch resort in Avon, Colo., so they want the “hassle-free ownership made possible by a luxury property.”

“People know what to expect from a Ritz,” he said.

Owners of the residential and hotel suites at Bachelor Gulch, which is near Vail, have access to the hotel’s spa, ski valet services and private golf courses. They also receive a 30 percent discount on hotel stays at any Ritz-Carlton property.

The Ritz-Carlton built 23 penthouse condos at Bachelor Gulch four years ago. Now, it is converting half of the existing 50 hotel suites into residential units because of the high demand. The 850- to 1,350-square-foot units are priced at $700,000 to $2.5 million; half will be completed this December and the rest by next June.

Because many of these projects are new, it is too early to tell whether they will appreciate, but developers say they expect healthy resale values. The penthouse condos at Bachelor Gulch are reselling at a 50 percent premium compared with other condos in the surrounding area, Mr. Landeck said.

From a developer’s perspective, a residential unit “enhances the economics of the project,” said Mr. Scott of Rosewood. Because of the challenging topography, labor shortage and rising price of raw materials, building on a mountain is costly — $1,800 to $2,400 a square foot, according to developers.

Hotel condo projects are comparatively costlier, whether on a mountainside or beach, representing a 25 to 50 percent increase over straight hotel projects. But the condos bring in valuable revenue that offsets the extra costs. And once a project is completed, there is “virtually no risk for the management company,” Mr. Scott said.

Hotel condo projects appear to be an ideal strategy for people looking to buy second homes to be used in certain seasons. “It’s about as painless a way to own property in a remote destination that you plan to visit on a limited basis,” Mr. Scott said.

It is a strategy that economically benefits the developer and hotel operator as well. But there is one group potentially left out of the equation: tourists. A tension exists between the developer of the project and local officials who have a vested interest in increasing the number of “hot beds” in town—the number of hotel beds available to visitors, according to Mr. Scott.

“The city of Telluride required a pure hotel component for the project,” explained Mr. Scott. “They wanted more beds in the mix, and we wanted more condos.” The two sides settled at nearly an even split.

Mr. Honigman also thinks the marriage of spacious condos with the brand of a luxury resort is profitable one. A real estate investor with 20 years’ experience developing town houses and single-family in Utah and Colorado, he noticed “properties tied to a luxury resort were doing better.”

Despite the cachet of a luxury brand, the most powerful lure of these properties is the one amenity only Mother Nature can provide. Before buying his condo, Mr. Nantz walked up to the building site to see the views. Perched on the side of a ridge, the spot overlooks the entire Deer Valley Ski Resort to the west and the Uinta Mountains in the eastern horizon.

“For a man who makes his living with words,” he said, “the views left me almost speechless.”