The next big thing in luxury travel is the fossil dig—according to Montage Big Sky, at least.
The five-star hotel, which opened amid Montana’s soaring Spanish Peaks in 2022, just unveiled a new experience centred around digging for dinosaurs.
Available exclusively to guests of the 100-key resort, the eight-hour Dino Dig includes a helicopter ride over Montana in which guests can learn more about the region’s diverse wildlife and landscape. The dig itself will take place at the Wickens’ Ranch excavation site. Guides will share more about the prehistoric life that once roamed the area as guests channel their inner palaeontologists rummaging through the dirt.
Image courtesy of Lone Mountain Aviation
Any fossils discovered on the expedition are yours to take home. Be prepared to stumble across something, too: This area is a font of fossils. Palaeontologists have found 75 different species of dinosaurs in Montana, more than any other state in the US. The first skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex was unearthed in Montana in 1902, in fact. After (hopefully) making grand discoveries, guests will be flown back to the hotel for some R&R.
Image courtesy of Getty
Spanning 500,000 square feet, Montage Big Sky is Montana’s largest hotel. It also has the highest nightly rates in the state, with rooms and suites ranging from US$525 to US$12,000 (HK$4,100 to HK$93,715) per night. Balancing the big fees are the big amenities. The alpine retreat features six restaurants, a 10,000-square-foot spa, a boutique stocked with cowboy boots, Big Sky’s only bowling alley, and a high-tech fitness centre with Pelotons.
Image courtesy of Montage Big Sky
Outside, the grounds are outfitted with a pool, an ice skating rink, a tubing hill, and a chairlift that connects skiers to 85 miles of trails at Big Sky Resort. Outdoorsy folk can enjoy everything from fly fishing and horseback riding to mountain biking, hiking, and zip-lining. Dino digging is on the menu now, too.
Interestingly, Montage Big Sky isn’t the only hospitality outfit focusing on fossils. The Luminaire rolled out the world’s first luxury dinosaur expedition last January. The five-day trip gives private parties of up to 10 the chance to unearth a Diplodocus skeleton in Wyoming.
Maybe fossil digs really are the next big thing in five-star travel.
