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Steamboat Magazine

About Us: Bella Vista owners Abby and Eric Schissler

04/05/2017 03:55PM ● By Dan Greeson

Last year, Abby and Eric Schissler bought and took over management of Bella Vista – a private luxury resort near Steamboat with beautiful, sweeping views of the Yampa Valley. The Schisslers would like to say introduce themselves to the Steamboat community.

Met at Colorado State University.

Abby grew up in Dubuque, Iowa originally and had to escape the Midwest life for the mountains! Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management and Associate in Culinary Arts with emphasis on Pastry.

Eric is from Evergreen, Colorado. Degree in health promotion.

Married in 2013 at a place very similar to Bella Vista in Breckenridge.

This is where the dream of finding a venue that could be shared with family and friends over an entire weekend came from.

Abby’s experience:

First job out of college was at the Oxford Hotel. Luxury accommodations and guest service was ingrained in me through that experience.

Senior event planner at Three Tomatoes Catering in Denver, CO where I planned more than 500 events a year.

Abby’s role at Bella Vista:

Events and Guest Relations. I handle all sales and anything to do with the front end of things.

Eric’s experience:

Owned his own painting business in Denver. Dad was a carpenter so has always grown up in the construction world.

Worked as a property manager for high-end homes.

Eric’s role at Bella Vista:

Property management. Eric is improving the property every single day to bring it to the best version possible. He’s responsible for all back end of things

How we found Bella Vista:

We had been looking for a venue/retreat center for over 3 years. We were looking at everything from dude ranches to campgrounds and other venues. It didn’t feel as though what we wanted existed for the price we were willing to pay… We knew in our heart though that God had a bigger plan for us and just kept praying and looking and pressing forward!

After our daughter was born in December of 2015, we realized that if we were going to have the energy and time to make this dream a reality- we needed to act on it right away! We weren’t finding what we were looking for so we decided we had to create it. Eric started calling around Steamboat to see if there was a possibility to buy land to build a campground with a huge lodge for events and eventually build cabins for the guests. We were desperate to make this dream a reality! And the thing that killed us the most is that we had the resources to make it happen – we just weren’t finding the right fit!

Jeremiah 33:3 is the verse that confirmed what we had known all along “Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets about things to come”. My favorite number has always been 33 and 333 is the ultimate to me (3-3’s). So when I saw this verse on a roadside sign driving up to one of my weddings in Denver, I knew that God has something amazing in store for us! Not even a week later I was driving up to Steamboat with some girlfriends and my daughter to run the Steamboat Half Marathon and saw the for sale sign outside of Bella Vista. Instantly I knew that this was the “remarkable secret” that God had planned for us!!!! And might I say- Bella Vista is more beautiful than anything we could’ve ever dreamed up!

Fell in love with Bella Vista right away and 2 months from that date we had closed on the property! WOOHOO!!! It was a really intense due diligence property and throughout the roller coaster we had made a promise that if we got this property, we would use it for good!

Our Vision for Bella Vista: 

Our Mission- check out our website to see our mission, values and operating principles.

“Bringing it back to Eden” is our whole heart beat- back to simplicity and connection with ourselves and others. (Our daughter’s name is also Eden 😊)

We want to create Bella Vista to be a healing center. It is such a magical piece of property and has power to heal. You step on site and immediately feel a sense of peace. It has a way to get you to stop and re-think what life is really about.

We want Bella Vista to be a place for people to: revive, relax, rejuvenate, relationship, renew, refuel, reconnect, restoration, rest, refresh, revitalive, renew.

Healing center clients: wellness retreats, yoga retreats, respite for pastors, a place for widows to get healing, kids with disabilities, life coaching, etc.

We will still do weddings but we want to focus on attracting the right kind of clientele. The couple who is really focused on being with family and friends and starting their marriage off on the right foot, in a beautiful place (not those that just want to throw a huge party).

Our Plans for the future:

Improvements to the property happening daily- new paint, dialing in systems, hardwood floors in great room and game room, small re-modeling projects.

Permanent Structure: starting construction in Fall to be completed by May of 2018 for a 2500 square foot permanent structure. Will have an indoor/outdoor feel and be able to accommodate 200 in the summertime. Wintertime the indoor heated space will be able to accommodate 120. Our goal is to attract more retreats and year-round business.

Our Hearts:

We really want to be a part of the community and give back. We plan on being here for the next 30+ years and raising our child(ren) in Steamboat so are committed to being an active member of the community.

Give back to the community by donating a portion of our sales to local non-profits. This is a way for us to show God that we know he is in control and he knows exactly who he wants to stay at the Bella Vista this year, next year and for the next 30 years!!!

We see Bella Vista as a platform in which to do good. Not sure exactly how it’s going to look yet but this is where our heart is at so we know opportunities will come our way!