Winning snow retention project solves hotel’s avalanching snow problems

By Rocky Mountain Snow Guards. 

Learn how this contractor helped a hotel and won a prize along the way.

It was almost too easy. According to Nick Piontek with On Point Contracting, he simply asked the hotel manager at WoodSpring® Suites Hotel in Littleton, Colorado if snow avalanching off the roof was a problem for them. The manager said, “Yes! It’s a huge problem. Can you solve it?” And that’s how Nick's company captured the snow retention job that also earned them a Runner Up Prize in the commercial category of the 2025 “Show Us Our Snow Guards” Contest.

"There’s sleek mill finish standing seam roof on the hotel, and you could just tell that accumulated snows were sliding right off that roof,” says Nick, founder and CEO of On Point Contracting. “We’re really pleased we could offer them a quality solution for their problem.”

Step 1: Specifying product

Just as they do with all their snow retention roofing projects, Nick's first stop once he gained the business was to Rocky Mountain Snow Guards to use their free layout and quote service.

“There’s only one way to plan out these snow retention projects,” says Nick. “It’s to reach out to Rocky Mountain Snow Guards for an engineered snow retention solution from a satellite measurement report. We’ve been doing this for more than five years. They’re my go-to choice because I’ve witnessed their load stress-testing firsthand. I’m convinced their products are the toughest on the market.”

For the Woodspring Suites project, a S-5!® ColorGard® Bar Style snow retention system with S-5!® S clamps and evergreen color strips was specified. The system is designed for most vertical snap-together standing seam profiles, but it’s versatile enough to accommodate horizontal seams where the horizontal projection is 0.54” or less.

Step 2: Installation

The challenging project required the On Point Contracting crew to direct pedestrian and car traffic on the ground while also working high up around the eaves. A 50-foot boom lift had to be used to reach the top of the cupola to add snow retention.

“This project took about three days,” says Nick. “The hotel management is very happy with the solution, and hotel guests are much safer as a result of installing the snow retention system. We’ve moved on to installing a similar system at their sister hotel, the Suburban Studios® Hotel in Westminster, Colorado and we’ll be looking for other hotels that need these systems in the future. It’s a ‘win-win’ for everyone involved.”