Limelight Hotel Aspen ★★★★

A Downtown Lodge That Grew Into a Modern Aspen Hotel

The Limelight takes up most of a block on South Monarch Street, built in brick and glass rather than the log-and-antler vocabulary visitors expect of a Colorado ski town. It descends from a modest downtown lodge, and something of that plainness survived the rebuild: wide corridors, generous rooms, a lobby that fills with boots and dogs at four in the afternoon. With 126 rooms and suites it is one of the larger houses in the centre of Aspen, and yet it reads as a neighbourhood building rather than a resort. That is the reason locals still drink here.

Why It Works

Three things decided it. The first is the walk: the Silver Queen Gondola stands a few minutes away on foot, which takes the shuttle out of a ski day and gives back an hour at each end. The second is the size of the rooms, unusual in a town where floor space is rationed, and the reason families and groups of friends book here instead of renting. The third is the Lounge, a genuine public room with live music and a proper après menu rather than a lobby bar with a screen. Together they make a hotel you use all day.

Why This Location

South Monarch Street sits at the calm end of the core, a block from the Wheeler Opera House and two from the Hyman Avenue mall: close enough to hear the town, far enough to sleep. Walk south and the street runs out at the foot of Aspen Mountain and the gondola plaza. Walk north and the galleries and restaurants start within five minutes. The airport is a short drive and the hotel runs its own shuttle, so a stay here works without a car. In summer the same address puts the Rio Grande Trail and the Maroon Bells bus within easy reach.

Fast Facts

• Price: Luxury

• Vibe: relaxed, social, unpretentious mountain modern

• Rooms: 126 rooms and suites, among the largest in town, with family and connecting options

• Best For: skiers who want the gondola on foot, families and groups sharing a suite, travellers arriving with a dog

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the two rooftop terraces, where the view runs from Ajax across to Red Mountain and almost nobody thinks to climb

• Dining: the Limelight Lounge, American bistro cooking with an Italian accent and Colorado produce, live music most evenings, full breakfast buffet included

• Amenities: heated outdoor pool and hot tubs, two rooftop terraces, fitness room with Peloton bikes and Therabody recovery kit, complimentary cruiser bikes, airport and in-town shuttle, pet-friendly rooms, meeting space

• Attractions: Silver Queen Gondola and Aspen Mountain a few minutes on foot, Wheeler Opera House one block, Aspen Art Museum about five minutes, Maroon Bells by bus from town

Rooms Sized for Groups and Long Ski Weeks

The selling point here is square footage, and it changes how a stay feels. Suites take kitchenettes and fireplaces, family rooms and connecting configurations absorb children and their equipment, and the standard rooms hold two sets of ski gear without turning into a locker. Dogs are expected rather than tolerated, with a bed and a bowl waiting in the room. It is a practical kind of luxury: nothing in the design asks to be admired, everything is built to survive a week of wet boots and early alarms.

The Lounge, the Pool Deck and the Hour After Skiing

The Limelight Lounge is the building’s centre of gravity. Après opens in mid-afternoon and runs late, the kitchen serves American bistro plates with an Italian accent built on Colorado produce, and local musicians play in the early evening from Wednesday through Sunday. Outside, the heated pool and hot tubs steam against the mountain, and the fitness room adds Peloton bikes and Therabody recovery equipment for whoever still has legs. Breakfast is a full buffet, included, served early enough to catch first tracks.