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The W brand's most mountain-appropriate expression. The heated rooftop pool, open through the winter with Aspen Mountain in view, is genuinely theatrical.
Stay here for the design and the scene. W Aspen opened in 2019 on Spring Street, about a ten-minute walk from the Silver Queen Gondola at the base of Aspen Mountain, and it brings the W brand's contemporary, social approach to a town that otherwise leans Victorian and traditional. It has 88 guest rooms and suites plus 11 Sky Residences on the top floors, and the rooms are the most design-forward in Aspen, with a Colorado-inspired palette that uses local materials without the Western cliches most mountain hotels lean on. The building's signature is the WET Deck, a heated rooftop pool that stays open through the winter with a direct line of sight to Aspen Mountain, and it is as much an apres-ski and event space as a place to swim.
Downstairs, The Living Room lounge is the social heart of the hotel, with cocktails, small plates and the W's music programming, from apres-ski DJ sets to summer events, giving W Aspen a nightlife infrastructure that the Jerome and The Little Nell deliberately avoid. The restaurant, 39 Degrees, handles American cuisine for those who want to eat in. The result is a hotel that feels more like a members' club with rooms attached than a quiet mountain lodge, which is exactly the point.
For most stays, a Cozy or Wonderful room is the sensible entry point, and a Mountain-view or corner category is worth the step up for the Ajax outlook that defines the town. If you are travelling as a group or celebrating, look at the suites or one of the 11 Sky Residences on the upper floors, which add living space, kitchens and the best views in the building. Ask specifically for a higher floor facing Aspen Mountain, and note that this is a downtown hotel, so a street-facing lower room can catch some evening noise from the scene the hotel itself creates.
For a group, yes. The heated rooftop pool events, The Living Room's DJ programming and 39 Degrees' group-friendly dining make W Aspen the bachelor and bachelorette pick in town for people who want nightlife alongside the skiing; the rooftop pool on a snowy Aspen evening is a specific, hard-to-replicate experience. For an anniversary, it works for couples who find design and energy romantic rather than a hush, the rooftop at night, a Living Room cocktail and the most contemporary room in Aspen make a celebration that is deliberately different in character from the Jerome's Victorian gravitas or The Little Nell's slopeside polish. See all bachelor/bachelorette hotels or all anniversary hotels.
This is not a slopeside hotel, so skiers who want to step from their room onto the gondola should book The Little Nell instead; W Aspen is a walkable but real ten minutes from the lift, which matters in ski boots and snow. The energy that makes the hotel is also its main drawback: the rooftop and lounge scene means noise and a party atmosphere that will not suit anyone seeking a quiet, traditional mountain retreat, and light sleepers should request a room away from the venues. The design-hotel approach favours style and social space over the deep, old-world service and grand public rooms of Aspen's heritage hotels, and rooms are contemporary rather than large. Aspen pricing is steep across the board, and in peak ski weeks W Aspen is no exception. And the on-site dining is built around the lounge and rooftop rather than a destination restaurant, so plan to eat out for a serious dinner. None of this is a flaw so much as a personality; match the hotel to the trip you actually want.
No. It is a downtown hotel about a ten-minute walk from the Silver Queen Gondola, not a slopeside property. For true ski-in, ski-out at the gondola, The Little Nell is the Aspen benchmark.
88 guest rooms and suites, plus 11 Sky Residences on the upper floors. It opened in 2019 and holds Aspen's most contemporary rooms.
Yes, the WET Deck rooftop pool is heated and open year-round with views of Aspen Mountain, and doubles as an apres-ski and event space.
39 Degrees serves American cuisine, and The Living Room lounge handles cocktails, small plates and the social scene.
From $500/night. Independent review; we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
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A ranked shortlist, a special offer worth booking, and the overpriced stay to skip. Straight from the editors.