The 2019 Resort Guide

Our roundup up of cozy abodes

You just learned that relatives are coming for the holidays … but your house is already overflowing with visitors. This lodging guide surveys new and updated hotels, lodges and clubs, sure to please the most discerning guests. 

Photo courtesy of The Little Nell

The Little Nell
2675 E. Durant Ave
970-920-4600
thelittlenell.com

With 30 years of luxury and location, the Little Nell continues a renovation to prepare it for 30 more. Known for superb guest service and elegant accommodations, the Little Nell enlisted Champalimaud Design of New York in spring 2017 to renovate its guest rooms and junior suites. Contemporary works of art offset the interiors’ textured fabrics and palettes of white, blue and gray. The only ski-in, ski-out Five Star, Five Diamond resort in Aspen, the Nell offers balconies and mountain views with most rooms, and all have gas log fireplaces, down-filled sofas or lounge chairs, and spacious bathrooms with a separate tub and shower. In addition, in 2014 renowned residential designer Holly Hunt of Chicago created six specialty suites.

​Photo courtesy of The Little Nell

But the resort is not stopping there. Ajax Tavern, known for its après scene on its sunny patio, received its own refresh last summer. Award-winning Rowland & Broughton Architecture and Interior Design created a new corner entry that delivers guests directly into the bar before they proceed into the dining room with its cozy red leather booths and banquettes. 

And as the resort celebrates its 30th year, Champalimaud is now renovating the hotel public spaces including the entry, lobby, living room and Chair 9 bar. The centerpiece of the lobby and living room, the fireplace, has been updated with a dark metal-clad façade. Screens inspired by Harry Bertoia’s sound sculptures serve to elegantly break up the open space. The facelift will be completed as the resort celebrates its anniversary with a number of celebrations. If the walls could talk, oh the stories the Little Nell could tell!

​Photo courtesy of The Little Nell

EAT, PLAY, STAY

ROOMS 92 in all—52 guest rooms, 26 premium guest rooms, eight junior suites, and six specialty Holly Hunt suites. RESTAURANTS include element 47, with Colorado contemporary cuisine; Ajax Tavern; and Chair 9 bar. Amenities include COMPLIMENTARY MINI-BAR, snacks and nonalcoholic beverages. MEALS TO PRIVATE PLANES can be provided through element 47. PETS ARE WELCOME; gourmet dog meals and cozy beds are available to coddle little Fidos.

Photo courtesy of Limelight Hotels

The Limelight Hotel Snowmass
65 Wood Road
970-924-5100
limelighthotels.com/snowmass

In the middle of Snowmass’s new base village, the Limelight Hotel offers slope-side access and a lively vibe. Snowmass Resort, known for its expansive 3,362-acre terrain, has long been an insider’s favorite ski resort—but until 2018 “there was no there there,” as it lacked a robust base village. That year, the $600 million “town square” of Snowmass opened;  10 years in the works, it transformed the base into a lively village with ice-skating in the winter, corn hole in the summer, and the Limelight Hotel at the heart of the action.

The Limelight’s vibe is lively—kids and dogs are not only welcome but encouraged—and rooms are large, ranging from 461 to 495 square feet, and luxurious: All rooms come with soft robes and slippers; cozy banquette seating for dining, work or game night; and sumptuous bath products. Location is primo—adjacent to the Elk Camp Gondola—and ski concierge service makes getting from your room to the slopes a breeze. Focusing on making a light ecological impact, from housekeeping practices and cleaning products to organic coffee, the Limelight works to minimize its global footprint and preserve Snowmass’s natural environment.

Known for its menu of unique amenities, including a 54-foot faux rock climbing wall on the hotel’s facade, perks include an expanded continental breakfast; après ski deals in the Limelight Lounge; live music; adventure activities such as First Tracks, Inside Tracks and Last Tracks; complimentary ice-skating rentals, fat tire bikes and pet-friendly rooms. Bottom line: The Limelight offers luxury accommodations combined with comfortable, casual ambience—if you don’t like fun, don’t come here.

​Photo courtesy of Limelight Hotels

EAT, PLAY, STAY

ROOMS 47 rooms with a king bed and 53 rooms with two queen beds; 60 adjoining rooms plus 11 residential units with five lock-off bedrooms. THE LOUNGE is the location for breakfast, après ski, dinner and live music. Rollaway beds are available for $25 rental fee, or for a fun-filled sleepover for guests under four feet tall, ask for A SMALL TEEPEE with a sleeping pad, camping pillows and a lantern (we told you this place is fun!). CANINE GUESTS receive their own bed and dog bowl.

Photo courtesy of Snowpine Lodge

The Snowpine Lodge
10420 Little Cottonwood Road
801-742-2000
snowpine.com

Traditional Alta Mountain embraces a new era with the addition of upscale. With its straight-to-the-slopes and no-frills mentality, Alta, Utah, hasn’t changed much since becoming a ski playground in 1938. But in January 2019, the Little Cottonwood Canyon constructed an unprecedented addition: the luxurious Snowpine Lodge, a resort offering 78 pristine rooms, a full-service ski shop and top-tier amenities.

​Photo courtesy of Snowpine Lodge

Crafted from the oldest standing structure in the former mining town, the building has a long-rooted history as a general store, post office, army barrack and then public shelter before becoming a contemporary-rustic inn. The hotel sits less than a quarter mile from the ski lifts (and one mile from heli-skiing experiences) and touts various modern improvements: globally inspired cuisine at Swen’s Restaurant, outdoor heated pools, jetted hot tubs and fire pits that overlook the Wasatch Mountains. From the convenience of location to the warming hygge interior, the hotel provides a high-style gateway back to Alta’s main focus—the 2,614 skiable acres that wait beyond the resort.

Photo by Lee Cohen

EAT, PLAY, STAY

PLAY 547 inches of annual fresh powder, more than 116 runs and an 11,068-foot summit await just outside Snowpine Lodge. EAT Swen’s Restaurant and The Gulch Pub offer readily available dining experiences onsite. STAY Guests can also unwind at the new Stillwell Spa for afternoons full of massages, facials and beauty treatments.

Photo courtesy of Powder Mountain Resort

Powder Mountain Resort
6965 E. Hwy. 158
801-745-3772
powdermountain.com

Powder Mountain Resort unveils production of Horizon Neighborhood, with an alpine-modern design in mind.  Despite holding the title for most skiable acres in the United States, sheep-herding ranch turned ski resort Powder Mountain has flown under the radar as a top destination in the ski community. Roughly 40 minutes away from Salt Lake City, Utah, the landscape boasts 8,464 acres of terrain, a maximum of 1,500 exclusive lift tickets sold per day and, now, a new neighborhood concept available for purchase.

Photo courtesy of Paul Bundy

The chalet-style properties in the Horizon Neighborhood are the first architect-designed homes on-site and were conceptualized to deliver a sense of community to the quiet ski oasis. Following the natural arches of the mountain, the plot development will include 30 cabins for sale with a cedar-clad exterior, thermally heated concrete floors and panoramic windows for unobstructed views of the vistas. “Intricate yet modest” is the mantra for Canadian design firm MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects, known for using surrounding topography as its architectural muse. Coming in four different lodging styles (the two-bedroom Capella, three-bedroom Indus and Vega and the four-bedroom Lyra), the village is designed for environmentally conscious homeowners to guarantee the conservation of the mountain’s natural integrity.

Photo courtesy of Paul Bundy

EAT, PLAY, STAY

PLAY Activities like backcountry skiing and snowcat tours draw in advanced thrill-seekers to the steepest terrain available on the mountain. STAY 30 unique cabins in the Horizon Neighborhood wait for purchase within the Wasatch Mountain town of Eden. EAT Grab a bite to eat at the Timberline, Hidden Lake or Sundown Lodges.

Photo by Gibeon Photography, courtesy of The Yellowstone Club

The Yellowstone Club
1 Yellowstone Club Trail
406-995-4900
yellowstoneclub.com

The New Village, a major expansion of the private Yellowstone Club, debuts with new buildings designed to respect the West. Billed as the world’s only private ski, golf and adventure community,  the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana, just keeps getting better. The latest expansion, the New Village, encompasses three new buildings, each with amenity spaces on the first floors and residences above. BraytonHughes Design Studio in San Francisco was charged with respecting the landscape of one of the most beautiful mountain terrains in the world, while creating a fresh and dynamic experience for the sophisticated, well-traveled members of the club.

​Photo by Gibeon Photography, courtesy of The Yellowstone Club

Each of the new buildings required a unique aesthetic direction to create a sense of a village. Drawing from Montana’s rugged landscape, the restaurant design uses raw natural materials, wood textures and soft leathers to create a cozy atmosphere in the 6,600-square-foot space. The new specialty restaurant and bar draw upon the iconic shape of a modern barn—think high ceilings, large wooden doors and dark basalt tile. The property’s après ski bar takes inspiration from another regional historical form—an old mine. And the spa draws upon Native American influences with an earth-tone palette and organic shapes to create a soothing atmosphere. At the Yellowstone Club, when it comes to amenities, more is more.

​Photo by Gibeon Photography, courtesy of The Yellowstone Club

EAT, PLAY, STAY

In addition to hospitality and retail space, 48 NEW RESIDENTIAL UNITS complete the village core. THE HUB of the Yellowstone Club is the Warren Miller Lodge; the New Village is adjacent to the base area, walking distance from the Warren Miller Lodge. THE NEW VILLAGE BOASTS a restaurant, specialty restaurant and bar, après bar, locker area, fitness area and spa.

Photo courtesy of YOTELPAD Mammoth

YOTELPAD
6040 Minaret Drive, Mammoth Lakes
833-968-3522
yotelpadmammoth.com

Technology meets outdoor recreation at condo-style YOTELPADS in Mammoth Mountain. With more than two million annual visitors, 400 inches of seasonal fresh powder and an 11,053-foot summit, Mammoth Mountain is virtually synonymous with “world-class ski destination.” However, the California resort isn’t only popular for its winter recreations; it also offers fishing, golfing, intense bike paths and family-friendly hiking excursions in the summer.

​Photo courtesy of YOTELPAD Mammoth

Yearning to share this lifestyle and 300 days of sunshine with loyal visitors full-time, YOTELPAD was conceived to occupy one of the most desirable spots on the mountain. Assembled by Replay Destinations and set to open winter 2020-21, these condominiums are an efficient yet stylish lodging option, with 156 rooms that are fully furnished, technologically forward “PADs.” PAD owners are within walking distance of the gondola, allowing quick access to the 3,500 skiable acres, snowcat tours and extreme terrain park. Interiors are new-age mountain modern rather than traditional kitsch, with innovative features like robot luggage concierges, app-based ski and car valet and Amazon-branded lockers. Only the third property of its kind in the United States, this location will include the first YOTELPAD bar as well as an outdoor yoga section, bocce ball courts and year-round pool.

Photo by Josh Wray, courtesy of Mammoth Lakes Tourism

EAT, PLAY, STAY

PLAY At Mammoth Mountain, there’s snowmobiling, snowcat tours or backcountry skiing in the winter and golf at the Sierra Star, all-level mountain biking courses and fishing at Mammoth Lakes Basin in the summertime. STAY Renters or owners of one of the 156 rooms at YOTELPAD get amenities like a Fireside Lounge, an on-site restaurant and a game room for families.