The Little Nell

The Little Nell’s unassuming name can’t hide the fact that it might just be the finest ski hotel in the United States. Even in Aspen, a city that’s no stranger to slopeside luxury, this is, for many of its guests, the only game in town. It helps that its location, at the foot of the Silver Queen Gondola, is the very definition of ski-in/ski-out. And while it’s been an A-list favorite for more than a generation, it’s never content to rest on its laurels — the most recent renovation, by the New York studio Champalimaud Design, leaves it looking like the very picture of modern mountain luxury.

This means vanishingly few gestures toward rustic ruggedness. A glance outside, after all, offers unmistakable evidence of the Rocky Mountain setting. Instead you’ll find soothing neutrals, clean lines, substantial spaces, and, quietly, all the physical comfort you could ask for. (The bathrooms, in particular, are extraordinary.)

And if the accommodations are near-faultless, the common spaces are more than capable of keeping up. There’s a Dior spa that would be the envy of many a capital-city luxury hotel, perfect for some restoration after (or instead of) a day on the slopes. Element 47, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, might be the hottest ticket in town. The slopeside Ajax Tavern is perfect for après-ski, and the wine cellar contains some 20,000 bottles. All this in the very heart of Aspen, which, let’s not forget, is still the most glamorous town in the Mountain West.