After the snow has melted and the throngs of skiers in their designer parkas have returned home, you’ll have Aspen practically to yourself to marvel at the wispy flowers on the area’s namesake trees and embark on springtime pursuits in the fresh air. At the foot of Aspen Mountain, W Aspen is a great home base to experience a different season in this tony winter playground.

W Aspen opened in 2019, with touches you would expect from the brand. I was welcomed at check-in with a glass of sparkling wine, the “Whatever/Whenever” department took care of any requests I had and the Wheels complimentary car service shuttled me around town in a BMW X7 and X5.

The hotel’s design incorporates local touches speaking to the area’s history and natural elements. Horizontal stripes on hallway walls are meant to look like a mine shaft — a nod to Aspen’s past as a silver mining town. The curves on the blue carpeting in the restaurant form an abstract topographic map, and clear columns evoke the trunks of the quaking Aspen trees ubiquitous to the region, whose leaves flutter with the slightest breeze (and turn the mountainside a glorious shade of gold in autumn).

A windowless lounge area with pink, crushed velvet couches called the Grotto was supposed to be a nightclub, but COVID-19 had other ideas. Now, it’s a private event space with a luxe vibe for birthday, engagement or bachelorette parties. It also hosts pop-ups, like a recent residency with Brooklyn craft cocktail bar Ponyboy.

Guestrooms are offered in three categories: Wonderful, Fabulous and Spectacular, with mountain or street views and various sizes and configurations. The property also includes four WOW suites; some accommodations have tiered queen beds or bunk beds, which work nicely for a family or a group of friends. The Extreme Wow Suite has a 1970s retro feel and is outfitted with a rotating circular bed, sunken hot tub, oversized lava lamp, foosball table, dining area, central fire pit and DJ booth. My 425-square-foot Fabulous room had a partial view of the mountain, a king bed, sitting area, large marble counter, oversized shower and Bliss products in the bathroom. Smart lighting lets you set any mood — though the controls to get it just right were a bit finicky.

No matter the season, the rooftop Wet® Deck is definitely the place to be. Open to anyone, it houses a pool, hot tub, multiple fire pits and 360-degree vistas of the Rockies. The all-day menu of casual fare does a good job competing with the view. Mexican street corn in dip format is a fun shareable, as is preserved lemon and roasted garlic hummus. A crab cake “burger” is topped with lemon aioli, arugula and pickled red onion, served with house-made chips; and a grilled cheese sandwich gets an upgrade with feta, muenster, spinach and a slather of chipotle aioli, served on sourdough. Garden-inspired cocktails use ingredients like watermelon, cucumber and basil; as I watched the sun set, the color of the clouds matched that in my Bell Mountain Spritz, which mixes rosé, Lillet Rouge, Aperol, hibiscus, lemon juice and orange bitters.

The other dining concept, 39 Degrees, a reference to the city’s latitude, offers an indoor experience awash in blue, beige and gold, as well as an outdoor one with firepits and communal seating. Best bites were mussels bathed in aromatic tomato broth, a Greek salad studded with chunks of feta, chimichurri-topped roasted asparagus, and juicy lamb meatballs served over tangy tzatziki. Cocktails veer on the sweet side; I asked to hold the simple syrup on the Aspen Thymes, a blueberry vodka sour garnished with a sprig of the fresh herb. The resto also serves breakfast. A springtime sojourn at W Aspen shows off a whole new side of this luxe ski town.

W Aspen

550 S. Spring St.
Aspen, CO 81611
tel 970 431 0800