We had a 10-night winter sojourn at the St Regis Aspen, our second stay here. The first was pre-renovation two years ago so we were keen to see the improvements. The building owner (a Thai businessman we learned) is spending $40m attempting to bring this luxury hotel into the 21st century. We heard all sorts of horror stories about people checking in at the start of the ski season; apparently many rooms had not been completed, causing major capacity constraints. Overflow guests were being sent to The Little Nell…ouch!
It was a bit old and dated but we loved the conventionality of the former décor inherited from Ritz Carlton – ultra-luxe ski-lodge with timber panelling and silk-lined walls, crystal chandeliers, marble floors with Persian rugs etc. Some of that remains and in places makes an uneasy connection to the new look, which is way more contemporary but still solid and restrained. They were sensible not to turn this hotel into a funky “W”.
The most obvious change is the lobby lounge and bar with big central fireplace. We liked the changes but many of our friends did not. Daytime this is a beautiful, sunlit space with views up Aspen Mountain (unfortunately across a barren, charmless courtyard which no doubt comes into its own in summer). Seating was ample and comfortable except for the large, fire-side lounges which had a rigid back at 90° to the cushioned-seat. It was like sitting on a park bench and impossible to slouch in, which is all one can do after a day’s skiing. Mostly the service here was charming and attentive, although on two occasions in the late afternoon we waited 20 minutes before a waitress came to serve us. The other gripe was that in 10 days we were never offered a bowl of nibbles with our après-ski cocktails, and we drank there every day, sometimes pre- and post-dinner. We saw them handed out to others (nuts and dried cranberries) but never to us. The bar food is great though; tasty and delicious with terrific pizzas and massive grilled sandwiches that went down a treat with kids and adults alike. A great alternative for a light and easy dinner or lunch.
The restaurant has been renovated but not too well in our view. We miss the booths and current décor is bland and uninspiring. It looks like a large function room with tables – it was dark and gloomy at breakfast with sunny window seats being the most covetable. We like reading papers at breakfast and this proved challenging in the dimness. The chairs are pre-renovation and are too low, too big and way too uncomfortable. Breakfast buffet was what you’d expect of a 5-star hotel – good ingredients and presentation, a nice spread. We got slugged $30 for three lattes on the first morning. “They were doubles” we were told. Well we didn’t ask for doubles, nor did we ask to be ripped off. Sense prevailed and they were removed from the bill. Kudos to the pastry chef as morning muffins and Danish pastries were exceptional, rivalling anything from France. Oddly, the Danishes were one of the biggest delights we had at the St Regis, possibly its greatest asset! Dinner for eight one night was good with knowledgeable maître d' and sommelier. Only gripe was complete lack of menu options for vegetarian me.
We liked the style of the renovated accommodation – timber floors with inset carpet, grey/brown/autumnal motifs with white timber accents. We had plenty of useful storage but heard complaints that other rooms did not. Great bed, super comfortable but with one glaring omission – there was no bedside table on one side! Nothing. Nowhere to place books, reading glasses, pills, water. We were gob-smacked. Reception soon found us one but the fact we had to ask was astounding. The biggest change is the bathrooms that have been completely redesigned, most notably by knocking out the wall between the bedroom and installing two bi-fold doors. This lets natural light into the bathroom and gives users a view outside. In principle it works but at night the cracks around the bi-folds let too much light into the bedroom. A great stand-alone tub, twin sinks, lots of beautiful marble, separate private shower and loo and great lighting make this a well-appointed bathroom. Not perfect though, with no bench space or shelves to place toiletries. We had to remove the hairdryer from a single draw and use that.
Overall we were very comfortable in the room, despite a few gremlins in housekeeping. One of these was on day three when we had to ask for more shampoo. What 5-star hotel doesn’t re-stock bathroom amenities on a daily basis? Was it an oversight or an austerity drive? On arrival we requested the duvet be replaced by a cotton blanket, duly done at turndown but three days later the duvet reappears and the blanket gone. But the worst was to yet to come. We came back late one night to find that every pillow had a pillow case that was too short, leaving about 4 inches (100mm) of snotty, drool-stained pillow sticking out. Too tired to call housekeeping we capped the exposed ends with unused pillow cases and went to bed. Next morning, horrified by this experience, we called the duty-manager to our room to show him. He agreed it was unacceptable and asked “what can we do to make it up to you?” “Nothing” we said, “we just felt you needed to know”. And it was exactly nothing that we got; no follow-up ‘sorry’, no “have a drink on us”, no personal note from the manager; as if this indiscretion was perfectly acceptable to guests paying $800++ per night for an entry level room. Note to St Regis management: we didn’t tell you this for personal gain, only to improve services and ensure you don’t do it again. However, a little unsolicited contriteness and gratitude might go some way to getting us back next year.
Two final grumbles about the accommodation. They’ve re-used the old Bose bed-side sound systems. Great for what they are but to not have MP3 or iPod connectivity is inexcusable and penny-pinching. Maybe they were in other higher-priced rooms, but not ours. The air-conditioning is only heating in winter. If you want cool you have to open the window. We weren’t too precious about that – opening a window worked for us but reduced the effectiveness of the humidifier.
A big commendation for the laundry service which was exceptional, came back promptly same day, even if taken after 10am. Pricey but no more than expected.
Outdoor amenities consist of a large pool and three big hot-tubs, two of which were full of snow – result of a delayed renovation schedule it would seem. Likewise the landscaping was yet to be completed with ditches and cables exposed nearby. Poolside there is a large outdoor cupboard to hang robes and store towels. It used to be heated….not any more, just run-down, cold and ratty.
The Remède Spa in this hotel is a terrific facility, without doubt the best in town. If not having a treatment, holding Platinum SPG status or being a guest in the “Residences”, entry is expensive at $25 per day. Odd, even a little offensive, that they charge hotel guests an entry fee. The treatments are good, if overpriced, and the relaxation room with oxygen a god-send for those affected by altitude. Separate steam cave and hot-tubs for both sexes plus joint facilities are first class. Again, problems here with the servicing of the facilities. Big problems. The men’s change room was poorly attended, with used towels and robes lying around forever and lockers not restocked after use. Water jugs in hot areas were rarely refilled and used plastic cups left lying around. Most annoyingly there were never any towels. One late afternoon of relaxing in the facilities had me requesting towels four times. Some feeble excuse about the supplier did not cut it. To their credit, there was a big improvement after a complaint to the hotel manager.
Overall, this is actually a good hotel that, at the prices it charges, should be a great hotel. Reception and concierge staff is brilliant, as is the driveway team who shuttle you around town. The ski valets take great care of you and are a joy to come home to after a day on the slopes. Only The Little Nell and the Sky Hotel are more conveniently located to the Gondola, everything else is so convenient.
Yes, we should expect more from this hotel and the St Regis brand, but it deserves to be cut some slack. It is coming out of a huge renovation and needs time to get its groove back. We’ll give it one more try next year, hoping like hell our faith will be restored. But loyalty has its limits, it better be exceptional.

No matter where one stays in Aspen, the experience should be an amazing one with pristine nature, quality shops and fine dining all in one walkable town. We decided on the St Regis after reading the reviews on Tripadvisor and we were pleasantly surprised by the quality and style of the public rooms as well as the guest rooms. In the public spaces there are roaring fires and comfortable chairs and sofas. In the room, the bed was very comfortable, the bathroom stylish and the view of Aspen mountain breathtaking especially when the snow began to fall. Everyday of our short five day trip we enjoyed a la carte breakfast in the main restaurant and the service was friendly, fast and the food very good. Unfortunately after skiing we were too tired to sit by the bar or the fire places, but they did seem to be very popular with the other guests.

We flew into Aspen and took their free shuttle bus to the hotel and after a smooth check-in, we rode on the free shuttle busses to Buttermilk and Snowmass ski slopes. The town of Aspen reminds me of Disney's Main Street come to life. Everything looked so neat and safe. And the people are generally friendly and willing to help even without being asked.

If staying in Aspen, stretches the budget a little too far, i suggest going down to the local supermarket and picking up some reasonably priced and not too bad wrt freshness and quality prepared meals or some fruit and salads.

Mostly travelling in Asia, we have become very spoiled and there were some areas in which we felt that the St Regis hotels in Asia offer superior service to those in America. There is not a kettle or coffee/tea maker in the room but in Asia they have tea butlers on call 24/7 so it is not too much of an inconvenience. At the Aspen Resort they offer complementary hot beverages (coffee, teas and hot chocolate) in the morning from 6 am. It just isn't the same and there aren't any cookies to go with your drink. The furniture in the room is mostly new and expensive looking however the desk had terrible scratch and knock marks all over it and it looked more suited to a motel than a 5 star hotel. For Plantinum members there isn't a daily happy hour but once a week there is a "cocktail party" with drinks and a few snacks by the bar. It compares very poorly with the wine appreciation and abundant buffet spread at the St Regis Bangkok.

Overall, the quality of the rooms, friendliness of the staff and the great location , make us want to return whenever we next get a desire to ski or go on snowshoe hikes.

What a mess! When we arrived at 6pm, our room wasn't ready. We had our infant daughter with us and are Starwood Platinum members but we're also pretty easy going so accepted the front desk's offer of a drink/snacks in the lounge while we waited "a half hour" for our room. The clerk indicated he would come and get us but after an hour, no one came. My husband went to check on the room but the clerk was gone and the "manager" on duty indicated the room was still not ready. We went back to the lounge for about 30 more minutes to wait. While we were in the lounge/bar, we were surrounded by such local gems as two guys eating dinner in their bathrobes ( with nothing else) on and several extremely drunken skiiers still in soggy ski clothes. Very classy! When our room was finally ready for us, they put us on lower floor (I think we were in the basement or maybe the sewer). I'm not really sure. The hallways were unheated and the room itself looked like a 1980s Sheraton. The furniture was mismatched, scuffed and damaged, the room was only partially renovated, the bedding and drapes were old and in poor condition and there was no bath. The baby's crib and mini fridge for baby food (that we ordered at the time of our reservation and again at the front desk when we checked in) weren't in the room. We had to wait another hour for those to be set up. The "manager" who I believe was an acting manager was clearly overwhelmed, under trained and exceptionally unhelpful. He told us how the hotel was being renovated and that the other rooms were nicer when we indicated disappointment about the condition of the room. Of course, he didn't offer to put us in another room. He offered us a free weekend at the property. Seriously? I wouldn't come back to this place EVER! He also kept asking us what we wanted him to do to remedy the situation. I kept thinking "Ummm, Isn't it your job to figure out how to resolve this situation? I'm supposed to be on vacation!"

The service was extremely spotty as well. One night we received turn down service. The next night, they came after 9:30pm to do turn down service and the final night no one came at all. After two nights, one of which we had no hot water, we complained again and were moved to a different room...a renovated one. It was substantially nicer and located off of a hallway that was actually heated. The second room was very nice with amenities on par with what you would expect from a St. Regis but it made me really question Starwood's dedication to customer service. I don't think anyone who is used to staying at St. Regis' would be remotely satisfied to get the initial room that we received. I also think it's disheartening that they would allow a room in such terrible condition to be given out to anyone, especially people who are platinum members and stay at Starwood properties every month.

While we were there we saw that many of the guests were experiencing problems as well. Women were basically begging the servers to bring them their food in the lounge or at least a drink after waiting an hour. Another couple was complaining that the valet had lost their skis and boots. People in the elevator complained that they had no bar in the closet to hang their clothes and no toilet paper roll holders in their room. Maybe this location will improve at some point but it's definitely not the place to go for a relaxing luxury ski weekend.

Just returned from a near perfect stay at this grand hotel. I found a great package deal with HOM Vacation and pretty much had them take care of everything including flight, ski lessons, etc. The hotel was just renovated and looked great, can't ask for a better location in town. I loved the daily routine of returning from the slopes to the hotel bar/lounge and relaxing by the fire. The suite we had was beautiful and had everything we needed for our 8 day stay. I highly recommend a restaurant in town called Pinons which was excellent, and definitely a place we would go back to. Only negative I can think of was there was quite allot of kids around on certain days which made it difficult to enjoy morning coffee downstairs.