We stayed at the Inn at Aspen in 2018 and 2019 and were relatively happy - we found it overpriced for the amenities, but the location is perfect if you have kids in ski school, and it's not like one looks for a bargain in Aspen. While I had some complaints (the pillows are awful, the noise bleed it a problem, the fire alarm kept going off in the middle of the night), it was never enough to write a review about.
We returned this year, Decembre 2021, to find a much diminished expereince. While of course we are sympathetic to staffing challenges due to the pandemic, this was above and beyond. The front desk was often empty, most days breakfast was down to two items (and the hours were limited), the coffee machine in the hallway was broken 4/7 days, housekeeping was by request only (but no one told you this unless you asked), the hot tub had cold water coming out of three of the spigots, the shuttle required a 30 minute wait (and then was driven by a man not wearing a mask who asked for a tip), and the fire pit was never on.
But that's all small potatoes, and we could likely have chalked it up to the price of pandemic travel. The part that is unforgivable, however, is how *no one* followed the mask mandate. Staff usually had masks under their noses. Housekeeping staff never wore masks. The lobby was always full of unmasked skiers, and no one reminded them to wear masks. I mentioned this to the manager and he said "you can't expect us to do more than we are already doing". All they were doing was providing some small signs, so yes, I think I can ask for more...? My sister asked another time when we were waiting for to-go food in the lobby and he again claimed they were doing everything they could - but during the conversation 4 groups of unmasked or semi-masked people walked into the lobby and sat down without anyone saying anything.
This was all in the week omicron took over, when covid rates in Aspen and elsewhere were spiking. Indeed, we learned the reason breakfast was so limited was a staff member out because of the virus.