By Helen Olsson By Helen Olsson | July 5, 2023 | Lifestyle, Lifestyle Feature,
The Little Nell and Limelight Hotel brands are carefully expanding into new markets, from Manhattan to Mammoth.
The Little Nell has been an Aspen landmark since 1989. But the hotel’s cosmopolitan, intimate vibe, haute cuisine, five-star service and award-winning wine programs may well have a place in urban destinations, including Rockefeller Center, Manhattan’s most iconic address.
A division of Aspen Skiing Company, Aspen Hospitality (aspenhospitality.co) has a portfolio of owned and operated properties that includes The Little Nell, Residences at The Little Nell, and Limelight Hotels in Aspen and Snowmass, Colorado, as well as Ketchum near Sun Valley, Idaho. In May, the brand transitioned Denver’s Born Hotel to Limelight Denver. Those six properties have 675 rooms and residential units, which is expected to nearly double in the next five years.
Dine and indulge at The Little Nell
Currently in development are two additional Limelight Hotels—in Mammoth, California, and Boulder, Colorado, slated to open in 2025. Aspen Hospitality also owns the ASPENX Mountain Club and the Snowmass Mountain Club.
A rendering of the exterior of Limelight Mammoth in California.
“We are focused on new markets that align with the brand’s deep-seated sense of curiosity and community and that allow our guests to stay with us across various geographies,” says Alinio Azevedo, CEO of Aspen Hospitality. “Our hotels offer an elevated casual ambiance that embraces all that each destination has to offer, whether in a mountain or urban setting.”
“Our hotels offer an elevated casual ambiance that embraces all that each destination has to offer, whether it’s in a mountain or urban setting.”
The vibrant Limelight Aspen exterior
In April, Aspen Hospitality announced a planned expansion that would convert 10 floors of vacant office space above NBC’s Today studios at Rockefeller Center into the world’s second Little Nell. While an urban outpost might seem surprising for the beloved flagship mountaintown hotel, Aspen Hospitality is owned by the Chicago-based Crown family, which, not coincidentally, co-owns the Rockefeller Center complex. Since the pandemic, more New Yorkers are working remotely, and developers are looking for ways to reimagine empty midtown office spaces. Entertainment and hospitality are increasingly filling the void—from speakeasies to dance halls to hotels. Plans are for a 130-room property to open in 2026. “The proposed hotel will serve business and leisure travelers alike with the same world-class service and attention to culture, art and design that distinguishes The Little Nell in Aspen,” Azevedo says. If plans for the concept are approved by the city, The Little Nell will be the first and only hotel in Rockefeller Center, seamlessly integrated within the building’s iconic art deco facade.
Drink and unwind at The Little Nell.
Over time, Aspen Hospitality has carefully been expanding its Limelight portfolio. “Boulder, Denver and Mammoth are characterized by their natural beauty, outdoor activities, cultural offerings and abundance of dining and shopping,” Azevedo says. “In brief, they are highly desirable destinations.” The Denver location, already up and running, is located in the heart of LoDo adjacent to Union Station, near shops, restaurants and museums and just a light-rail ride away from Denver International Airport. “It’s the perfect location for the urban visitor or business traveler or a quick stopover en route to a mountain getaway,” he says. “We offer premier amenities and thoughtful services such as adventure concierges to help guide and plan a guest’s excursions and experiences,” Azevedo says. “Ever since the very first Limelight, which we acquired, rebranded and reopened in downtown Aspen in 2012, this has been our focus.”
The world-class service at The Living Room in The Little Nell will inform amenities at new properties
Limelight Boulder is Aspen Hospitality’s first foray into the college town market, and the hotel, which will be all-electric with LEED Gold certification, is being developed in collaboration with the University of Colorado. Limelight Mammoth will also be an all-electric property, helping the company to reach its aggressive sustainability goals. The Limelight hotels in Snowmass and Ketchum are certified to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver standard. And The Little Nell in Aspen has a suite powered entirely by solar panels.
Furry friends are welcome at The Little Nell
Whether it’s sustainability or sophistication, the elements that define the hospitality experience at The Little Nell and Limelight Hotels promise to transition easily to urban markets, from Boulder to the Big Apple.
In May, the Born Hotel was reinvented as Limelight Denver.
Photography by: PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEMTER/ISTOCK, PHOTO BY MEGAN WYNN PHOTOGRAPHY, PHOTO COURTESY OF ASPEN HOSPITALITY, PHOTO BY DANIEL BAYER, PHOTO BY JAMIE FLETCHER,