 |
| Though convenient to ski lifts, the St. Regis Aspen Resort is less ski-lodge, more mountain-chic. |
In a recent visit to Aspen, Colorado, we enjoyed one of the most indulgent weekends we have ever had at the St. Regis Aspen Resort.
We were visiting the luxury hotel to take a look at its $40 million renovation, which officially wrapped up in December. The yearlong renovations included two closings of the hotel in order to completely overhaul the look and feel of the property. And take it from us—it is money well spent. We absolutely loved the new look, which is less ski-lodge, more mountain-chic. (Your skiing clients should note, however, that the St. Regis Aspen is ideally situated at the base of Aspen Mountain between the mountain’s two primary base ski lifts and within walking distance of all of Aspen’s shops, restaurants and entertainment venues.)
We were told that the premise behind the design was to be reminiscent of a place that the Astors would have constructed in their heyday. In lieu of crisscrossed skis and snowshoes, visitors will find antique Asian art, landscape paintings and plush furniture. Other enhancement highlights include a redesigned entry drive court, a grand solarium entry, new front desk and concierge desk, grand staircase connecting the lobby to the lower-level ballrooms, newly created library with fireplace, enhanced ballroom and renovated pool area.
The resort has 179 guest rooms, including 25 suites. As part of the renovation, the hotel teamed up with Aspen Outfitting, a third party vendor that can arrange all sorts of Aspen outings for guests, including fly fishing excursions, target shooting, wine tours and more.
 |
| An elegant Junior Suite at the St. Regis Aspen. |
Our two most favorite experiences from the weekend incorporated both food and wine, which are two things that Aspen is renowned for (Food & Wine Festival, anyone?). In collaboration with Food & Wine magazine, St. Regis Aspen debuted a brand-new Chef’s Club concept in June this year. The Chef’s Club brings in four up-and-coming chefs per season to design and execute a menu. This season’s chefs include James Lewis, George Mendes, Alex Seidel and Susan Zemanick (plus Jim Meehan, who created the cocktail list. He’s the only mixologist to have won a James Beard Award).
We went with the duck confit crostini with fig jam and goat cheese, a Sue Zemanick creation; and the Colorado lamb saddle with ricotta gnocchi, baby artichokes and pine nut gremolata, from Alex Seidel. We were also tempted to order the warm green asparagus, but our waitress kindly told me that we would be rolled out of there on a gurney because that would be way too much food. We were disappointed.
 |
| In collaboration with Food & Wine magazine, St. Regis Aspen debuted a brand-new Chef’s Club concept in June this year. |
The second experience that we flipped over was the brand-new Farm-to-Spa-Table Experience at Remede Spa. The two-hour treatment was designed to essentially incorporate everything you could want at a spa into one treatment. The therapy begins with guests selecting their own fragrances for the “appetizer” and “dessert” courses of the spa treatment. The appetizer will be a salt scrub while the dessert is a luxurious body butter. There are three of each to choose from, and each scent is paired with a compatible tasting treat, which guests can sample after their treatments. The spa experience then includes a complete scrub of the body with your selected fragrance, followed by a 60-minute massage (or facial), a body butter treatment and is finished with a Moroccan hair treatment and scalp massage. Guests then have the option to visit the oxygen lounge where they can relax and unwind with a glass of chilled, reserve label champagne.
Be sure to have your evening completely free because there is very little chance that you will want to move after this incredible experience.
Other spa services include aromatherapy, body treatments, chromotherapy, couples’ treatments, energy work, facials, fitness, hair and scalp treatments, hydrotherapy, massage, microdermabrasion, nail care, reflexology and more. The spa is home to an oxygen lounge, steam caves, cold plunges, hot tubs, a fitness center and Confluence waterfall.
Travel agents can reach out to Director of Leisure Travel Sales Timothy Sanders (970-429-9544) with queries.