Hotel Jerome, Aspen, Colorado, USA

Hotel Jerome is the most characterful luxury hotel in Aspen, the most famous ski town in America, where Old West mining history meets Hollywood glamour. No building captures that story better. Built in 1889 during Colorado's silver boom, its red-brick and sandstone façade has watched over Main Street through boom, bust, the Great Depression and Aspen's reinvention as a world-class resort. Today, run by Auberge Collection, it is richly layered, warm and full of stories.

Location: Aspen, Colorado, USA

The Jerome stands on East Main Street in the heart of downtown Aspen, in the Roaring Fork Valley of the Colorado Rockies, at around 7,900 feet (2,400 metres). It is a short walk from the galleries, boutiques and restaurants of the town, and about seven minutes on foot from the Silver Queen Gondola at the base of Aspen Mountain.

Aspen/Pitkin County Airport is just a few miles away, with connections from Denver and other major US cities. Aspen's four ski mountains, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass, are all easily reached, and the hotel provides complimentary car service around the area.

Rooms and suites at Hotel Jerome

The hotel has around 100 rooms and suites, split between the original 1889 building at the front and a newer wing behind. They were reimagined by designer Todd-Avery Lenahan in a mountain-modern style that honours the building's Victorian heritage: rich woods, leather armchairs, Western touches, antiques and roaring fireplaces.

Rooms are among the largest in Aspen, starting at around 525 square feet. Many have large windows framing views of Aspen Mountain and the surrounding peaks. Suites add separate living areas, and some rooms open onto the pool and garden.

Facilities at Hotel Jerome

The Jerome's bars and restaurants are part of Aspen's social fabric. The J-Bar, on the street-front corner, is an Aspen institution: an Old West saloon with a long history. During Prohibition it is said to have invented the Aspen Crud, a bourbon-spiked milkshake, and the writer Hunter S. Thompson used it as his unofficial office. The hotel's ballroom later hosted his memorial.

Prospect is the signature restaurant, serving refined mountain cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a terrace overlooking the pool and garden in summer. Bad Harriet, a subterranean speakeasy-style cocktail lounge, is named after the wife of the hotel's founder, Jerome B. Wheeler. The Lobby Living Room and Bar, with its fireplace and clubby nooks, is the heart of the hotel.

There is a heated outdoor pool with hot tubs and cabanas, the Yarrow spa with treatment rooms, and a fitness centre. A ski concierge handles equipment and itineraries, and the hotel can arrange everything from restaurant bookings to hot-air balloon flights.

The mountain moment

The defining moment is a classic Aspen day. Ski Aspen Mountain in the morning, with its long, steep runs dropping straight down to town, then ski back to the base and walk a few blocks to the Jerome. Settle into the outdoor hot tub as the sun sets behind the peaks and the mountain glows, then head to the J-Bar for a drink among locals, skiers and visitors, just as people have done for more than a century.

In summer, Aspen becomes a cultural destination, with the Aspen Music Festival, Aspen Ideas Festival and Food & Wine Classic, and the surrounding mountains offer superb hiking, including the famous Maroon Bells, among the most photographed peaks in North America.

Why Hotel Jerome is one of the best mountain hotels

Hotel Jerome earns its place because it combines genuine history and personality with contemporary luxury. It is not a ski-in, ski-out hotel, and it is in the middle of a busy town rather than a remote valley, but that is part of its appeal: it is the beating heart of Aspen.

For travellers who want character rather than polished anonymity, Old West spirit with modern comforts, and a front-row seat to Aspen's social and cultural life, there is no better address in town.

When to go to Hotel Jerome

Aspen has two great seasons. Winter, with skiing usually from late November to April, is the classic Jerome experience, and Christmas, New Year and February are the busiest and most expensive weeks. Summer, roughly June to September, is just as compelling, with the Aspen Music Festival, the Aspen Ideas Festival and the Food & Wine Classic, plus hiking to the Maroon Bells; reserve early for festival dates. September brings golden aspens and quieter streets. The spring and autumn shoulder seasons are calmer, with some town restaurants closed, but they can offer good value. Book a table at Prospect and allow at least one evening at the J-Bar, which is part of the Aspen experience in any season.