NEW YORK –January 20, 2016– The scene in Aspen just got a little more après. W Hotels Worldwide, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), today announced it will debut its second alpine escape—and first in North America—W Aspen and The Sky Residences at W Aspen, which is slated to open for the 2017 winter ski season. W Aspen , formerly the Sky Hotel , will be developed by a joint venture between Sarpa Development and the hotel’s owner, Northridge Capital. Ideally situated at the base of Aspen Mountain , W Aspen will provide skiers the ability to ski right into the hotel for craft cocktails and more after an exhilarating day on the slopes.
“As one of the most stunning and vibrant year-round resort towns in the world, Aspen is a destination that has long been on our wishlist,” said Anthony Ingham , Global Brand Leader, W Hotels. “We are thrilled to bring the W lifestyle to Aspen while simultaneously reinventing the traditional notion of an alpine escape. We’re confident that combined with the brand’s unique programming and cutting-edge design, W Aspen will appeal to locals and international travelers alike.”
W Aspen is being designed by award-winning design firm Nemaworkshop in partnership with Rowland+Broughton Architecture and W’s in-house design team. Locally-inspired, this modern day mountain chalet will celebrate the spirit of Aspen, offering 88 guestrooms (including six suites) and 11 W-branded fractional residences. An oversized split level Living Room (the brand’s alternative to the staid hotel lobby) reimagines the traditional hotel dining scene with a modern approach to dynamic cocktails and cuisine. To complete the experience of this incomparable location, the hotel will feature a 1,600 square foot outdoor patio and a 12,000 square foot rooftop bar and pool, overlooking Aspen Mountain and creating the ultimate experience for après-ski and warm-weather events.
“W Hotels Worldwide has an exceptional reputation as an innovative lifestyle brand, and we are genuinely excited to partner together on Aspen’s newest gem, W Aspen,” said David Jackson, President of Northridge Capital. "We have had an incredible 15-year run with The Sky Hotel, and believe the W brand represents the next step in the hotel’s evolution. W has truly perfected the art of mixing urban style with mountain spirit, and combined with a brand-new facility and thousands of square feet of public amenity space, W Hotels will bring a new energy to our destination, elevating the Aspen experience for both residents and visitors.”
A full service ski shop will provide guests with equipment rentals and storage capabilities, while an 1,100 square foot FIT® (the W brand’s modern gym concept) will aid travellers in staying in shape on and off the slopes. With more than 1,600 square feet of event and meeting space, W Aspen is sure to become the epicentre of spectacular events and high-energy meetings. The W brand’s signature Whatever/Whenever service will be available 24/7, providing guests with whatever they want—from state-of-the-art ski equipment to a backcountry snowshoeing experience—whenever they want it.
The Sky Residences at W Aspen will provide an opportunity to call both W and Aspen home, offering the newest ski- in residential product in one of the only slope-side addresses in the Aspen marketplace.
“We are very excited to continue growing our reach in North America with this strategic expansion of the W brand in such a key Colorado market,” said Alison Reid, Senior Vice President of North America Development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “We highly value our relationships with our owners, and continue to see strong interest from partners looking to leverage Starwood's powerful brands, network, global booking platforms and loyal customer base."
About Aspen Aspen, in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, is a year-round destination for outdoor recreation and for its storied cultural, intellectual and artistic attractions. For winter sport enthusiasts, Aspen is home to four distinct mountains encompassing over 5,300 acres of terrain linked through the convenience of one lift ticket, and of the Winter X Games for the past 14 consecutive years, boasting the #1 Superpipe in North America. Climbing, mountain biking, fly-fishing, white-water rafting and other summer mountain sports, in addition to the acclaimed summer festivals such as the Food & Wine Classic and the Aspen Music & Arts Festival keep visitors coming year round. From its origin as a 19th-century silver mining boom-town, Aspen has evolved into a global destination for artists, musicians, intellectuals and political leaders and thinkers, thanks in part to its status as the birthplace nearly 70 years ago of The Aspen Institute, a globally recognized educational and policy studies organization that fosters leadership based on enduring values through its annual Aspen Ideas Festival and numerous other policy programs.
