Where to stay · Rockies
By the JetChalet editors · Updated · How we check facts
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Aspen is a mountain town at nearly 8,000 ft, and The Little Nell, at the base of Aspen Mountain, is its only hotel with AAA's top rating.1,3,21 The airport sits three miles from town, about 10 minutes from downtown.19 In 2027 it closes from 4 April to 19 November to rebuild the runway.17
The short answer
The one Aspen hotel with AAA's top rating and five Four Diamond hotels, each with one reason to choose it.1,2
For Aspen's only Five Diamond, AAA's top level: ski-in, ski-out at the base of Aspen Mountain.1,3
For the longest run in Aspen at Four Diamond, AAA's next level down: since 1998, a walk from the town's shops and restaurants.2,4,5
For history: at the centre of Aspen life since 1889, a listed brick building on Main Street.2,6,7
For the slopes: at the base of Aspen Mountain, with access from the mountainside.2,11,12
550 S. Spring St., Aspen, CO 81611
For space and art: 40 acres of meadows and groves and, in its own words, one of the largest art collections on any resort grounds.2,8,9
845 Meadows Road, Aspen, CO 81611
For the newest rating of the six, from 2026, on West Main Street with the restaurant Lola 41.2,10
The US has no national hotel star rating of the kind France has, so we use AAA's, based on its inspectors' visits. Only one Aspen hotel holds the top level, Five Diamond; we add the Four Diamond hotels whose address we could confirm, and say which is which. The year is when each one's current run at that level began.
What sets each apart, from AAA's 2026 lists, the hotels' own websites and Aspen's tourist and history sites.
| Hotel | AAA rating | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| The Little Nell | Five Diamond, since 1991 | Ski-in, ski-out at the base of Aspen Mountain; open since 1989. |
| The St. Regis Aspen Resort | Four Diamond, since 1998 | At the foot of Aspen Mountain, a walk from town. |
| Hotel Jerome, An Auberge Resort | Four Diamond, since 2007 | On Main Street since 1889; a listed historic building. |
| W Aspen & the Sky Residences at W Aspen | Four Diamond, since 2022 | At the base of Aspen Mountain, with slope access. |
| Aspen Meadows Resort | Four Diamond, since 2023 | 40 acres of meadows and groves; a large art collection. |
| White Elephant Aspen | Four Diamond, since 2026 | A new boutique hotel on West Main Street. |
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The 8,006 ft runway takes private jets within limits on wingspan (95 ft) and landing weight, and the airport is closed from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.13,14,15
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (code ASE) takes private jets, within limits set by the county that runs it.
The runway was lengthened to 8,006 by 100 ft in 2011.13
No aircraft with a wingspan over 95 ft may use the airport, nor one with a maximum landing weight over 100,000 lb on dual wheels or 160,000 lb on dual tandem wheels.14 Ask the operator whether its jet qualifies before you book.
The airport is closed from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., the control tower works from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., no departures are allowed after 10:30 p.m., and from 30 minutes after sunset only aircraft with the quieter Stage III noise rating may fly.15
Fly straight into ASE, three miles from the town of Aspen.19 In 2027 it closes from 4 April to 19 November, and private jets then use Rifle or Eagle County, more than an hour's drive away.17,18
Fly straight into ASE. The airport is three miles from the town of Aspen and six from Snowmass Village (Aspen Snowmass), and Atlantic Aviation runs its private aviation terminal (FBO) under a 30-year lease signed in 2024.16,19
In 2027 the airport closes for runway reconstruction, from 11 p.m. on 4 April to 7 p.m. on 19 November.17 That takes in the last two weeks of the ski season, which ends on 18 April 2027.
During the closure, Rifle Garfield County Airport (RIL) serves private jets about 65 miles from Snowmass, roughly 1 hour 30 minutes by road; Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) is about 67 miles away, roughly 1 hour 35 minutes.18
If your dates are flexible, an empty leg, a jet flying without passengers to its next job, can cost less than a normal charter into Aspen; our guide to empty legs explains how they work and the catch.
Published one-way ranges for the whole jet, from evoJets' route pages. Use the price tool on this page for other jet sizes.
747 mi · 2 h to 2 h 30
One way, whole jet. evoJets, checked 3 Nov 2026. Not a quote.
1,800 mi · 4 h 5 to 4 h 30
One way, whole jet. evoJets, checked 3 Nov 2026, and Call a Jet, checked 6 Nov 2026. Not a quote.
Ranges are what the brokers publish for the whole aircraft, one way. evoJets does not say whether they include tax and fees, so ask. They are not quotes.
Three airports serve Aspen by private jet. What the airport and the resort publish about each:
Our pick
Best for: most trips: three miles from town, about 10 minutes from downtown.
During the 2027 closure
Best for: private flights while ASE is closed.
Also during the closure
Best for: travellers who want an airport with airline flights as a fallback.
The ski season runs from 26 November 2026 to 18 April 2027, and Aspen sits at nearly 8,000 ft.20,21
Aspen Snowmass is open from 26 November 2026 to 18 April 2027.20
Aspen sits at nearly 8,000 ft. The resort advises drinking up to 3 liters of water a day for several days before the trip and cutting back on alcohol and caffeine: one drink at altitude has the effect of two at sea level.21
RFTA buses connect Aspen and Snowmass Village all day, free of charge.18
Yes, at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE), three miles from town, within its limits: a wingspan of 95 ft or less and a maximum landing weight of 100,000 lb on dual wheels or 160,000 lb on dual tandem wheels. The airport is closed from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., allows no departures after 10:30 p.m., and from 30 minutes after sunset takes only Stage III aircraft.
Yes, from 11 p.m. on 4 April to 7 p.m. on 19 November 2027, to rebuild the runway. Private jets then use Rifle (RIL), about 65 miles away, or Eagle County (EGE), about 67 miles away.
evoJets publishes about $10,000 to $13,200 one way for a light jet, for the whole aircraft, and about $12,300 to $15,200 for a midsize jet. These are published ranges, not quotes.
The Little Nell, the only Aspen hotel on AAA's 2026 Five Diamond list, a rating it has held since 1991.
JetChalet is an independent guide: we do not sell or operate flights and we do not book hotels ourselves. Every number on this page comes from the source named next to it, in our own words, with the day we read it. Prices are published ranges, not quotes. The small numbers next to each fact link here.
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