Aspen Hospitality, a division of Aspen Skiing Company and owned by the Crown family, is expanding its Little Nell and Limelight hotel brands to urban markets, moving beyond their traditional mountain resort locations. This expansion reflects a strategic shift to capitalize on the changing hospitality landscape.
Key among these new developments is the planned conversion of 10 floors of vacant office space above NBC's "Today" show studios in Rockefeller Center, New York, into the second location for The Little Nell, which originated in Aspen, Colorado, in 1989. The 130-room luxury property, pending city approval, is slated to open in 2026. This move into a prominent urban address is part of a broader trend where Midtown Manhattan landlords are repurposing office space for hospitality and entertainment due to reduced demand for traditional office usage since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to The Little Nell's urban expansion, Aspen Hospitality is also growing its Limelight Hotels portfolio. Current developments include new Limelight hotels in Mammoth, California, and Boulder, Colorado, both expected to open in 2025. The Limelight Denver, located near Union Station, has already transitioned from the Born Hotel. These new properties emphasize sustainability, with the Boulder and Mammoth locations planned as all-electric and LEED Gold certified. Aspen Hospitality aims to nearly double its current 675 rooms and residential units across its various properties within the next five years, indicating an aggressive expansion strategy into diverse geographic markets including college towns and urban centers.
