quirrow

I am planning to head out to Aspen/Snowmass in late March. I am just wondering how the winter conditions would be like during that time? I am an intermediate all-mountain snowboarder and am comfortable with blue runs and some black runs.

Considering between accommodations at Westin since Snowmass seems to be the larger mountain, but the reviews of the Westin is less than stellar, and thus considering instead to stay at the St Regis Aspen.

How easy it is to commute between Aspen and Snowmass? And would anyone who stayed at both properties let me know if the St Regis is worth twice the cost of the Westin?

Thanks in advance for any answers anyone might have

Travel Pro

The prices reflect what you get. The St. Regis is in another class compared to the Westin... but they are 2 completely different experiences.

The St Regis is located right in the town of Aspen and is a luxury property. So, you can walk around town, close to restaurants, etc. It had a renovation about a year or 2 ago so should be very nice.

The Westin will provide a great experience at Snowmass... great skiing, excellent organized ski schools, etc. but the accomodations will be much less. I stayed there a few years ago before it became a Westin. The rooms needed a lot of work, so I can't imagine that it's been bumped up to a great level. Probably better but not great. Some of the reviews I've seen bear this out. The location is great though if you want to ski Snowmass.

Your lift mulit-day lift ticket will work for Aspen and Snowmass... and they will take your skis to either place if you let them know, so you don't have to bring them from one to another yourself.

Will take about 20 mins by car to get from St. Regis to Snowmass.

I'd stay at the St. Regis as it's a better hotel and location, particularly if you are going solo or with significant other. But if you have kids that you plan to put in Ski School each day... then more convenient to stay at Westin, even though the property will not be as nice... and you'll save a few bucks to boot.

puntamita

St Regis Aspen is wonderful

thecoldhandoftechnology

I think it depends on what your focus is, I find the Westin is better if you want to maximize your time on the mountain, St. Regis is lends itself to spending time at the property or in the Village.

I found the Westin's rooms to be fine, gondola is adjacent to the property, and board/ski facilities are good. I've had good luck with upgrades, but of course YMMV depending on occupancy. Village is handy if you need gear or more casual dining, clubs.

St. Regis is a very nice property. Guest rooms surround a courtyard so it seems intimate, but is a decent size. Rooms are very nice, very good Plat recognition, service has always been very good. Many good restaurants and boutique shopping within a couple of blocks.

As Travel Pro said, depending on weather, about 20 minutes between properties.


Cheers

Mommy Points

Loved our recent stay at the St. Regis Aspen, but will stay at Westin next time as it is truly on the mountain that my family can ski. St. Regis was great for walking to everything in Aspen, and not too far of a car ride from Buttermilk, but not really the best choice to ski Snowmass on a regular basis.

Amazing hotel and great service though!

quirrow

So I take it that if my first priority is to ski/snowboard it would be better to stay in Snowmass? Any other places to eat outside the hotel in Snowmass without heading out to Aspen?

Another question is does the shuttle to Aspen from Snowmass run regularly till the evening?

mattsteg

You can ski all day from either place, and getting between the different ski areas is not difficult. We did a full day on each mountain when we stayed at the Regis a couple of years ago, using the shuttle to get around.

airplanepeanuts

I was planning a weekend trip to Aspen for skiing with a friend and decided on the Westin Snowmass because it was only 16,000 starpoints per night. They provide a free shuttle from the airport which is included in their daily $30 resort fee. They sent a black SUV similar to an uber.

The property is in a great area with direct ski in ski out access to the slopes. I had no issues with getting the room I booked. In fact I was upgraded to a slope view premium pinnacle room.The hotel was completely sold out online so I did not even bother asking about a suite. I actually hate how its always a fight to get suites anyway so lately i've just stopped trying with starwood properties. Although I was unable to book a room with two beds online they were more than happy to accommodate that request.

Like most western properties it had a clean feel the rooms were nice and spacious. There's a restaurant in the lobby which is very good for a quick snack or meal before hitting the slopes. But I would recommend eating at some other nice spots nearby like Venga Venga. The hotel offers a free ski check leave your skis in there. In the evening we went to Aspen downtown for dinner and they offer a free shuttle till 2 AM. They ended up waving the $30 per day resort charge.

Family friendly but also good for couples i would imagine. No issues with noise from neighbors.

The air in Aspen is dry so they provide humidifiers in each room which was certainly helpful. I suggest plugging it in as soon as you check in and just leave it running all day/night.

The platinum breakfast amenity is $18 dollars towards food. Overall it was a good spot no complaints.

airplanepeanuts

Travelpro - I agree with u. I just stayed at the westin. The rooms look pretty nice - certainly look like they put a lot of work into them since the time you stayed.

I do think its not fair to compare a st regis and a westin. If you want to pay cash I think on some days they are pretty similar but I was trying to use starpoints and 16k a night was better than 30k a night for me ! and I was not disappointed.

diabolik

We (Family of 4) stayed at the Westin from Dec 27 to Jan 2nd and had a blast. Rooms were on par with my past Westin experiences. We went out to eat every night between the restaurants in Snowmass and a few in Aspen. You can stay in Snowmass and be fine with dining.

This was our first ski trip but it definitely seemed Snowmass had the superior slopes. Many more options, especially for our little ones (7 and 5).

We did our trip with starpoints, too, but I think it was only 10k a night after the fifth night free.

Have a great trip!

Boraxo

Very helpful info thanks.

Does the shuttle run in the morning so that you can ski Ajax and then return to Snowmass?

mrfussion

The first bus is around 6 am and runs until after midnight. Having said that, if you are staying at the Westin Snowmass, I don't know there's reason to bus over to Ajax unless you are planning an extended stay. It's about 30 minutes each way on an often crowded/uncomfortable bus (during peak times). Snowmass definitely offers the most terrain and can easily keep you busy for a few days on the mountain.

I enjoy Ajax and just skied it last week while staying at the St Regis. But the allure of Ajax here is being able to walk to the hill. On the topic of the St Regis, I have nothing but positive things to say about this property. In fact, I've already booked a stay for next year.