The Little Nell Hotel, emblematic of all Aspen, Colorado, has to offer, is heading to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Aspen Skiing Co., which owns the luxury boutique hotel at the base of Aspen Mountain, plans to license the Little Nell name to a new ski-in/ski-out hotel-condominium project at the base of the Jackson Hole ski area. The Teton Village project of 45 luxury condos that can be arranged into 120 hotel rooms is expected to break ground next summer and open in 2010 once details of the letter of intent are finalized.
Aspen’s iconic Little Nell is named after an 1880s mining claim on lower Aspen Mountain, which itself was named after Little Nell Trent, a character in Charles Dickens’ “The Old Curiosity Shop.�? It’s also the name of the ski trail that ends at the hotel’s back door.
The original Little Nell hotel opened in Aspen in 1989 and immediately became the epitome of luxury in a town swimming in luxury. A stay in the 92-room hotel is unlike any other I’ve experienced in terms of graciousness, service and sensibility. Those of us with more moderate means get the same attentive treatment as the Wall Street executives, European royalty and Hollywood stars often walking through the Nell’s doors.
Some of the sweetest words I ever heard came from the Little Nell front desk agent when we arrived: “We’ve upgraded you to a mountain-view suite at no extra charge.�? That isn’t likely to happen during ski season or any of the popular summer festivals, but it’s an off-season treat when other rooms are available.
Licensing the name is part of the ski company’s efforts to build the brand and reap the financial benefits of allowing the Little Nell to be affiliated with other properties. The company has already agreed to allow, and agreed to manage, The Residences at Little Nell, a project in Aspen, and The Little Nell Snowmass, being developed at that nearby ski resort. Aspen Ski Co. will not manage the Jackson Hole property. Terra Resort Group will operate the Jackson Hole Little Nell along with its two existing luxury properties: Teton Mountain Lodge and the under-construction Hotel Terra.
For more information about the Little Nell in Aspen, go to www.thelittlenell.com. For details about Terra Resort Group’s properties in Jackson Hole, visit hotelterrajacksonhole.com/.
