Hotel Jerome

TL;DR

• Location: In the heart of Downtown Aspen with mountain-adventure appeal.
• History: Iconic 1889 building with legacy of luxury and early elevator.
• Atmosphere: Part of Auberge Resorts with exclusive, elegant ambiance.
• Experience: Legacy, leather, and panache for quintessential Aspen stays.
• Check prices here

A boutique landmark hotel in Downtown Aspen, Hotel Jerome is here to tempt you with its pre-mountain adventure glitz.

It’s a large brick building right on Main Street, built in 1889 as accommodation for wealthy visitors.

With the very first elevator in town, a stay at Hotel Jerome, was right from the start, designed to be special.

Sadly, the other hotels now have elevators, but we’d say Jerome has proved more than capable of keeping up with the top drawer of Aspen Hotels.

It may no longer be the center of technological innovation, but the atmosphere of exclusive excellence has gone nowhere, now part of the Auberge Resort Collection.

Many people’s ideas of the quintessential Aspen vacation have Hotel Jerome at the center.

If you like a little legacy, a little leather, and a little panache, this is the place.

What are the rooms like?

• Number of rooms: 99 with Deluxe Rooms, Junior Suites, Luxury Suites, and Residential Suites.
• Design: Masculine glamour with leather, texture, and balanced neutrals.
• Amenities: Floor-to-ceiling windows, TVs, minibars, Hermes bath amenities, and spacious layouts.
• Suites: Some include poolside access, sleeper sofas, five-piece bathrooms, and outdoor areas.
• Views: Many rooms and suites offer beautiful mountain vistas.
• See each room in detail here

Rooms are divided into Deluxe Rooms, Junior Suites, Luxury Suites, and Residential Suites. Most of the hotel is rooms, making suites a bit difficult to nail down.

However, if you like a lot of space, impeccable decor, and can get your hands on one, we’d say go for it.

Enjoy the 007 on a ski vacation feeling. We hope there’s no mountainside car chase.

That said, we can’t find much wrong with the guest rooms, coming in at over 500 square feet and with the same sort of masculine glamour.

We’re talking leather, plenty of texture, and an excellent balance of dark and light neutrals.

The most basic rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows with gorgeous cashmere curtains, alongside TVs and mini bars to make it easy to relax on the plush bedding. Bathrooms have gorgeous vanities with Hermes bath amenities.

Many suites have extra features like poolside access, sleeper sofas, five-piece bathrooms and outdoor areas.

Both Rooms and Suites have options with truly lovely views of the surrounding mountains.

What are prices like?

• Check prices here

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

• Restaurants: Prospect for fine dining, J-Bar, Living Room, Bad Harriet, Garden, and Felix Roasting Co.
• Food & Drinks: Local produce, seasonal menus, cocktails, coffee, and casual snacks.
• Spa & Facilities: Yarrow Spa treatments, steam shower, outdoor heated pool, and fitness room exclusive to guests.

It’s Aspen, and Auberge, so yes, there’s excellence in all food and facilities. And plenty of them.

The onsite bar, unsurprisingly, is a famed Aspen institution, a place that has been a favorite of high-profile guests throughout the years. J-Bar is full of antique treasures, with a famed burger and a superb take on a Brown Derby.

Food, however, is centered around Prospect, a fine dining experience devoted to Colorado in all its forms.

Find local produce, wines, meats and more. The Living Room off the lobby is a snuggly cocktail lounge we’d recommend for pre-dinner drinks.

Bad Harriet is another cocktail spot, this one more contemporary and with a seasonal Japanese menu.

The Garden is a courtyard spot for year-round casual food, drinks, and fun.

Finally, Felix Roasting Co. has come out of New York to Aspen, for all the meticulously crafted drinks and snacks you might want.

After running the gamut of luxury snacking, a trip to the spa will round out the indulgence nicely.

Yarrow includes a ‘welcome experience’ for anyone half an hour early, a schedule management win-win we can’t help but adore as a genius dose of positive reinforcement.

You’ll also get to try local herbal teas before and after your appointment.

Treatments include massage, facials and full-body treatments. Facilities include a steam shower, the outdoor heated pool and fitness room exclusive to guests.

How is the neighborhood? Anything interesting nearby?

• Location: Central Aspen with walkable access to attractions, shops, and restaurants.
• Culture: Art Museum, Wheeler Opera House, and cultural events nearby.
• Nature: Skiing at Aspen and Snowmass, John Denver Sanctuary, and nearby trailheads.

If you like cute mountain towns full of upscale charm, the location is perfect. Hotel Jerome is in the center of town, walking distance to most attractions.

Of course, many tourists want to head straight up the ski slopes, but Aspen is gorgeous year-round and there’s plenty to do at any time.

In town, you can wander around Main Street, shop a bit, make a reservation at one of the many restaurants.

Or, head to the Art Museum, get tickets to the Wheeler Opera House, there’s plenty of cultural activity as well.

For nature-lovers, we’ve obviously got skiing around Aspen and Snowmass. From the hotel, you’re also an easy walk to the John Denver Sanctuary.

Most local trailheads are an easy walk as well, at least until you hit the inclines.

And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

“Amazing staff on par with some of the best hotels in the world. Rooms are as expected in a top tier property….”

“We loved out stay in Jerome hotel. This is a beautiful iconic hotel and the staff were attentive and friendly. The atmosphere of the lobby and living room is warm and cozy. The only issue was that our room was facing the main street and we could hear cars and noise at night but overall we had a lovely time in the hotel….”

Some things guests didn’t like:

”Beautiful Hotel and location, before leaving the Hotel for shopping and Dinner I set the Thermostat to 65, after a great day of traveling shopping and Dining we returned to the Hotel and the room was very hot I called the front desk and was told they could only have one either heat or AC and it was currently set to heat and recommended I open the windows to cool the room which I find totally unacceptable for a $200+ a night room. I did not get to sleep until after 2:30 AM. I assure you we will never stay at Jerome again or recommend it to anyone!!! Looks great but fails to deliver the quality….”

”We made our reservation for the Hotel and its Prospect restaurant more than two months prior to our stay. One week before we were to arrive, we received a phone call from the restaurant stating they had just changed their menu from a la cart to a fixed menu priced at $175 per person. No other option available. No apology. When we declined we were referred to the concierge desk and were booked in another local restaurant which was abysmal. This “bait and switch” tactic was very disappointing….”

Read all the reviews right here