Cons: No ski-in/ski-out access, full service spa, or expensive resort facilities; just one restaurant; steep nightly rates
Rates: From $1,995
The White Elephant name has been associated with Nantucket for nearly a century, beginning in the 1920s, when Elizabeth T. Ludwig started buying waterfront cottages with plans to create a hotel. In 2020, White Elephant Resorts expanded beyond the island with White Elephant Palm Beach. Now it has headed west: White Elephant Aspen opened in June 2026 as the brand’s first mountain hotel.
Aspen is a natural next stop. Like Nantucket and Palm Beach, it’s a relatively small destination with plenty of repeat visitors and distinct high seasons. White Elephant Aspen sits between downtown and the historic West End, where Victorian homes dating to Aspen’s late-19th-century silver boom line the streets. From the hotel, it’s just a few blocks to restaurants, shops, galleries, and the Aspen Art Museum.
At White Elephant Aspen, contemporary furnishings and an art-filled design give the interiors a residential feel.
Photo by Connie Zhou
The hotel has only 34 rooms and suites, giving it a more intimate, residential feel than Aspen’s larger resorts. LoLa 41, an outpost of White Elephant’s Nantucket restaurant, sits off the lobby, and the hotel wraps around a courtyard that houses a heated outdoor pool and two hot tubs.
Art is particularly prominent: The hotel has 125 original works, including 50 prints by artists from the renowned Anderson Ranch Arts Center in nearby Snowmass. Behind the check-in desk, a wall-spanning photograph of the Maroon Bells changes with the seasons, from a green summer scene to a snow-covered winter landscape.
Who’s White Elephant Aspen for?
The pool offers guests a place to unwind between outings in Aspen, whether they’re exploring downtown or heading into the surrounding mountains.
Photo by Connie Zhou
Travelers who want to be close to the action without staying slope side will get the most out of White Elephant Aspen. It’s also an unusually good fit for families. Aspen isn’t particularly known for family-friendly hotels (they have traditionally gravitated toward nearby Snowmass), but connecting rooms and suites make it easier for larger groups to stay together. Meanwhile, the heated outdoor pool and afternoon s’mores around the firepit give kids something to do back at the hotel.
Complimentary transportation to three of the area’s mountains also takes some of the hassle out of hauling everyone and their ski gear around. Dogs (up to two per room) get plenty of attention, too, with plush beds, ceramic bowls, and a doggie turndown service that includes treats from local Barks Gourmet Dog Deli.
Who it isn’t for
Skiers who want to step directly onto the slopes should look elsewhere: White Elephant is about a 15-minute walk from the gondola, although complimentary transportation makes reaching the mountains relatively easy. With just one restaurant and no full-service spa, it’s also less suited to travelers seeking a sprawling resort with enough activities to spend an entire day on property.
The location: near downtown Aspen
White Elephant Aspen sits on the corner of Main and Garmisch streets, directly across from Paepcke Park and a few blocks from the heart of downtown. It’s about a 10-minute walk to Aspen’s restaurants, boutiques, and galleries, while the Silver Queen Gondola is a little farther on foot. The hotel offers complimentary rides to the slopes.
White Elephant Aspen sits between downtown and the historic West End, where Victorian homes dating to Aspen’s late-19th-century silver boom line the streets.
The rooms
Guest rooms have comfortable furnishings and details designed for settling in.
Photo by Connie Zhou
I stayed in a King Suite, which has a separate bedroom and living room and, like the rest of the hotel, the aesthetic is warm woods, soft textiles, and contemporary art over traditional ski-lodge motifs.
Look in the bathrooms for pieces by British artist Joe Whale, better known as the Doodle Boy for his signature cartoon-like characters, squiggles, faces, and odd little creatures. Hidden somewhere in each sprawling black-and-white scene is an abstract elephant—a detail that’s easy to miss unless you know to look for it.
There are plenty of clever touches for longer stays, plus all the gear that comes with a mountain trip. Storage beneath every bed keeps suitcases out of the way, while skis, snowboards, poles, helmets, and boots can be stored in the dedicated ski lounge downstairs. Minibars can be stocked ahead of time with requested drinks and snacks. And bathrooms come with Byredo toiletries and Dyson hair dryers. At nightly turndown, guests receive a sweet from local bean-to-bar maker Pollinator Chocolate.
Each suite has two full bathrooms and though I was traveling alone, I could immediately see the appeal if I’d been sharing the suite with a friend or my fiancé. The living rooms can also double as bedrooms: Walls of artwork and bookshelves open to reveal queen-size Murphy beds.
The largest accommodation is the 1,550-square-foot Ajax Penthouse, with three bedrooms (four with the hideaway bed), a full kitchen where a LoLa 41 chef can prepare a private meal, and a 900-square-foot wraparound balcony.
The food and drink at LoLa 41 restaurant
The dining spaces at White Elephant Aspen extend the hotel’s intimate, residential atmosphere beyond the guest rooms.
Courtesy of White Elephant Aspen
White Elephant Aspen has one restaurant, LoLa 41, an offshoot of the Nantucket original that takes its name from the 41st parallel, which also passes through Japan, Italy, and Spain. That loose geographic connection translates into a wide-ranging menu: sushi and sashimi alongside Korean beef bulgogi, burgers, and pasta.
At lunch, I went for the excellent poke bowl, piled with salmon and tuna, sticky rice, and kimchi pickles. When I returned for dinner, the Cantonese lettuce cups and spicy tuna crispy rice with truffle butter and serrano chile were standouts.
LoLa 41 also serves breakfast, though I ended up ordering mine to my room: a coconut yogurt parfait with house-made granola, passionfruit honey, and fresh berries that was so good I ordered it again the next morning. For something quicker, the hotel offers a complimentary grab-and-go breakfast, as well as a nightly happy hour with wine, beer, and light bites.
Downstairs, 41 Below is a private, speakeasy-style bar available for events.
Staff and service
The lobby at White Elephant Aspen serves as a central gathering space for guests, with seating areas for relaxing between outings around town.
Photos by Connie Zhou
Service is high-touch but not stuffy. Staff are quick to learn guests’ names and preferences, but interactions remain friendly and casual.
The concierge team can handle everything from securing a hard-to-get dinner reservation and hiring a dog walker, to arranging private tours of Anderson Ranch Arts Center or before-hours ski runs on Aspen Mountain. Guests also have access to complimentary bicycles, ski shuttles, and house BMWs for getting around town.
Accessibility
Three king guest rooms, the Highlands Suite, and the Ajax Penthouse offer ADA-accessible accommodations, and the pool is also accessible. Elevators connect the hotel’s floors, including the basement-level ski lounge, and the central location puts much of downtown Aspen within a few blocks.
For more information on accessibility at the property, contact the hotel at 844-207-8797 or [email protected]. For more information on accessibility in Aspen, see Wheel the World’s guide.
Make a trip of it
Aspen draws visitors year-round for skiing, hiking, arts, and cultural events.
Photo by Connie Zhou
Give yourself at least a few days to explore beyond the hotel. In Aspen, that might mean hiking around the Maroon Bells, visiting the Aspen Art Museum and Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies, or, when the road is open, driving over 12,095-foot Independence Pass.
About 20 minutes away by car, Snowmass is worth a visit for its expansive ski terrain and family-friendly village. In summer, Snowmass becomes a hub for mountain biking, hiking, the long-running Snowmass Rodeo, and outdoor concerts and festivals.
Further down the valley, make a stop in Woody Creek, where Hunter S. Thompson lived for decades. His favored watering hole, Woody Creek Tavern, is still going strong, its walls covered in Polaroids, newspaper clippings, and other memorabilia accumulated since it opened in 1980.
Afar was a guest of the White Elephant Aspen. Our coverage is independent; the hotel did not review or approve this story.
