# Where to stay in Aspen

> Downtown, the West End, Red Mountain, Starwood and Owl Creek, Snowmass Village, or near Highlands and Buttermilk: what each area is like.

Canonical page: https://aspenprive.com/where-to-stay-in-aspen/  
Updated: 2026-09-30 · Publisher: Aspen Privé (local Aspen stay planning and concierge)

The real choice is between **downtown Aspen**, where Aspen Mountain rises straight out of town and almost everything is walkable, the **quieter residential areas** around and above it, and **Snowmass Village**, a separate town built around the largest of the four mountains. Aspen and Snowmass are linked by a **free bus**, and so are all four mountains in winter.

Hotel, condo, rental or private home: the area matters more than the type. Transit facts are from RFTA and mountain facts from Aspen Snowmass.

## Aspen's neighborhoods, and Snowmass

- **Downtown**: Aspen Mountain rises straight out of downtown, with the gondola from town. Restaurants, shops and the town parks where Food & Wine and Palm Tree happen are on foot.
- **West End**: Quieter residential streets between downtown and the Michael Klein Music Tent, still close to the center.
- **Red Mountain, Starwood, Owl Creek**: Larger homes above and around town, with views and privacy, off the bus lines.
- **Snowmass Village**: Its own town at the base of Snowmass, the largest mountain (3,342 acres) with terrain for every level; free RFTA buses to Aspen.
- **Near Highlands or Buttermilk**: Highlands is two-thirds expert terrain with Highland Bowl; Buttermilk is the gentlest mountain and the X Games venue. Aspen Highlands Direct and the skier shuttles are free.

## Hotel or rental: what actually differs

- **Taxes**: In 2026 the combined tax on a stay is 12.35% at a traditional lodge, 17.35% at an owner-occupied or lodge-exempt rental, and 22.35% at a 'classic' investment or second-home rental. On a week in a large house, that gap is real money.
- **Permits**: Rentals of under 30 days in the City of Aspen need a city short-term rental permit and business license; a legitimate listing will have one.
- **Service**: A hotel gives you a front desk and a restaurant downstairs; a house gives you space, a kitchen and privacy, and needs someone to prepare it and look after it during the stay.

## Recent hotel openings

- **White Elephant Aspen**: Opened June 2026 on Main Street in the West End: 54 rooms and multi-bedroom suites, a ski boot lounge, an outdoor pool and LoLa41° downstairs; rates were announced from $1,995 a night.
- **MOLLIE Aspen**: 68 rooms on Paepcke Park, a few minutes' walk from downtown, with Ludo Lefebvre's Petit Trois (opened December 2025) and a rooftop agave bar.

## Wherever you stay, we get it ready (what Aspen Privé arranges)

Tell us the address and we prepare the arrival: groceries in the fridge, skis fitted, the first dinner arranged, and a car at the airport. If you're still deciding, we'll tell you honestly which part of town suits how your group wants to spend the days. [Ask us](https://aspenprive.com/contact.html?service=where-to-stay).

## What decides it

- **Who is skiing**: Beginners and young children do best at Buttermilk or Snowmass; Aspen Mountain and Highlands have no beginner terrain and take ski school only from age 5.
- **Dinners and evenings**: Downtown is walkable; everywhere else, evenings mean a car or bus. On New Year's Eve and event nights, a driver held for the evening is the reliable way home.
- **The season**: Summer centers on town, the Music Festival and the Maroon Bells; winter on which mountain you ski. In 2027 the airport is closed from April 4 to November 19. [Airport closure](https://aspenprive.com/aspen-airport-closure-2027/)
- **Getting in**: From the Aspen airport it is a few minutes to town; from Eagle or Denver, plan a private transfer. [Airport transportation](https://aspenprive.com/aspen-airport-transportation/)

## Questions

**Is it better to stay in Aspen or Snowmass?**  
Aspen for walkable dinners and Aspen Mountain from town; Snowmass for families and mixed abilities on the largest mountain. A free bus links them.

**What is the best area to stay in Aspen without a car?**  
Downtown: Aspen Mountain, restaurants and the free buses to the other mountains are all within walking distance.

**Where should beginners stay in Aspen?**  
Snowmass, or within easy reach of Buttermilk. Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands have no beginner terrain.

**Do Red Mountain and Starwood need a car?**  
Yes. They are off the bus lines, so plan on a car or driver for every trip.

**Is it cheaper to stay in a hotel or a rental in Aspen?**  
It depends on the rate, but taxes differ: in 2026 lodges carry 12.35% combined tax and classic short-term rentals 22.35%.

## What Aspen Privé can arrange for this

The car from the airport, the place ready when you arrive, and a driver for the evenings.

- [Private airport transfer](https://aspenprive.com/aspen-airport-transportation/) (From $195 per vehicle): From Aspen's airport to the door in a private SUV, timed to your actual landing.
- [Residence ready on arrival](https://aspenprive.com/first-evening-in-aspen/): Heat, lights, beds and the first evening sorted before you walk in.
- [A driver for the evening](https://aspenprive.com/contact.html?service=evening-driver) (From $210 per hour): A car and driver on call for dinner and the night out, so nobody hunts for a taxi at midnight.
- [Ski rental delivered](https://aspenprive.com/ski-rental-delivery-aspen/): Fitted at the residence, not in a shop queue.

## Sources (checked September 28, 2026)

- [RFTA: routes](https://www.rfta.com/routes/)
- [Aspen Snowmass: 2026–27 season](https://www.aspensnowmass.com/visit/tickets-and-passes/2026-2027-season-passes)
- [City of Aspen: lodging and short-term rental taxes](https://aspen.gov/1427/Lodging-and-Short-Term-Rental-Taxes)
- [City of Aspen: short-term rentals](https://aspen.gov/1407/Short-term-Rentals)
- [AFAR: White Elephant Aspen opens](https://www.afar.com/hotels/white-elephant-aspen-opens-in-colorado)
- [MOLLIE Aspen](https://mollieaspen.com/press/)

## Related

- [Ski-in, ski-out](https://aspenprive.com/aspen-ski-in-ski-out/): Mountain by mountain.
- [Best luxury hotels in Aspen](https://aspenprive.com/best-luxury-hotels-aspen/): Credentials, compared.
- [Renting a house?](https://aspenprive.com/aspen-vacation-rental-concierge/): What the host does not do.
- [Snowmass](https://aspenprive.com/snowmass-aspen/): The mountain, the village and the coaster.
- [Aspen vs Snowmass](https://aspenprive.com/aspen-vs-snowmass/): Which to wake up in.

To plan or request any of this: https://aspenprive.com/plan-your-trip/ · https://aspenprive.com/contact.html