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A lifetime of searching out skiing’s holy places has made me something of a hotel connoisseur. Assignments have taken me to swank heli lodges in the Canadian Rockies and charming, family-owned bed and breakfasts in the Alps. I spent seasons in Telluride, La Grave, and Chamonix; at the latter, I worked as a maid at a two-star hotel and Sundays were often spent picking cigarette butts out of Scandinavian guests’ showers.

Watch: Why All Serious Skiers Should Visit These Iconic Hotels

All of this is to say that when it comes to ski town accommodations, I have seen it all. And while I love a five-star hotel room, charm counts for a lot in my book, especially in an age of ski industry consolidation and commercialization, which has left little room for independently owned properties with personality. Needless to say, the right hotel elevates any ski trip. From rooms worthy of royalty to budget ski bum abodes, here’s a roundup of the world’s best ski stays, according to a lifelong, dedicated skier. These are places that every serious skier should visit.

The 7 Best Hotels for Dedicated Skiers

Best Overall

The Little Nell, Aspen, Colorado

(Photo: Courtesy of The Little Nell)

Years of skiing around the world has led to one simple conclusion: Aspen is the best and most complete ski offering on the planet. With four mountains and a historic ski town at the base of Ajax that serves up world-class dining, shopping, and cultural attractions, there’s something for everyone. When it comes to skiing, families can cruise groomers and enjoy slope-side access at Snowmass, uphillers can skin Buttermilk and then schuss down its uncrowded slopes, and hardcore types can hit Highlands to hike and ski its bowl, some of the steepest inbounds skiing in North America, then dance the afternoon away in a champagne mist at Cloud Nine. In-town Ajax makes it easy to squeeze in a few laps, then peruse the Aspen Art Museum before rocking out at Belly Up, a legendary live music venue.

     Also Read: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Skiing Aspen Snowmass for the First Time

Presiding over it all is the Little Nell, the grand dame of Aspen’s hospitality scene. Ideally positioned at the bottom of Ajax, the five-star, ski-in ski-out hotel has 92 rooms, a lux spa, three bars and two restaurants, including Michelin-recommended Element 47 and Ajax Tavern, which serves up a lively après scene. Inside, the hotel, bedecked in modern mountain style, delivers the kind of service and product that befits the A-Listers who frequent it: a ski concierge, spa partnerships with luxury brands such as Christian Dior, and rooms with one-of-a-kind art, plush linens, and fireplaces. I still dream about the two nights I spent at the Nell during Covid when some powder skiing, a killer charcuterie platter and a Deep Recovery Massage brought me back to life me after months at home with two small children. From its 20,000-bottle wine cellar to powder tours on its private snowcat, The Little Nell, like Aspen, defines alpine luxury. (Doubles start at $789)

Best for Powder

The Peruvian, Alta, Utah

(Photo: Courtesy of Alta Peruvian)

There are few places in ski lore that evoke the same reverence as Alta, where three-foot storms happen regularly, sometimes forcing authorities to mandate that visitors bunker down in one of the resort’s five hotels due to extreme avalanche danger. There is a name for this phenomenon: Interlodge, and it is a blessed occurrence for skiers. That’s because the lucky marooned skiers get first dibs on Alta’s 2,614 powder-covered acres when the mountain opens, which could take hours or days. When the lifts do start spinning, most beeline it to High Rustler or Eagles Nest, expert steeps that are hard to top stateside.

       Related: A First-Timer’s Guide to Alta

If you are lucky enough to get Interlodged, hopefully you’ll be stuck at the Alta Peruvian, a funky 80-room hotel that opened in 1948 and has been a staple of ski culture ever since. While you won’t find 500-thread count sheets at the P Dawg, as the Peruvian is known by its legion of fans, you will get three meals a day, a hot tub, heated outdoor pool, and a rocking bar that goes down as one of the best places to après anywhere. It’s a no-frills kind of place and there are no TVs in the guest rooms—which are basic, some have a shared bathroom—and guests tend to hang out playing games by the fire in the main floor living room or ping pong in the basement. Guests come for the skiing and the comeraderie, and no matter who you are—an 80-year-old grandma who has been coming to Peruvian for decades—or hardcore skier bro, everyone is keeping tabs on the forecast, praying for an Interlodge. (Rates start at $359 for a double with shared bathroom and three meals a day)

Best for Foodies

Aman Rosa Alpina, San Cassiano, Italy

(Photo: Courtesy of Aman Resorts)

Even before the luxury hotel chain Aman partnered with the Rosa Alpina, the family-owned property was world class. Situated in San Cassiano, a tiny alpine hamlet rimmed by the Dolomites, the five-star hotel exuded Italian hospitality, the kind that gives meaning to la dolce vita. Days were spent exploring the Dolomites’ epic couloirs, skiing the Sella Ronda, and feasting on fresh seafood and self-serve grappa at a mountain-top rifugio, then catching a horse-drawn ski lift back to town. Back at the hotel, originally opened in 1939, guests enjoyed Aperol spritzes in the piano bar, Michelin-starred meals in the hotel restaurant, and the graciousness of Hugo Pizzinni, third-generation co-owner and general manager who made everyone feel like family.

Then in 2020, Rosa Alpina signed a long-term partnership with Aman, and the hotel’s devotees—European aristocrats, Silicon Valley titans—wondered how Aman’s minimalist aesthetic might meld with Rosa Alpina’s Italian exuberance. Now five years later, the world is about to find out when the Rosa Alpina reopens this summer after a multi-year renovation.

While details of the reno are few, whispers of an incredible makeover that preserved the Alpina’s essence while bringing to the property some of the Aman’s hallmarks—namely exceptional design and wellness offerings—have rippled throughout the industry. The hotel’s 52 guest rooms have been reconfigured to 50, the footprint of the spa has doubled, and the revamped hotel will now offer a family activity center. But best of all, Pizzinni has stayed on as general manager, and guests can still expect his legendary hospitality, all while enjoying the dolce vita experience that is skiing in the Dolomites. (Pricing TBD)

Best for Steep Skiing

The Skier’s Lodge, La Grave, France

(Photo: Courtesy of Skier’s Lodge La Grave)

In the late 80s, a Scandinavian ski bum in Chamonix was looking for the next great freeride mecca. His name was Pelle Lang and he’d heard about a small farming village outside of Grenoble that had a Telepherique that rose thousands of feet from the 12th century village to deliver people—primarily hikers at the time—to a playground of steep mountain faces and rolling glaciers. When Lang finally visited La Grave, he immediately recognized its freeride potential: 7,500-foot runs that dropped down to the Romanche River below, 3,000-foot-long couloirs wide enough to arc turns in, and lovely tree skiing through the larch forests that blanket the lower flanks of the mountain. It was and is a skier’s paradise.

In 1987, Lang opened the Skier’s Lodge, an all-inclusive, 33-bed hotel that offers room, board, and guided skiing packages. Today, the Skier’s Lodge is one of the world’s great ski bum haunts. Lang likes to say that it’s all the stoke, comradery and incredible skiing of a heli lodge, but without the bird and at a fraction of the price—and he’s right. Breakfast and a three-course, communal dinner are served in the main floor dining room, while the basement-level K2 Pub features après ski specials, open mic nights and live music. La Grave has no ski patrol, boundary ropes, grooming, or avy control, so it’s best to ski with a guide and nobody knows the mountain better than Lang, whose team will show you the best ski day of your life.  (Classic Ski Week packages offer room, half board, and guided skiing with a 4-to-1 skier/guide ratio starting at $1,800 per person.)

Best in the Southern Hemisphere

Hotel Portillo, Portillo, Chile

(Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Portillo)

Sitting on the edge of Lake Inca surrounded by soaring peaks, the Hotel Portillo looks like a ship sailing through the Andes, delivering a cruise-like stay for skiers who come from all around the world to enjoy all-inclusive stays, ski-in, ski-out access, and a summer camp experience. Varnished in a fuss-free elegance that harkens to a different time (think daily high tea and a dress code for dinner), the 123-room hotel serves up various lodging options, four meals a day, and entertainment, as well as a world-class ski school, outdoor pool, hot tub, and gym. No wonder it’s a favorite hotel of the national ski teams who visit each summer for off-season training.

Most of the folks skiing Portillo are hotels guests, and everyone ticks along to the same beat—spending days skiing the resort’s 1,200 acres, eating all meals at the hotel (or lunching at Tio Bob’s, a legendary on-mountain spot), and après skiing at the lively hotel bar, then dancing the night away in the basement discotheque. There are organized ski races and impromptu hikes to the Super C, an iconic, 5,000-vertical-foot off-piste run that requires a two-hour boot pack. A Sunday party welcomes new guests, and the longtime dining room maître d takes pride in pairing like-minded patrons at dinner. All of this makes for a unique experience, and by the time guests depart, strangers leave as friends. (Ski Week packages include room, four meals a day, and lift tickets, and start at $3,050 per person)

Best for Après-Ski

The Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Beaver Creek, Colo. 

(Photo: Courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch)

After I had my first child eight years ago, I turned grumpy, tired, and allergic to noise. That made après ski, once one of my favorite pastimes, a no go. Then one Saturday this past winter, I skied by the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch around 3 p.m. The place was going off: DJ in full throttle, people of all ages dancing. Colorful wigs, one pieces, and Pit Vipers. An old, familiar feeling fluttered in my chest: Fun.

About five years ago, the five-star Ritz doubled down on its après ski offering, introducing entertainment every day of the week on its Mountainside Terrace, which sits at the base of Bachelor Gulch. Today, the Ritz is the place in the Vail Valley to après and features a DJ from every afternoon on Fridays and Saturdays, and an acoustic guitarist strumming rock classics Sunday through Thursday. A mix of locals and guests come for the Aperol spritz towers, al pastor tacos, and s’mores, while inside, the three-story Great Room offers a mellower scene: a roaring fire, cozy couches, and lower din.

But it’s not just après ski that makes the Ritz stand out. Its on-property restaurant, WYLD, is Michelin-recommended while Sakaba delivers the best sushi in the valley. The hotel’s 180 rooms are luxurious, comfy, and outfitted in refined rustic style, making the ideal launch pad for a day exploring Beaver Creek’s 2,082-acres of slopes. While Beaver Creek has a rep for being a family mountain (and it is excellent for kids), there’s a reason the only North American stop on the men’s World Cup speed circuit is here: sustained fall-line steeps, powder stashes. After a day lapping Grouse Mountain, hit one of three outdoor hot tubs at the Ritz, but don’t forget to save some energy for après. (Doubles start at $629)

Best for Lift-Accessed Alps Adventure

Ski Lodge Engelberg, Engelberg Switzerland

(Photo: Courtesy of Ski Lodge Engelberg)

Skiing the Alps is a rite of passage for most serious skiers, and while most Americans head to big ticket names like Chamonix and Verbier, in-the-know skiers head to more under-the-radar places like Engelberg, one of Europe’s great freeride meccas. Sitting at the foot of Mt. Titlis, about an hour south of Zurich, Engelberg’s 50 miles of groomed slopes see about 328 inches of snow a year. But here, the skiing is all about the off-piste, where lines are perfectly pitched, easy to access, and long, as in 6,500 feet long. Freeriders from around the world come to Engelberg to ski The Big Five—the Laub, Salz, Steinberg, Galtiberg, Wendelucke—a collection of iconic off-piste runs, which is best done under the auspices of a guide from Engelberg Mountain Guides, one of the most reputable outfits in town.

Off the mountain, life revolves around the Ski Lodge Engelberg, a restaurant, hotel, and bustling bar, where your server has likely podiumed on the Freeride World Tour. Two ski bums own the refurbished 18th century property and have created a hotel by skiers for skiers. That translates into a lively après scene, delicious food designed to fuel weary bodies, and 39 comfortable, thoughtfully designed rooms that feature tons of hooks for hanging gear. Located steps from the train station and ski lifts, the cozy hotel also serves up a hot tub, sauna, and a friendly staff happy to share insider beta about the mountain. Book a Skier’s Package, which starts at $150 per person, per night and includes lodging, hearty breakfast buffet, and three-course dinner.