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St Regis Aspen
One of the world’s most exclusive ski towns? Check. 5 star resort at the foot of snow capped mountains? Check. Champagne upon arrival? Check. Attentive service, beautiful rooms, and great perks from a VIP booking with Marriott STARS? Check. My wife and I spent two wonderful nights at The St Regis Aspen and can’t wait to return.
Our morning view from our upgraded Grand Deluxe with Balcony Mountain View Room
Trip Details
- When: October 202
- Where: Aspen
- Room: Booked Superior
- Upgraded to Grand Deluxe with Balcony
- Marriott Stars – details listed below
- Parking: $60 a night
- Marriott Status: Platinum
- free breakfast ( $60 credit )
- Rate: Cash rates started in the mid $500s, points were 100k+
- Pet Friendly for a fee
Booking
We used my buddy Spencer Howard from StraighttothePoints.co to serve as our Marriott Stars Advisor. We booked same day with him and it was super easy and quick – Spencer is a great guy and will take excellent care of you should you book through him. Not cheap, but it was roughly 100k Marriott points per night, and compared to peak season rates of well over $1000 a night, we splurged and paid cash. If you’re unfamiliar with using VIP programs, check out this article we have.
Star Benefits
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- ( Available at : Bvlgari, Edition, Luxury Collection, Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, St. Regis )
- Complimentary breakfast for 2 ( continental or full depending on hotel )
- Space available room upgrades on arrival
- $100 hotel credit or something similar
- Welcome amenity
- Early check-in if available/ Priority for late check-out
- Strict no-walk policy
- VIP status with hotel management
First Impression/Check In
We were promptly greeted by the Valet and the front desk agent was one of the most friendly and gracious I’ve ever encountered. Champagne ( Piper Heidsick ) was offered…we accepted, and our benefits as STARS/Platinum members were explained. We not only received a $100 credit as a perk of STARS, but he threw in $150 food and beverage credit on top of it. Holy smokes.
St Regis Aspen Pool/Jacuzzis
If you exit the rear of the hotel and head up the stairs you’ll find a large pool and two hot jacuzzis. My wife and I didn’t indulge in either, but they are both kept piping hot and we saw several people saunter our for a quick dip.
The Room
Whenever I pay with cash and have elite benefits, or am booking through a VIP program I choose at least one category above the entry level room. In this case it was a Superior room which was $50 a night more expensive. My thought behind this is that it leaves the entry level rooms available for revenue, but also, since I’m a higher revenue producing guest it may increase my odds of a better upgrade. In this case, we received a multiple category upgrade to one of 7 rooms that features an enormous walk out terrace overlooking the mountain.
The Bathroom
French doors separate the marble clad bathroom from the bedroom. The shower pressure was incredible and it came replete with fine Remede bath products, slippers, robes, the works.
And then a closer look:
Dining
The night we arrived we grabbed a quick bite at Mountain Social which is the bar/restaurant. Each morning we enjoyed breakfast at Velvet Buck, and once during our stay we had Afternoon Tea.
Velvet Buck
I would highly encourage you to try the crab toast – delicious, fresh, and unlike anything I’ve really had elsewhere. The orange juice is fresh squeezed my wife tried a couple of different things and we both loved the chicken sausage. The service during breakfast on both occasions was absolutely excellent. Our breakfast each morning was over $100 and removed from the bill as a perk of both STARS and Platinum status
In the mornings, en route to Velvet Buck you’ll find coffee/tea.
Mountain Social
My sandwich was very good, an exactly what I wanted after a long work/driving day. The tableside S’mores were a fun treat and something I’d never done inside a hotel before, and the service was prompt and courteous.
Afternoon Tea
I’m a big afternoon tea fan and have enjoyed them at numerous hotels around the world. At $85 a person we really thought we’d be impressed, and sadly it fell beneath St Regis standards. While the desserts were very good, the scones were small, hard, dry, and served without any butter or clotted cream. Odd to say the least given the standard of the hotel. We weren’t asked of any dietary restrictions and the savory items were filled with food we don’t eat. After bringing this to our waiters attention we were offered just 2 additional items and no replenishments. Typically with high end afternoon teas you’ll receive a second or third round of savory items. Another odd thing was that we were never offered more hot water for our tea.
Our favorite front desk agent asked us how it went and we gave an honest assessment saying it wasn’t quite up to standard. He waived the fee for the entire tea even with us saying that wasn’t necessary. I very generous gesture that alone would have be revisit the hotel over competitors – anything less than “wow” and they aren’t happy.
Sabering
My single favorite experience included with staying at a St Regis…champagne sabering. It was a tradition started long ago on the battlefields when Napolean would saber champagne at the end of a battle day.
“Champagne: in victory, one deserves it; in defeat, one needs it.”
-NAPOLEON
Every afternoon at 5:15pm guests can enjoy a champagne sabering in the courtyard. I’ve had saberings at a few different St Regis hotels and having the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop is pretty unbeatable.
Fitness Facility/Spa
The fitness facility is well equipped with Peloton bikes an, for the first time I’ve ever encountered, a pilates reformer.
Water fountains
The hotel has several of these filtered water stations and you can find extra water bottles in the gym
Overall
I would return to the St Regis Aspen in a heartbeat. I truly loved the experience and visiting in shoulder season was perfect. Sure, a few of the restaurants had restricted hours and the village was a bit quiet, but I loved it. If I were to return, I’d love to see what Aspen is like during the summer when we could enjoy some hiking, rafting, etc
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
$300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- $300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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