Celebrating 35 Years of The Little Nell: A Legacy in Aspen

Text by Brian McManus
Images courtesy of Aspen Historical Society

During Thanksgiving of 1989, The Little Nell opened its doors in Aspen, Colorado, forever changing the landscape—both literally and figuratively—of this iconic mountain town. Over the past 35 years, it has grown from a high-end hotel into a cultural institution, embodying Aspen’s unique blend of luxury, adventure and hospitality.

“When I arrived, the hotel was midway through planning stages for a glorified Holiday Inn,” says Eric Calderon, vice president and general manager of the hotel upon its opening. “When the Crown family became involved, we decided to operate independently and significantly raise the bar.”

“Having studied hospitality and worked in Europe, and in my youth obsessing over PBS’s Upstairs/Downstairs series, my vision for the hotel was to offer European style service with more casual American style friendliness,” says Calderon. “Fortunately, in the late ‘80s there was an abundance of unemployed college graduates/temporary ski bums that would do anything for a ski pass, and we ended up with the most caring and friendly staff imaginable.” 

That staff, with Calderon’s leadership and the Crown’s support, helped earn The Nell its Mobil Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond awards in lightning speed, instrumental in shaping its image. 

“Achieving those ratings within two years was a high for a day or two,” Calderon says today, modestly, looking back. 

“[Calderon] had the vision, and we all had the heart,” says Coni Thornburg, a food and beverage director in the early days of The Nell who has gone on to become managing director of Ojai Valley Inn, a sister resort of The Nell. 

Those early years fostered a culture of excellence and teamwork that fueled The Little Nell’s rise as a world-renowned establishment, one it still enjoys today. 

“I’ve thought a lot over the years about the overlap or the similarity between high-level hospitality and high-level sporting competition,” says Dylan Bowman, a front desk manager at The Nell from 2009 to 2013, and now a champion ultrarunner and popular podcaster. “Both are high performance environments with high expectations. You’re expected to live up to a standard that has been in existence for decades. At The Nell, and as a pro athlete, you feel that obligation to the team. Working there you feel the same way you would if you played for the New York Yankees or something.”

That sentiment is perhaps most evident in The Nell’s storied food and wine programs, which are recognized the world over as the gold standard. 

Overseeing the hotel’s culinary operations, including its dining rooms and mountaintop restaurants, presented surprising challenges and opportunities. “The food and beverage team would jump in the snowcat at 4am to get food to the top of the mountain and start cooking for evening events,” says Thornburg. 

“Every day at The Nell brought a new surprise and a new challenge,” says Ryan Hardy, the renowned chef and sustainable food pioneer who led The Nell’s kitchen to many awards in the early 2000s. “We cooked middle of the night meals for royalty and pulled off last minute wine dinners for the greatest collectors in the country.

“We cooked frog legs with oysters at the Aspen Mountain Club, then guzzled champagne and skied alongside Chef Daniel Boulud in his yellow one-piece ski suit,” he continues, trying to explain the uniqueness of it all. “We pulled off a five-course dinner in a single gondola car for a couple who was about to get engaged. We convinced our diners that chicken liver was a must on every table and pasta was something to share.”

When Hardy started working at The Nell in 2005, his reputation preceded him. Now, as head of Delicious Hospitality Group, his many restaurants have garnered much media praise and accolades. He’s not shy about crediting The Nell. “I can’t possibly reflect on my career without recognizing the importance The Little Nell played in shaping me as a young chef,” he says. “There were so many amazing moments that stand out to me where our team took huge risks and pulled off amazing memories for our guests.” 

Thornburg knows the feeling. Unlike the unemployed college kids Calderon jokes made up early staff, she left a prestigious post at the Four Seasons in Seattle to join the burgeoning team at The Nell just after it opened, and fell in instant love with Aspen and her new role. “The next decade my life was full of passion and experiences that are, without question, some of the best memories of my life,” she says. 

Dena Marino, a chef at Ajax Tavern in the late 90s and now the private personal chef of basketball superstar LeBron James, says her time in Aspen still reveals itself in the way she cooks today. Her tenure at Ajax stressed to her the importance of seasonality and only using the freshest ingredients. It’s what guests came to expect, and has become the linchpin of her storied career. 

Beyond the food, one of The Little Nell’s most remarkable achievements has been the development of its wine program, which has produced more than its fair share of Master Sommeliers—currently numbering 13—including Dustin Wilson, Sabato Sagaria, Carlton McCoy, Bobby Stuckey, and many more.

It was Stuckey who, in the mid-90s, became instrumental in elevating the hotel’s offerings. His expertise helped establish The Little Nell’s wine program as one of the best on the planet, producing 13 Master Sommeliers, more than any other establishment in North America. “Bobby Stuckey is certainly one of the best hires of my career,” says Thornburg. 

“He wanted to invest in a large cellar,” says Calderon of Stuckey.  “He promised me he would turn the inventory four times a year. And he did.”

Today, The Little Nell’s wine program is recognized globally as a Must Experience for oenophiles, with that iconic cellar offering over 24,000 bottles, including exceedingly rare and vintage selections.

“We had carte blanche to order whatever was needed to be successful,” says Hardy. “My first winter we topped bowls of buttered noodles with over 10kg of white truffles during the two weeks of the holidays. Even by The Little Nell standards, that was next level.”

That foundational ethos and the reputation that followed, naturally saw the hotel draw in high-profile guests and host events that only the most exclusive of destinations could accommodate. 

This array of guests—from politicians to Hollywood icons and billionaires to ski enthusiasts—meant The Little Nell, from the beginning, became known as a place people could come together to enjoy the beauty and exclusivity of Aspen.

“Back then, you’d never know who you’d see in the dining room,” says Marino, “It could be Michael Jordan or Mariah Carey or Usher. Antonio Banderas, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell were all staples.” 

One especially cold winter night, Calderon recalls, the pipes above box office star Sylvester Stallone’s suite froze, and water was gushing everywhere. At 2am the entire lobby was full of guests in their PJs and furs. “Except for Sylvester,” says Calderon. “He paraded around in his underwear with his kid videoing him.”

In addition to being a symbol of luxury, The Little Nell has deeply influenced Aspen’s culture and community. Its premier location at the base of Aspen Mountain and proximity to the gondola have cemented it as the town’s heartbeat, where guests can transition seamlessly from skiing to fine dining, shopping, or simply unwinding in elegant comfort. By redefining luxury in Aspen, The Little Nell encouraged other high-end hotels and restaurants to open, gradually shifting the town from a casual ski village to a high-profile destination.

Aspen’s transformation had a literal impact on its landscape as well. The Little Nell’s construction marked a significant development at the foot of Aspen Mountain, which was once a modest ski slope with limited infrastructure. As the town attracted more affluent visitors, more luxury properties began to emerge, contributing to Aspen’s modern identity. The hotel not only reshaped the town’s physical landscape but also set the tone for an elevated Aspen experience.

“We became the most famous hotel in ski world not just due to our location but also because we knew and appreciated our repeat guests,” says Calderon. “We knew their names, their kids’ names, their pets’ names and everyone received a personalized welcome and thank you. At one point almost 70% of our occupancy was repeat guests. The waiting list was long and recognizable, but the regulars always received priority.”