Historic Hotel Jerome Getting Ready to Unveil Remodel

Aspen’s crown jewel, the Hotel Jerome, is set to open this Friday after a four-month remodel and historic restoration. The town’s iconic hotel, built in 1889, was once the hub of all activity, and the Todd-Avery Lenahan-designed remodel is aimed at bringing that bustle back to Main Street.

Auberge Resorts took over management of the property in 2011, and immediately began planning to return the hotel to its 1880s renown stature. Along with Lenahan, Aspen-based architects Rowland+Broughton were named to lead to project.

“The hotel has great bones. We are respecting the historic structure and essence while updating it for the modern traveler,” says Sarah Broughton, of Rowland + Broughton, in a prepared statement. She is heading up the restoration team and has been on Aspen’s Historic Preservation Committee for years.

The redesign honors its historic richness with modern touches that usher the 90-room property into the 21st century. Exquisite lighting, hand-stitched leather chairs, dark woods and native prints celebrate Aspen’s Wild West days, while sleek finishings give it a clean and polished feel.

Diners can expect a totally different experience in Prospect, the hotel’s new fine-dining restaurant headed up by Executive Chef Rob Zack. The J-Bar will continue to be a place at which locals and movie stars can pony up to the bar, and the Living Room is meant to be a welcoming, cozy retreat.

The Hotel Jerome officially opens on Dec. 14. Stay tuned for complete reviews and photos in the coming days.