Our Story | About Limelight | Limelight Hotels

Adventure starts here. Whether you’re seeking out skiing or stargazing, live music or the newest community art exhibit, mountain biking or trail hiking, Limelight is your springboard to the next challenge, the next discovery, the next chapter. We’re in tune with our environment and tapped into the local culture, we’re thrillseekers and foodies, explorers and connoisseurs. As experience curators, we provide authentically local, effortless access to everything the destination has to offer, from first tracks to last call. Designed to inspire connection, each Limelight hotel is a community hub where guests and locals come to gather. We’re here for good company, good times, and the great outdoors–come as you are, and we’ll take care of the rest. We can’t wait for you to join us.

History

From day one, we’ve been connected to the local community in the center of it all. It began with a rough-and-tumble watering hole in the middle of a rapidly expanding paradise called Aspen: “The Ski and Spur Bar,” serving skiers and outlaws alike in the spirit of the Wild West. In the 1950s, new owners renamed it “The Limelite” and turned it into a popular dinner theater and lively nightclub. Led by owner and famed folk singer Glenn Yarbrough, The Limelite drew large crowds with acts from Judy Collins to the Smothers Brothers. By 1962, Glenn’s rising popularity made it impossible to run the bar, leading him to sell to the Paas family. The Limelite thrived for decades before evolving into The Limelite Lodge–the first in Aspen to install televisions, telephones, air conditioning and fridges, as well as the first to allow pets. For half a century, skiers and vacationers flocked to The Limelite. In 2008, the Paas family rebuilt the local landmark as a 126-room hotel, which reopened as the Limelight Lodge (note the new spelling).

Two years later, Aspen One bought the property and renamed it the Limelight Hotel–the first of more to come. Today, Limelight continues to serve the same adventurous clientele as the original Limelite Lodge and Ski and Spur Bar before it. Our appetite for exploration has led us to new frontiers since, bringing laidback luxury to Ketchum, Snowmass and Denver and setting our sights on Mammoth and Boulder in 2025.

Photo credit (right): Aspen Historical Society, Aspen Illustrated News Collection

Local Connections

Limelight staff are locals first. We have a finger on the pulse of the communities we’re in, from the top trails and running paths to best-kept secret restaurants and local purveyors. You can expect custom recommendations tailored to you, both tried and true and up-and-coming. We also maintain our local connections through our Caring for Community Funds–targeted programs designed to support the people, places and progress that make our communities shine. By giving back locally, we’re able to uplift and amplify what makes our locations so unique.

Art & Design

Each Limelight hotel is carefully curated with thoughtful details and distinctive design, inspiring connection and exploration.We believe that art and design have the power to evoke a sense of place and a point of view. At each of our destinations, we collaborate with local art leaders to curate, commission and showcase pieces that tell a powerful story. From urban inspiration in Denver to wild nature in Ketchum, the works reflect both the vision of local artists and diverse perspectives from creators around the world.