Where to Stay in Aspen: Downtown Aspen vs Snowmass Village (25 to 40% Less) & Basalt/Carbondale

Because the free RFTA bus system connects the upper Roaring Fork Valley every 15 minutes until late at night, you have three smart bases to choose from: five-star slopeside luxury in Downtown Aspen, ski-in/ski-out Snowmass Village, or lower-rate boutique inns 25 minutes down-valley.

1. Downtown Aspen & The West End (Walkability, Nightlife & Victorian Charm)

To step out of your lobby onto the brick pedestrian malls, walk to dinner every night and ride the Silver Queen Gondola without boarding a bus, stay in Downtown Aspen:

• Five-Star Icons: The Little Nell (Aspen's only five-star, five-diamond ski-in/ski-out hotel, 10 steps from the gondola), historic 1889 Hotel Jerome on Main Street, the St. Regis Aspen Resort, and W Aspen (with its heated rooftop pool deck).
• Mid-Range & Boutique Value in Downtown Aspen (30 to 50% Lower Than 5-Star Rates): look at independent lodges like The Gant (1- to 3-bedroom condos with fireplaces, kitchens, two heated pools and free shuttles), Limelight Hotel Aspen (including hot breakfast and a spacious lounge), Mollie Aspen on Paepcke Park, European-style chalets Mountain Chalet Aspen and Hearthstone House, or retro Main Street lodges like St. Moritz Lodge, Aspen Mountain Lodge and Tyrolean Lodge.

2. Snowmass Village (15 Mins West by Free Bus, Best for Families & Ski-In/Ski-Out)

In Snowmass Village, 95% of hotels and condos are true ski-in/ski-out, and nightly rates run 25% to 40% lower than equivalent rooms in Downtown Aspen. Stay around Snowmass Base Village (with its free ice-skating rink, fire pits and Elk Camp Gondola) at Limelight Hotel Snowmass, five-star Viceroy Snowmass, Viewline Resort Snowmass, or condo lodges like Top of the Village and Crestwood.

3. Budget-Smart Down-Valley Base (25 Mins by BRT Bus): Basalt & Willits

To visit Aspen at roughly a third of downtown hotel rates, stay 20 to 25 minutes down Highway 82 in riverside Basalt / Willits Town Center (at Element Basalt or Aspenalt Lodge on the Fryingpan River), where the express RFTA 'VelociRFTA' BRT bus runs into Downtown Aspen every 15 minutes.