Salamander to manage Aspen Meadows Resort

The Aspen Institute, a global nonprofit organization, has selected Salamander Hotels & Resorts to manage its Aspen Meadows Resort in Aspen, Colo. The 40-acre property was established by Walter Paepcke as the Aspen Institute’s original headquarters. 
 
The Institute selected Salamander, founded by businesswoman Sheila C. Johnson, because of the company’s track record and aligned core values. 

“Aspen Meadows is a remarkable campus and a core component of the Aspen Institute’s mission and heritage. It was vital to find a management company committed to providing hospitality that matched the location and who understands and appreciates this property’s historic significance,” said Dan Porterfield, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute. “We have found exactly that with the Salamander Hotels & Resorts team. Salamander has a well-earned reputation for overseeing an unmatched collection of hotels and resorts, and Sheila Johnson’s commitment to inclusion across business, sports, hospitality, and culture aligns perfectly with our values. We are excited to work with Salamander to welcome more visitors than ever to the newly renovated Aspen Meadows.”

Salamander will work on a plan with Institute leadership over the next five months and assume management of the property on May 1, 2022. The Institute, which owns the property, brings leaders and members of the public to the campus to address crucial issues at the Aspen Ideas Festival..

“We are honored to have the rare opportunity to team with the Aspen Institute and help further elevate the guest experience at Aspen Meadows Resort,” said Johnson. “We enjoy shared visions and values, and we aim to pay tribute to the history, culture and mission of the Institute. I am particularly excited to introduce my business partners, colleagues and Salamander’s many loyal guests to the property.”

As part of the resort’s evolution, a multimillion-dollar renovation project to upgrade all guestrooms and elevate the sense of arrival is underway with expected completion by early 2023, at which point the property will be branded as Aspen Meadows By Salamander. 

In the early 1950s, Walter Paepcke, the founder of the Institute, commissioned the Bauhaus architect and artist Herbert Bayer to transform farmland into a secluded destination. Describing the property as a “total work of art,” Bayer wove outdoor walkways through his landscape architecture to remind visitors of their relationship with nature, mind and body. The grounds include Bauhaus architecture and outdoor sculptures, and each building includes a collection of artwork. In recent years, the Aspen Institute has committed to preserving and celebrating Aspen Meadows’ historic significance. In 2022, the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies will open on-site as a new cultural destination, and restoration work recently concluded on Bayer’s “Marble Garden” sculpture.
 
Amenities at Aspen Meadows Resort include Plato’s restaurant, a fitness center and spa services, an outdoor pool and hot tub, five tennis courts, and 22,000 square feet of meeting and function space. Last year, the property switched to using 100 percent clean electricity. Averaging 600 square feet, the resort’s 98 all-suite accommodations have nature-inspired design, natural light, balconies and terraces.  
 
Salamander Hotels & Resorts manages properties throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean, including the Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Va.; the Half Moon in Montego Bay, Jamaica; the Innisbrook Resort in Tampa, Fla.; The Henderson, a beach resort in Destin, Fla.; and the Hotel Bennett in Charleston, S.C.