Asher on Aspen: Aspen’s newest hotel, MOLLIE Aspen, worth the hype

When my sister Emily flew in from New York, I wanted to give her the kind of Aspen night you can’t find anywhere else — something charming, unexpected, and memorable. No cliché steakhouse, no stuffy après bar. The MOLLIE Aspen had just opened a 68-room boutique hotel on Paepcke Park, and it promised exactly that. Outside, dark clouds rolled over the mountains, and heavy rain poured down Main Street. Perfect timing to duck inside, shake off the storm, and see if Aspen’s newest darling could deliver.

The lobby set the tone right away. Big windows, a fire blazing, and art installations that looked expensive and important, whether you understood them or not. It felt both designed and alive, a space that wrapped around you the way only the best hotel lobbies can. Uncle Mark, his girlfriend Kori, and Jett met us there, the storm outside forgotten as we turned our attention to food, drinks, and the promise of a lively night ahead.

Dinner at the MOLLIE deserved its own applause. The menu leaned classic but confident: a miso-glazed broiled salmon with grilled asparagus and a squeeze of Meyer lemon; crisp, golden chicken Milanese brightened by a lemon-caper butter; orecchiette tossed in pine nut pesto with seasonal vegetables; and a rich lobster spaghetti laced with parmesan and chives. A delicate poached halibut, paired with petit squash, and sweet peppers in a light sauce verge, added an elegant finish. It wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, but it didn’t have to. The food was steady, thoughtful, and exactly what you wanted on a storm-soaked night.

The true excitement at the MOLLIE Aspen is still ahead: Petit Trois, the Parisian bistro from Chef Ludo Lefebvre, arrives this December. Think escargot, French onion soup, steak frites, and the legendary Big Mec burger that once claimed “best in America.” The town’s dining scene is about to get a full-on French bistro takeover.

After dinner, we took the elevator to the rooftop terrace, and that’s when the MOLLIE Aspen really started to make sense. Up there, it’s vinyl only — no playlists, no Bluetooth, just records spinning against the mountain backdrop. The bartender even asked which album we wanted to hear, making it feel more like a living room than a hotel bar. Cocktails arrived like little art projects. Mine was fruity and tequila-forward, Emily stuck to her standby Jameson, and Uncle Mark held court with family lore and old war stories about my father — half history, half legend. We sank into it all, the crackle of vinyl filling the spaces between stories.

The MOLLIE Aspen isn’t just a hotel — it’s Aspen’s attempt to reinvent itself again. Its name comes from the old Mollie Gibson Mine, a nod to the town’s silver boom days. Everything inside seems built to honor that restless spirit: natural wood, hand-dyed textiles, brass accents, and big windows framing the mountains. Even the eco-friendly Rivian vehicles parked out front fit the vibe — sustainability wrapped in luxury.

There’s a sense that the MOLLIE Aspen is trying to offer more than a bed and a bar. It’s understated but not cold. Social but with enough space to vanish into a corner. The art is curated, the design intentional, but it doesn’t feel forced. It’s the kind of place where you could get snowed in for a weekend and not be sorry about it.

Still, the real frenzy will hit once Petit Trois opens. Chef Ludo isn’t just another name — he’s a French culinary rebel with Michelin stars and a reputation for perfection. When his Paris-meets-Hollywood bistro drops into Aspen, it’ll set off the usual local circus: billionaires vying for tables, ski bums trying to sneak in for the burger, everyone pretending they know Burgundy from Bordeaux.

But that’s all still on the horizon. For now, the MOLLIE Aspen is in its first act. The lobby restaurant is warm and steady, the café pours Sightglass coffee in the mornings, and the rooftop offers cocktails and vinyl with a stunning terrace view. It’s enough to feel like a secret in a town that rarely has them anymore.

The MOLLIE Aspen isn’t louder or flashier than the rest of Aspen — it’s subtler. But that’s the trick. In a town where so much feels staged for the selfie, this hotel manages to feel like the story is still being written. And once Petit Trois arrives, you can bet the next chapter is going to be chaos worth watching.

Until then, you can still enjoy that rooftop, order a drink, and let the vinyl spin while taking in the majestic mountain views.