Limelight Aspen Goes Electric, Offering Guests Use Of Audi E-Tron

Planning to visit Aspen this winter? Crash at the plush, high-end Limelight Aspen and you’ll have use of their plush, high-end Audi e-tron or Audi Q7, and you can bring your dog along. Those two amenities alone are a reason to stay at any hotel.

The arrangement is simple – you show up, check in, reserve the Audi when it suits you, sign a liability waiver and off you go, to destinations in or out of town, as long it takes two hours or less.

You’ll do as much walking as you can handle in Aspen, of course, but wheels are always handy for when, say, you want to find a splendid hike or a restaurant or just dig a little ride. An electric car fits right in with the town’s ultra-progressive, land-and-freedom-affirming flavor, too. The e-tron is the whip I recently got behind the wheel of and was impressed repeatedly by because we were clobbered with non-stop snow and the car didn’t seem to notice or care.

Now I will tell you about both hotel and car.

About the Limelight Aspen:

The Limelight has been around in different forms since its beginnings as a rough-and-tumble bar catering mostly to cowboys and hardcore skiiers doing without lifts. Glenn Yarbrough, the soon-to-be-famous lead singer of folk band the Limeliters, ran the club briefly in the 1950s before getting too popular as a musician to see to the logistics of clubdom. (There are tributes to the Limelighters prominently displayed at the hotel.)

The property passed hands until being completely razed in 2005, with a new 126-room hotel going up as the Limelight Lodge in 2008. In 2012, under new ownership, it was renamed the Limelight Hotel. The property was upgraded last ski season by Stonehill Taylor of New York in a top-to-bottom renovation that enhanced all of the hotel’s public spaces, including the Limelight Lounge, conference room, lobby, and bar, as well as all guest rooms and suites, and here we find ourselves.

The Limelight’s highlights include a generous lobby with fireplace for guests and their friends and woofies to loiter at their leisure, the magnificent mountains in sight. Their complimentary breakfast is sumptuous and plentiful. The vibe is chill, never stupid-loud even during dinner. As well as the aforementioned Audi available for loan, they also have fat-tired bicycles for guests’ use upon reservation, if the weather cooperates.

About the e-tron

This e-tron motivates via two electric motors – one placed at the rear axle and one in front. This makes a nice electronic all-wheel drive, one reason there was zero skidding during our outings. You get a healthy combined 355 horsepower and 414 lb-ft of torque, more than enough for your needs. Should you require a sudden gallop, go ahead and throw your transmission into Sport mode and you’ll release 402 horses and 490 lb-feet of torque.

Blastoff is a repeated pleasure – the e-tron likes to get a move on and you’ll easily make those tight turns, and the kids’ll love it. Braking is equally sharp – you step on the brakes, you stop, even in the snow. Likewise if you’re in town on business and are entertaining colleagues, the e-tron is as quiet as a mouse embryo, so go ahead and talk amongst yourselves. Not that you’ll need to, but the e-tron will also tow up to 4,000 pounds.

The Limelight’s 2020 e-tron is maintained as good as new, and its swank almost matches the hotel’s.

What’s New & Notable for the 2022-2023 Ski Season at The Limelight

This ski season brings a new cocktail program to the Limelight Lounge created by Sean Kenyon of the award-winning Denver based Williams & Graham. Look for local spirits coupled with a host of interesting garnishes and diverse glassware.

The menu presents many interesting twists on classic cocktails with names that pay homage to Aspen and its history. An example is the Monarch Old Fashioned made with Woody Creek bourbon, Mountain Chai Syrup and Strongwater aromatic bitters. From Dec. 22 onward, look for après ski specials at happy hour from 3-5 pm daily.

And the pool and adjacent hot tubs? They’re open all winter, so head down and enjoy the snowfall whilst basking in the waters, or getting your laps in.

Room rates are $589 per night from 12/01 to 12/15/22 and $789 a night from prime time – 12/16/22 – 01/01/23.