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.
