Limelight Hotel in Sun Valley

Aspen Skiing Company will build a Limelight Hotel in Ketchum, Idaho at the base of the Sun Valley ski area, marking the company’s first expansion beyond Colorado.

Aspen Skiing bought the Limelight in downtown Aspen in 2010 and has since grown the 126-room hotel into one of the resort valley’s most popular lodges, with dog-friendly, relatively affordable guest rooms and a festive lobby. The company – which operates four ski areas in the Roaring Fork Valley and Aspen’s tony Little Nell hotel – last year announced plans for a 102-room Limelight at the base of its Snowmass ski area, a project the town of Snowmass Village hopes will spark stalled base village development plans.

The Sun Valley Limelight is approved for 119 hotel rooms and 11 residential units. Aspen Skiing will request “minor modifications” to the hotel project, which has been approved by the City of Ketchum. Aspen Skiing purchased the property near Sun Valley’s River Run base of Bald Mountain from developer Bald Mountain LLC for an undisclosed price.

“We believe that the Limelight would be a great fit for this site and the community,” said Don Schuster, vice president of hospitality for Aspen Skiing Co., in a statement. “We feel the timing is right to grow the Limelight brand and that this property in downtown Ketchum is an ideal location. We look forward to being a part of this great community.”

– The Denver Post