Independence Square Lodge by Frias

The staff were nice, and despite a few minor annoyances, the stay was pleasant. The rooms need work, though. The bathroom rugs were old, tattered, and probably hadn’t been cleaned, so we didn’t want to walk on them barefoot. There were brown spots on the bathroom walls, too. The kitchenette had no way to wash things up. I had to convince the front desk clerk that I needed paper towels because I didn’t want to leave a mess for the maids or use the white towels.

We had a very comfortable stay at Independence Square Hotel in Aspen, and the staff were super friendly and accommodating. The heated floors in both bathrooms were incredible, and the heated towel rack made getting out of the shower feel great. It took a little while to figure out the in-ceiling Sonos speakers, but once we did, it was nice to have music throughout the unit, including some interesting stations. The location is great, within walking distance of everything you need in Aspen. We’ll definitely come back, hopefully in summer.

I booked through Amex in February for a March trip. A friend’s house became available eight days before I was due to go, so I called to ask for a refund. After several conversations with both Amex and the hotel, they refused to return any of my money, not even the cost of one night. I later realized the nightly rates were literally half of what I’d paid Amex, but the hotel still wouldn’t refund the difference. A poor experience. I’ll avoid this hotel on future trips.

After a long day, this was a nice place to come back to, with good rooms and welcoming staff. It’s centrally located and close to the slopes, and we enjoyed the stay very much. There’s a rooftop hot tub, and it’s near the music venue where we accidentally saw DeadMaus perform!