10 High-Profile New Ski Hotels Opening For Travel This Winter

Montana’s huge Big Sky is the hottest resort in American skiing, and this winter it is home to one of the highest-profile new ski hotels on earth.

Big Sky Resort

The last three winters have been the three biggest ski travel seasons in history, with record numbers of skiers and snowboarders. At the same time, many of the best resorts have undertaken major terrain and infrastructure expansions and are bigger and better than ever, and with the Winter Olympics coming soon, ski travel is in the spotlight. This season, with increased demand for lodging at ski resorts, especially luxury lodging, the supply is finally catching up. These are 10 of the very best new ski hotels opening for this winter.

The 10 Best New Ski Hotels This Winter

Kindred Resort, Keystone, CO

There are sexier brand names on this list, but I put Kindred first for a reason—it may well be the most game changing of all these openings. Just about every other hotel here is at a resort that already has some excellent options, but Keystone is arguably the biggest and best ski resort in the nation lacking a luxury ski-in/ski-out option. Not anymore. And as a bonus, it is also a great choice for upscale lodging while skiing at nearby Breckenridge, the nation’s second most popular destination, and another huge mountain underserved by luxury hotels. They are close together, share the most popular national season pass, the Epic Pass, and you can double up on ski vacations by staying here.

Keystone is extremely popular because it is famously family friendly and one of the closest Colorado resorts to Denver. Two years ago, it had one of the biggest terrain expansions in the country, adding 550-acres of amazing above tree-line bowl skiing with a new high-speed 6-passenger chair, which I wrote about in detail here at Forbes. The new 107-room Kindred is managed by Vail Resorts and is a sister property to the wonderful Arrabelle at Vail. It’s a combination hotel, residences and membership club, with some residences also available nightly, and all guests get club amenities and ski concierge. It has a fantastic location right at the main lifts, on the kind of ultra-prime site that just about no other resort had available for new development. It also sits on the edge of pedestrianized River Run Village, with easy access to shops, bars and restaurants. Opening December.

Limelight, Mammoth, CA

Like Keystone, Mammoth is another very large ski and snowboard resort that needed more luxury options. The answer, now open, is the new Limelight, a very popular brand owned by Aspen One (along with the Forbes 5-Star The Little Nell) that already has locations in Aspen, Sun Valley and Snowmass (plus city hotels in Boulder and Denver). Limelight takes a hipper approach to luxury with a very lively lobby scene and social vibe (live music, happy hour, cocktail gatherings, etc.) As in other locations, the ski valet is also an adventure outfitter with loaner snowshoes and bikes, but this one also has a Therabody recovery suite with massage guns, compression leg boots, vibrating wave rollers, and red light therapy goggles, plus a top shelf fitness center. The nearly 150 rooms and suites include hard-to-find family rooms with bunkbeds, and there are 15 larger opulent residences. It sits near the Village Gondola. Limelight Mammoth is now open.

Mandarin-Oriental, Cortina, Italy

The biggest thing in skiing this season is the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games, and the biggest thing in Italy’s chicest ski town, Cortina, is the hotly anticipated opening of the Mandarin-Oriental. It is notably the first foray into mountain resorts by one of the world’s most venerable and acclaimed luxury hotel brands, and it is a dramatic and extensive re-imagining of Cortina’s longtime top luxury hotel, the former Cristallo, which I stayed at shortly before it shuttered in 2023 and was already wonderful. But after nearly three years of top to bottom redesign and rebuilding, it is expected to be one of the top luxury ski properties anywhere, though the opening date has remained a moving target, always with plans to reopen before the Olympics, which kick off on February 6. The property will have just 83 rooms and suites in a large hotel that dominates the town of Cortina, “Italy’s Aspen,” where the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only and its famous ski scenes (and Bond’s White Lotus Esprit Turbo with ski racks) was set. The Dolomites have been on an upward trajectory as one of the world’s great ski destinations, and this will only be enhanced by the Olympics, so going forward this will likely be the place to stay for many years to come.

Aman Rosa Alpina, San Cassiano, Italy

It’s debatable whether the Aman Rosa Alpina actually qualifies as a “new” hotel versus a revamped rebranding, but what is undebatable is the high visibility of this property in the rarefied world of luxury travel. The Dolomites are red hot, Aman has a loyal following, the renovations reportedly totaled around $70 million, and this combination would be hard to leave off this list. The Dolomites are a broad area, and outside of Cortina, by far the biggest town, it is a region of small villages, many with surprisingly high profile luxury hotels, almost all independent and family owned. San Cassiano has long been home to the most acclaimed of these boutique properties, the Rosa Alpina, which was famously the birthplace of the Hugo Spritz, now a globally recognized cocktail, named for the owner, and long home to a 3-Michelin starred eatery. The move to the Aman brand has not changed the family ownership, Hugo is still here, but with an entirely new style to the design and guest rooms, a new and very substantial Aman spa with multiple pools, all new bar and dining concepts, which unfortunately came at the cost of one of Italy’s most highly regarded eateries. However, after his departure, Chef Norbert Niederkofler opened his independent Atelier Moessmer in the Dolomites’ Brunico and astonishingly quickly earned an all new 3-Michelin-stars, the highest possible rating.

To me, the Rosa Alpina was one of the luxury gems of the ski world, and old world, but the kind of place travelers, especially Americans, would end up at mainly because it had been recommended to them by a savvy travel advisor or friend. Now it appears more modern and a place people will book because of the Aman name. But in any case, the Dolomites are hot and this ski-in/ski-out gem is trailside at Dolomiti Superski, the world’s third largest interconnected resort. The Aman is just another change raising the region’s upward trending global travel profile, and like the Mandarin-Oriental it will be an A-list choice for skiing this stunning destination going forward—except it is actually open now.

For more on why the Dolomites is one of the world’s great ski destinations, read this feature here at Forbes. There are two more new and notable Dolomites options at the end of this list.

One & Only Moonlight Basin, Big Sky, MT

I’m a big fan of Big Sky, which has spent more than $150 million over the past decade on infrastructure improvements alone, resulting in what is by far the most advanced lift network outside Europe. Unlike many competitors, they didn’t have to undertake a terrain expansion, because Big Sky has always been enormous and remains the second largest ski resort in the country in terms of acreage, and number one in miles of trails, even after all the other places that have expanded. Very few resorts have even a single bubble chair (protected from elements) or 8-passenger high speed lift, but Big Sky has five bubbles and two 8-packs, including the world’s longest. Also among the 40 lifts here is a brand new state of the art tram, another feature only a handful of resorts in North America have, a brand new state of the art 10-passenger gondola with two base stations, and the world’s fastest 6-passenger chair. The short version of all this is that Big Sky was never crowded and is famous for an extremely low skier per acre average, but now it can move many more people faster, and if you hate lines, but like an incredible amount of terrain for every ability, with lots of snow, you will love this place. For more on all the many massive improvements and why Big Sky is the hottest resort in North American skiing and snowboarding right now, read more here at Forbes.

Because Big Sky has a lot of lodging including the Montage, one of just six Forbes 5-Star ski hotels in the country (including sister property Montage Deer Valley), it was not lacking luxury lodging the way Keystone and Mammoth were. But nonetheless, the new One & Only Moonlight Basin (December 2025) is a big deal, especially since it is the world’s first mountain property from One & Only. It sits just below the Madison base in Moonlight Basin, the second main base area for the resort, now under a bigger build out, and is linked to the lifts by a short gondola, making it technically ski-in/ski-out. It features an eclectic mix of hotel rooms and suites, plus freestanding luxury cabins and large homes, a lavish and heavily amenitized spa with indoor and outdoor pools, hot and cold plunges, and all the bells and whistle, and multiple dining options including an outpost of Michelin-starred chef Akira Back’s mini-empire. Big Sky is on the Epic Pass.

White Elephant Aspen, Aspen, CO

This tiny boutique brand has its roots firmly in posh Nantucket, where the original has been the island’s top luxury choice for longer than private jets have existed. They followed their many summer regulars to the luxe winter hideaway of Palm Beach five years ago, and the next logical spot on this particular demographic’s set was Aspen. Opening in February, the newest White Elephant has 54 rooms and suites, and in a nod to its New England roots, its main restaurant, Lola 41, revolves around fresh seafood and sushi. The White Elephant Aspen is in the heart of town, a few blocks from the slopes of Aspen Mountain (which with three other nearby siblings, Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands and the biggest, Snowmass, comprise the Aspen/Snowmass resort and are linked by shuttles) and near the town’s best restaurants and retail. The design is a modern nod to Aspen’s Victorian mining heritage, and like its siblings, showcases more than 150 pieces of original artwork. It has the prerequisite luxury ski concierge, private skier shuttle, house car around town and included private airport transfers.

Inn at Sundance, UT

Founded by the late Robert Redford, who passed away this year, Sundance Resort outside Salt Lake City, is one of the most beloved boutique resorts in skiing. It has a lot going for it, but has never had a higher-end hotel, with most of the lodging in rental residences. That all changes on January 22 when the 63-room Inn at Sundance opens with a ski-in/ski-out location, served by a new high-speed lift added in 2021. It has a Western theme with lots of exposed wood and stone fireplaces, a communal living room style common area serving light bites (the excellent existing Sundance restaurants are a few steps away), an extensive art collection throughout in keeping the resort’s creative ambiance, a new fitness center with yoga classes, ski valet, activity center and The Springs, an outdoor pool, hot tub and sauna area.

evo Hotel Tahoe City, CA

The evo technically opened for the very end of last ski season in March, but that’s still 2025. The lodging arm is a division of the evo outdoor retail store chain, with stores in Seattle, Denver, Portland, Salt Lake, Whistler and other locales. It is probably the least “luxury” on this list but has legitimate year round outdoor adventure credibility, and evo hotels are well stocked when it comes to gear. It’s the third in the main evo group (they also have a backcountry adventure lodge in British Columbia), following Salt Lake City, UT and Hakuba, Japan, both world class ski and snowboard destinations. So is Tahoe, and this outpost is “curated” in partnership with famed Tahoe local Jeremy Jones, a snowboarding legend, acclaimed alpinist, action movie star and founder of leading industry non-profit Protect Our Winters (POW), a climate change advocacy group.

All 48 rooms at the Tahoe evo are uniquely decorated with photos and original local art telling the adventure story, chosen by Jones and his Tahoe pro skier and snowboarder friends. The lakeside evo is very dog friendly, a relative bargain these days for ski lodging, has sauna and cold plunge and a very well equipped gear and gift shop with full ski and bike tuning and maintenance. Top shelf rentals of course include Jones snowboards and Season skis. The main restaurant and bar at the hotel is the Sierra Surf Club, serving coffee, three meals a day, and cocktails, and 100% of the restaurant profits go directly to POW, a feel good dining experience not many hotels can compete with. It overlooks the huge Lake with outdoor dining and fire pits. The location is ideal for adventure summer and winter, and the closest ski resort happens to be the largest in California—and third largest in the U.S.—the massive Palisades Tahoe (combining the resort formerly knows as Squaw Valley with Alpine Meadows) at around 6,000-skiable acres. Palisades is on the national Ikon Pass, and passholders get a lodging discount at evo. I wrote about the debut of the original evo Hotel in Salt Lake here at Forbes a few years ago.

Ancora Cortina, Italy

While the Mandrin-Oriental (above) is getting more buzz, this luxury boutique hotel is already open in Cortina (summer 2025) and is the passion project of billionaire fashion icon Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel (and his company also owns top brands Viktor & Wolf and Jill Sander). It earns the highest “5-Star Luxury” rating from the Italian system, and not surprisingly it is swank, designed by Vicky Charles of Soho House fame, with lots of red velvet and 38 very individualized rooms and suites. The Ancora has a seasonally-focused fine dining restaurant, full spa, fitness center and nightclub-style club, all with a great location on the Mian Street in the heart of Cortina, host of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

La Muda, Alta Badia, Italy

Located in the heart of at Dolomiti Superski, La Muda, opening this month, is a stylish contemporary re-interpretation of a classic alpine chalet. It is ski-in/ski-out yet close to the heart of Pedratsches, a well located alpine village. It has a mix of regular rooms and suites in the main hotel, all with stunning mountain views of the UNESCO World Heritage Site landscape, and three chalet rooms next door, with their own private spa just for chalet guests. It’s Italy, so of course there is gourmet dining, a hybrid Mediterranean and local Laidn menu, plus a music bar for apertivos and post-dinner drinks.

2026 Sneak Preview: Best New Ski Hotels

While this year is one of the biggest in history for luxury ski hotel openings, and above are the 10 best new ski hotels of the year, do not expect the trend to end any time soon. Four Seasons, which already operates one of just six Forbes 5-Star ski hotels in this country, the Four Seasons Jackson Hole, as well as the Four Seasons Whistler, is doubling down its alpine collection with two more properties for next season. The biggie is the Four Seasons Deer Valley, opening at the base of East Village, the newest part of the biggest expansion in the history of skiing (the terrain is open this year, read much more about this historic undertaking here at Forbes). Theya re also opening a new hotel (takeover and rebuild of an existing property) in Switzerland’s chic Gstaad.