Element Basalt - Aspen — Hotel in Basalt

I've stayed in so many Mariott owned locations, and I've never given a 1 star review for any of them until now. It began at check-in. They tried very hard to 'upgrade' us to a layout that I repeatedly said I wasn't interested in. Then I asked about being put on the non-highway side of the building because my wife has very sensitive hearing. We were assured the room would be silent on that side. Well my wife got almost 2 hours of sleep that night because not only was the traffic very loud thru the windows, but the ventilation for the air conditioning/heating design had an open air hole between our room and outside. In fact the cold air was very obviously coming in and unocmfortable when I was trying to work next to heater everytime it shut off. The free breakfast was good, no complaints there. However upon checkout I had noticed on the receipt that we were overcharged because they had actually upgraded us at check-in without telling us, then they switched us back, resulting in a higher rate than when we reserved originally. I didn't look at the receipt until I went to the car, and after seeing the error, I came back inside to get it fixed and was told over and over that I was wrong about the price and that our bill was correct. As I was pulling up my original reservation on my phone a manager overheard and asked about the issue. She then promptly fixed it and explained the error to the lady who was giving us a hard time and handed the situation back to her. I signed the new form and we fixed the overcharge. I actually apologized for the confusion originally thinking I had done something wrong on my end. But when the dust settled it was the hotel's fault. I didn't receive an apology but that's not something that bothers me too much as I just want things to be smooth with as little confrontation as possible. However when I turned to leave, the lady (not the manager) shouted at me that I was not really supposed to receive that rate in the first place because it's for Mariott associates only. I looked her in the eye and told her my wife is an associate and we gave the form last night to prove it. She then pushed even further saying I shouldn't have received it because I am not my wife. So I went outside to the car, gathered my wife, brought her back in and asked the lady to apologize to her for both doubting a fellow associate and for also forgetting she was standing next to me not 10 minutes prior. Needless to say, we will NOT be staying here again. Not sure if it's the area (close to Aspen) or what, but we've never been treated anything remotely close to this poorly at a Mariott owned...

We were in town for the week to visit our son who was attending the Aspen Music Festival. We started out with two nights at the St Regis in Aspen as Bonvoy Platinums, then when we ran out of money (haha) and moved to Element Basalt. It's not of course the same type of hotel, but I have to say we preferred the Element. The staff is so much more sincere here, and we always had the impression that they would bend over backwards to do anything we asked. The rooms are very thoughtfully designed and very comfortable. We liked that they don't provide water bottes in the rooms for environmental reasons, but rather have RO water filters and proper glassware in the room instead. Beds are great, furnishings are high-end, rooms are super clean (and new!) and the free breakfast for everyone is really well designed with higher-end pastries, juices and egg dishes.||There are dogs EVERYWHERE at the St Regis - including multiple large dogs larger than our children sitting at meals leashed to the tables in the restaurant. We really, really appreciated the sign in the Element lobby saying that furry friends were welcome at the hotel, but not in the dining area. That was a huge relief to us.||The hotel is about 25 minutes drive from downtown Aspen, but that actually didn't bother us at all. Downtown Basalt is only 5 minutes away and is super charming on its own - we wouldn't have seen this town had we just stayed in downtown Aspen. Try Tempranillo restaurant and the Free Range Kitchen there. They are as good if not better than any restaurant in Aspen, which is saying a lot - and the prices are slightly better up here as well. There is also a neat little historical walking tour that you can do using the Basalt town website. It only takes about an hour and explains over 100 years of history in the town.||Overall, it was a great stay. We'll probably come back to visit Aspen again next summer, and this hotel will be our first choice to stay.||Tip: (if we understand it correctly): if you park in front, left, or right of the hotel, they charge $10/night. But if you park behind the hotel, those spaces are owned by the city and are free. Ask at the desk though to be completely certain - they are so nice and you can trust that they will give you an...

We stayed here in April during the low season as we were passing through from Moab, UT. Carbondale and Basalt are cool towns in and of themselves, so definitely they're worth a visit. And the Element was one of our highlights for this trip. We ended up booking a second night because we liked it so much. The take-away: It's an amazing "boutique" hotel with a wonderful staff and lots of amenities.

The apartment-style design of these rooms is super cool and makes you feel very at home. Our room had a kitchenette where we were able to make food (we got from the Whole Foods that is literally across the street!). The bed was very comfortable. The shower and bathroom were great. The hotel is very new, so this probably added to the cleanliness, but overall, it was extremely clean.

The common areas were also very comfortable and make you feel at home. In all the hotels I've stayed at, I haven't utilized the lobby space much, but at Element, I did work from the lobby and enjoyed the beautiful view of the mountains while sipping a complimentary tea. The decor is beautiful and very inviting as well.

The staff was very friendly and helpful. They weren't in-your-face, but always willing to help if we needed anything. It felt more like a retreat than a hotel stay.

One thing that I didn't love: the sound of the traffic along the east side of the hotel. It's set on a highway and, in the morning, the cars can be loud. On the second night, I turned on the fan and didn't hear the traffic as much in the morning.

The Element's outdoor hot tub under the bright stars was one of the best amenities, as well as their very good complimentary breakfast (with lots of healthy options). They also offer a complimentary happy hour with wine, beer, and light snacks. The night we went, however, they didn't offer any vegetarian snacks, so we only had wine. Still, it was very nice.

I HIGHLY recommend this hotel for a single or multiple night stay. It's very possible that you'll want to stay longer than you planned, especially if you're looking for a...