HotelChatter

This Kimpton hotel is the very definition of cool, maintaining a swanky, modern feel that makes you feel the LA kind of hip with a much more scenic backdrop. See, summers in ski towns are beautiful, but there's always something that seems a bit off to us when we head to our room after hangin' by the pool to find...antlers and snowshoes on the walls.

When we consulted the ever-trusty TripAdvisor, guests had this to say about the vibe:

the style of the Sky has been described as "Wrangler meets Prada" - and that sums it up perfectly! The building was an old ski lodge (you can still see remnants throughout) - but has been very successfully converted into a colorful urban chic hotel.

Bonus: 39 Degrees, Sky's bar/lounge, was named one of Forbes Traveler's "10 Hottest Apres Ski Bars."

We assume that's where you'll find all the chefsters -- but be prepared to pay big bucks: rates for the Aspen Food & Wine Classic weekend are $500+, though there is still a bit of room availability.

And for the non-chef-o-philes just looking to escape from scorching summer heat to reasonable temperatures, take comfort: we checked a rate for next Wednesday (post-Classic) and you'd only be forking over $290.