W Hotels Worldwide has today (20 January) announced it will open its first alpine retreat in North America: a chalet and cocktail bar in Colorado's Rocky Mountains.

The hotel – located at the foot of Aspen Mountain – is being designed by New York design firm Nemaworkshop, Denver-based Rowland+Broughton Architecture and W’s in-house design team.

In a bid to make the most of the dramatic surrounding scenery, the design team have visualised a 1,600sq ft (148sq m) outdoor patio and a 12,000sq ft (1,100sq m) rooftop bar for hosting après-ski and warm-weather events with unrestricted views of the mountain above.

The hotel will have 88 guestrooms and 11 W-branded residences inside a locally-inspired wood-clad chalet building. A split level living area will double as a dining venue offering guests a selection of meals and cocktails.

Other facilities will include a ski shop and a 1,100sq ft (102sq m) W Hotels FIT-branded gym.

The hotel is being developed by a joint venture between Sarpa Development and the hotel’s owner, Northridge Capital. It will open in time for the 2017 ski season, when thousands of tourists and sports enthusiasts flock to Aspen to take to the snowy slopes or to enjoy the international winter sports tournament the X Games.

In Colorado's summer months, Aspen remains popular as a sporting and cultural destination, with climbing, mountain biking, fly-fishing and whitewater rafting replacing skiing on the itineraries of holidaymakers. The new home of the Aspen Art Museum, designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Shigeru Ban, is also a popular local attraction.

“As one of the most stunning and vibrant year-round resort towns in the world, Aspen is a destination that has long been on our wish list for a hotel,” said Anthony Ingham, global brand leader of W Hotels.

“We are thrilled to bring the W lifestyle to Aspen while simultaneously reinventing the traditional notion of an alpine escape. We’re confident that combined with the brand’s unique programming and cutting-edge design, W Aspen will appeal to locals and international travellers alike.”