Addition of hotel expected to boost vibrancy at Willits

Leasing retail space at Willits Town Center remains a tough sell despite the success and allure of Whole Foods Market, according to the president of the company that owns and is developing the project.

Ryan Anderson of Mariner Real Estate Management said Tuesday he hopes that the construction of a 112-room hotel at Willits will help ease the challenge of signing tenants.

Mariner and Silverwest Hotel Partners LLC teamed to build an Element by Westin, which is part of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts brand. An official groundbreaking was held in frigid temperatures Tuesday morning although work started on the foundation roughly a month ago.

Ed Mace, a partner in Silverwest Hotel Partners, said the Element Basalt will open by Thanksgiving 2015 to take advantage of bookings during ski season.

The one-bedroom suites that will dominate the mix of rooms are intended for extended stays, Mace said. He and his partner, Charlie Peck, estimated the average stay of their customers will be slightly more than three days. Single-night stays will also be accepted, but the idea is to target customers such as families coming for a ski vacation or couples coming to the Roaring Fork Valley for special events.

Room rates havent been set yet but Mace said prices will likely top $200 per night during ski season and in the $150-range at other times. An earlier design had the hotel at 113 rooms.

The rooms will have dining areas but not full kitchens, Mace said. That will encourage customers to eat at Basalts restaurants and pick up food at nearby Whole Foods. Thats how we do room service, Mace quipped while addressing a crowd of about 40 at the groundbreaking.

In an interview with The Aspen Times following the ceremony, Mace said Starwood and the hotel partners decided they needed to use the Aspen name as part of their marketing efforts. Basalt doesnt have name recognition yet, he said, and the hotel needs to be positioned so Internet users looking for lodging in Aspen can find it. Thus, the hotels full name will be Element Basalt Aspen Valley.

We appreciate that locals might not recognize it, Mace said diplomatically. He noted its not unique for the use of Aspen Valley. Theres Aspen Valley Hospital, Aspen Valley Land Trust and Aspen Valley Ski Club.

The hotel will create 25 to 30 full-time equivalent jobs, Mace said. There will be more workers than that on the payroll, but some will work part-time and seasonal hours.

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Addition of hotel expected to boost vibrancy at Willits