CU partners with Aspen Skiing Co. on Limelight-branded hotel, conference center

BOULDER — The University of Colorado Boulder has partnered with Little Nell Hotel Group, the hospitality division of  Aspen Skiing Co., to build and operate its Limelight-branded new hotel and conference center.

Aspen Skiing has Limelight hotels in Aspen and Snowmass.

The CU hotel, on a roughly 3-acre plot on Grandview Avenue in the northwest corner of campus, will feature 250 rooms and contain 25,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 15,000-square-foot ballroom. It is expected to cost about $130 million to develop.

Limelight Hotel Boulder is expected to break ground next fall with an opening tentatively set for 2025. 

“We’re looking forward to designing a transformative destination of which many stakeholders can be proud, including the University of Colorado, the city of Boulder, the Boulder community and our organization,” Alinio Azevedo, managing director and chief operating officer of The Little Nell Hotel Group, said in a prepared statement. “We have a shared passion across all parties to establish the Limelight as a focal point within the community, and are exploring innovative design and construction methods in order to deliver a building that will withstand the test of time.”

CU has long sought to increase the availability of accommodations near campus, a mission made more critical by the likely redevelopment of the Millennium Harvest House Hotel into student housing.

“We are extremely excited about the conference center and hotel on the CU Boulder campus,” Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Charlene Hoffman said in a statement. “This is not only the breakthrough that the University Hill business district has been looking for, but also a big stimulus and very important for the entire Hill neighborhood and Boulder community. Having a conference center in town ensures that local businesses and community organizations have a place right here in town to host major events and that Boulder can compete with other cities for major meetings and conferences. We look forward to our partnership with Limelight and CU Boulder to ensure its success.” 

In addition to the hotel that CU is partnering with Aspen Skiing to build, Denver-based Nichols Partnerships is planning accommodations near campus at 1313 Broadway.

Plans for the project, which is expected to include 189 guest rooms and more than 9,000 square feet of retail space, were approved this spring with construction expected to begin soon.

Combined, the hotel projects create “new synergies in an ongoing revitalization of the University Hill business district,” CU said. 

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