Caldera House

Some American ski lodges prize physical comfort above all else, and strive to be as inoffensive as possible in their aesthetics. Others focus most of their efforts on atmosphere and design, and go light on the kinds of extravagances that make a hotel a luxury hotel. What’s rare is a hotel that does both — but Caldera House, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is exceptional in exactly this way. The exterior is just traditional enough to blend harmoniously with its Teton Village surroundings, with its peaked rooflines and its façade in stone and Douglas fir. It’s in the interiors, however, free from the prying eye of the town’s design board, that Caldera House is at its most impressive, turning the rustic textures of wood, stone, and leather into something refined, contemporary, and faultlessly stylish. As for the comforts, the suites are outfitted to the latest five-star standard, and then some. In fact Caldera House’s residential units outnumber its hotel suites — though the latter are by no means second-class. Services go beyond what you’d expect from a small hotel or a condo development — this is a full-on “alpine club,” complete with a members’ lounge (to which hotel guests have full access), expansive spa and fitness facilities, and a gear shop offering rentals, fittings, and equipment for sale (handy, as the lift is literally right next door). Open to guests and the public alike is a fine Italian restaurant: the new incarnation of Old Yellowstone Garage, a local favorite that long predates Caldera House. Safe to say Jackson Hole’s reputation as the upscale ski town par excellence is in safe hands.