NEW ORLEANS – Kupperman Companies and MML Hospitality have announced that the renovation and restoration of the historic Mountain Chalet in downtown Aspen has been fully funded, with construction now moving forward.
The Chalet, Aspen’s oldest owner-built lodge, was originally constructed in 1954 by the Melville family after a trip to Garmisch, Germany. What began as a modest three-room property grew into a local landmark. Today, the Melville family remains part of the ownership group, alongside Larry McGuire and Zach Kupperman, who lead the project with support from partners Tom Moorman, Liz Lambert, and Elle Florescu.
According to Kupperman, the collaboration emerged from both opportunity and timing. “We love Colorado and were searching for projects there. Our partners at MML Hospitality were having a lot of success with one of their restaurants there, and we started looking for development projects. Larry McGuire at MML found the deal. We were working so well together at Hotel Saint Vincent that we decided to tackle it together,” he said.
The vision for the redevelopment blends respect for the lodge’s legacy with a new luxury identity. “Our vision is to keep the chalet’s European sensibilities, while also establishing a new benchmark in American luxury adventure travel,” said Kupperman. “There will be some exterior design changes, but the goal is to maintain the look and feel of an historic, European-style ski lodge throughout the property.”
MML emphasized that the project is guided by a deep respect for the Chalet’s storied past and the Aspen community it serves, with the goal of creating a destination for generations to come.
Kupperman noted that the development team brings a strong track record to the undertaking. “We’ve worked on six other lifestyle hotel projects, so hotels are in our wheelhouse. We’ve also had a lot of experience with older, historic buildings, and complex projects with a lot of hair on them. Our team’s background in development, financing, law, and being able to distill the complex into the simple really set the stage for us on Chalet.”
When the property reopens as Aspen Mountain Chalet, it will retain its European ethos while embracing a modern Aspen sensibility. PCL Construction is serving as general contractor, with Rybak Architecture as architect of record. The design, led by Lake Flato with interiors by Lambert McGuire Design, will blend classic Alpine characteristics with contemporary flourishes. The grand opening is anticipated for summer 2027.
“Kupperman Companies is a real estate development and investment firm. We design, develop, and invest in a variety of asset classes, including hotels, retail, multi-family, and mixed-use projects. Our home base is New Orleans, but our footprint expands across the South from Texas to Georgia, and into Colorado. Select projects include Hotel St. Vincent, which we did with MML Hospitality, our partners in The Aspen Chalet, the forthcoming Trader Joe’s at Freret and Napoleon, and Maison du Krewe at 619 Royal Street,” Kupperman said.
The firm’s hospitality ventures have drawn national recognition. “Hotel Saint Vincent earned a MICHELIN KEY from the MICHELIN Guide in 2024, the first year that Michelin reviewed New Orleans. Travel + Leisure also ranked Hotel Saint Vincent as one of the Top 10 Hotels in New Orleans for 2024. We’ve also won a handful of awards related to historic preservation in New Orleans for four separate projects, and a national award for Hotel Saint Vincent for Best Historic Renovation in 2022 from the Excellence in Construction National Eagle Awards,” said Kupperman.
For Kupperman, the success of these projects rests on the people behind them. “Our team is the company. We’ve got a fantastic team that really pulls out all of the stops to deliver projects on time and under budget. Patrick Dougherty is our Director of Development. He is intimately involved in all development projects and leads project management across our portfolio, including at The Aspen Chalet.”
About Kupperman Companies
Led by Zach Kupperman and based in New Orleans, Kupperman Companies is a real estate development and investment firm with holdings throughout the Southeast and Mountain Regions. With a track record of long-term ownership and partnership, Kupperman focuses on complex and diverse projects, bringing capital and expertise to the most challenging real estate situations.
Kupperman designs, develops, and invests in a variety of asset classes, including hotels, retail, multi-family, and mixed-use projects, and has expertise in award-winning historic redevelopments that preserve the history, architecture, and culture of the surrounding community.
Kupperman developed Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans with MML Hospitality. Kupperman currently owns and manages over 40 projects in Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Colorado and the Gulf Coast, including over 600,000 square feet of hospitality, retail, and mixed-use assets and over 1,100 pads of manufactured housing communities.
About McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality
Based in Austin, TX, McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality is a partnership between restaurateurs Larry McGuire and Tom Moorman and hotelier Liz Lambert. Together, they develop and manage projects spanning restaurants, hotels, and retail, in Texas and beyond.
With a reputation for highly considered interiors, award winning food and beverage programs, best-in-class service, and an exacting attention to detail, MML Hospitality’s portfolio includes 20-plus restaurants across Texas, California and Aspen. In 2021, the group expanded into hotels with the opening of Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans, including two full-service restaurants, bars, in-room-dining and banquets.
MML Hospitality partners are joined by an industry-leading team of hospitality professionals spanning creative, culinary, beverage, human resources, marketing and accounting.
