One of the last great New England lodges, the Mountain Washington Resort opened in 1902 under the shadow of the East’s highest peak, and hosted the founding of the World Bank and the IMF during World War II. Now with family-friendly skiing a quick drive away at Bretton Woods, the hotel remains a year-round fixture of the White Mountains. Old-world touches like the Great Hall sitting room and the Cave – a former speakeasy – are still around, while fine dining at Stickneys and Donald Ross championship golf course count as stellar modern upgrades.

In the quaint Vermont town of Warren and only minutes from the slopes of Sugarbush, the Pitcher Inn was crafted out of a renovated Civil War-era lodging home for passing wagon drivers. Its eleven individually-appointed guest rooms, stellar American cuisine in its 275 Main restaurant, and the non-stop energy of GM Ari Sadri all helped make on Condé Naste Traveler’s Best List of places to stay worldwide. For those obsessed with rustic Vermont charm, look no further.

When it opened in 2008 with 312 guest rooms, the Stowe Mountain Lodge brought the full-service amenities of a resort hotel more commonly found at Western ski areas back to New England, including the hotel’s alpine cabin architecture, stone-framed fireplaces, top-notch service including ski, golf, and fly-fishing “sherpas,” loaner Mercedes, and stellar outdoor pool and hot tub. Its success has been enough to garner the attention of National Geographic and more than a few other publications.

Opened in 2005 in the style of the grand Adirondack lodges, the Lake Placid Lodge sits lakefront on Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics, and about thirty minutes from skiing at Whifeace. Hand-made furniture and great food and wine await guests throughout the hotel. Service is impeccable, with countless personalized touches like champagne on arrival, afternoon snacks, and complimentary mountain bikes, yoga, snowshoes, and cross-country skis. The New York Times recommends renting one of the gorgeous hewn-log cabins with giant stone fireplaces and porcelain tubs. Several are lakefront.

The relatively new Rock Resorts establishment with ski-in/ski-out service at the base of Breckenridge has quickly become a hit. With a collection of apartment-style residential units, One Ski Hill Place gives families a chance to spread out a bit more, and a bowling alley, movie theaters, two hot tubs, two pools, and a next-door “Fun Park” with a host of kid-focused diversions should keep vacationing families satisfied. Service is great, and the in-house T-Bar has become a hit from lunch on every day of the ski season.

Location at the base of Steamboat, the Grand offers luxury ski-in/ski-out accommodations and a lot of them, counting 328 rooms. Many of them provide spacious apartment-style living that’s perfect for accommodating families. The hotel has its own ski valet near the Gondola, and two oversized outdoor hot tubs and outdoor pool await to relax muscles sore from charging powder in Steamboat's legendary glades. A convenient evening shuttle delivers guests to downtown Steamboat Springs should they decide to check out town for dinner.

Love Vail Village’s imitation-Alps charm? Then Vail’s giant faux-Austrian lodge - The Sonnenalp - is where you should stay. The spacious rooms are all outfitted with classic Bavarian décor and the white stucco walls that are a hallmark of Germanic Alps lodges. The breakfast buffet gets notably high marks, as does the fondue at Swiss Chalet. While not slopeside, it is within 200 feet of Vail Village’s main pedestrian mall. Guests recommend rooms facing the ambling creek or Vail Mountain itself.

A luxury boutique hotel, the Sebastian’s proximity to the world-famous Steadman Clinic entices celeb athletes seeking surgery or rehab to recover here (It has also drawn Michelle Obama). Since the hotel is not slopeside, a private ski valet location is set up at the base of the mountain to store boots and skis, and hot chocolate and beignets are often served upon arrival. Perhaps the most unique amenity is the “Machine Gun Tour” which permits bachelor parties and other trigger-happies to shoot an M60 machine gun out of a real helicopter gunship.

The Four Seasons brings their legendary standards of service to Vail Village with a central location that’s walking distance to anything you’d need to get to in town. Guests rave about the spacious bathrooms, uber-comfy beds and cozy in-room fireplaces, along with the spa and and the heated pool facing the mountain. It’s a five-minute walk to the ski concierge at the base of the mountain, but most guests have enjoyed the chance to stretch their legs before hitting the slopes.

If you’re coming to ski Crested Butte’s legendary steeps off The North Face and Third Bowl, the Lodge at Mountaineer Square is where you want to stay. Situated a minute walk away from the base of the mountain, the Lodge has many condo-style suites to accommodate families and those who want to be a little bit more self-sufficient, while a free shuttle brings guests to and from the largely undeveloped Old West ski town that is old Crested Butte for dinner and drinks. Service and housekeeping gets high marks, as does the trail access for mountain bikers.

The ski resort-owned Viceroy was built to bring an Aspen level of luxury Snowmass Village, and it appears to have worked. The ski-in/ski-out hotel gets high marks for service, clean rooms, and suites outfitted with Viking appliances. Delicious hot chocolate and hot spiced cider is served at the end of every ski day.

This is Aspen’s most classically luxurious experience. The expansive hotel includes a stellar 15,000 square foot spa, Remède, and has capitalized on proximity to the annual Food & Wine Classic to up its culinary game. The Chefs' Club restaurant, a partnership with Food & Wine Magazine, opened this April with a rotating menu that will be highlighted by appearances from the magazine’s Best New Chef award winners. The hotel’s Italian restaurant, Trecento Quindici Decano, was redone this past spring as well.

Downtown Aspen’s most talked-about hotel is the only five-star, five-diamond hotel in town and the only one slopeside on Aspen Mountain. Celebs of all kind book a room to ski or simply to shop and be seen (Paris Hilton). A badly needed renovation in 2009 updated the look and feel of the rooms another in 2012 added Element 47, a restaurant which has opened to excellent reviews. The Nell prides itself on service, with willingness to offer everything from quick ride into town, dog walking, or services that will pick up and store your skis and boots once you reach the bottom of Aspen Mountain.

If you’re coming to Aspen to party, the Sky is calling. Considered a mid-range hotel (for Aspen), it hosts the most rocking après ski scene in town. Locals and visitors alike switch out ski pants for board shorts and bikinis to get the night started in the outdoor heated pool and hot tub. Playboy has even named the pool deck, and the adjoining modern 39 Degrees lounge and bar, as the Sexiest Ski Lodge in North America in years past.

Located in the San Juan Mountains, this resort was once a high-alpine ghost town full of 19th-century log-hewn buildings. After extensive renovation, the former homesteads are now luxurious private cabins, the old saloon houses the award-winning restaurant and bar, and a restored bath house hosts one of six hot springs on the property (luxury "glamping" sites with ensuite bathrooms are also available). Bon Appetit has ranked it the States’ 4th best Food Lovers’ Hotel and it is best enjoyed in the summer when travelers can take advantage of the Colorado backcountry's excellent hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, or fly-fishing.

With just eleven hotel rooms and eighteen guest residences, the cozy comforts at the Lumiere “fit the town to a tee” according to Forbes. Large rooms and the selection of fresh-baked goodies available in the lobby daily are highlights of this ski-in/ski-out location in Mountain Village with immediate access to the slopes at Telluride. Guest make use of a Black Tie Ski Delivery service, which gets high marks for its service and selection of equipment, and enjoy Little Bar’s top-notch tapas and sushi (though there is no full restaurant).

This ‘eco hotel’ at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is within spitting distance of two Jackson Hole institutions – the Tram, and the Mangy Moose. Known for beautiful modern rooms, an excellent spa, and the in-house Italian restaurant, Osteria, its most dramatic feature is the infinity hot tub overlooking the base village. Best enjoyed in winter when proximity to the Tram on powder days is key, it’s also within a few miles of Yellowstone National Park.

Trip Advisor named this ski-in/ski-out hotel at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort one of the top 25 hotels in America. Service is impeccable, even “helpful to the point of embarrassing” to one guest who had his boots buckled by the ski concierge. Well appointed rooms, family-friendly amenities, and a fun new Handle Bar round out the top-notch experience. That’s why Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal chooses the Four Seasons for his entourage and himself. Just keep in mind that impeccable service won’t make skiing the steep and never-ending vertical of Jackson Hole the slightest bit easier.

The Rustler is the most luxurious of Alta's hotels known for being “Interlodged,” meaning locked down when heavy storms threaten the canyon's concrete hotels with avalanches. Guests lucky enough to be closed in the night before can enjoy private powder the next morning before anyone else can get up the mountain (although, be warned: serious storms can mean Interlodge last for days). A hotel stay includes breakfast and dinner that are both superb, and rooms that are very comfortable despite their slightly dated décor.

Guest award high marks for these luxury apartment-style accomondations in Park City. All suites, cottages, and villas have their own washer/dryer and kitchens, and many have private hot tubs. While skiing is close, it’s best for golfing, as the Park City Golf Club wraps around the resort. An on-site Ruth’s Chris serves up the steakhouse’s legendary meats, with packages available that include a three-course dinner.

One of the three original schoolhouses in 19th-century Park City, it was turned into a B&B in 1984, and the limestone structure was renovated a second time and turned into a luxury boutique hotel in 2011. Compared with the Western rustic motif of most ski town hotels, the School House has a cooler palette with more contemporary chic that you’d expect out of a stay in Paris. There are only a dozen guest rooms, and all are a tad small, but the experience itself is intimate in all the right ways, as is the service.

The “Scandinavian masterpiece” named after the legendary Norwegian pioneer of American skiing sits fifty feet from the lifts mid-mountain at Deer Valley. The only Five Diamond hotel in Utah, the Lodge gets high marks from Forbes for its spa and dining at the Gilitretind restaurant. Many of the rooms include private hot tubs on the deck, and a helpful shuttle service makes enjoying Park City’s Main Street a breeze.

While Big Sky might not have Vail-level amenities or décor, if a trip to Montana’s short lift lines and radical landscapes is in order, the slopeside Summit at Big Sky is where you want to stay. The hotel and its outdoor oversized hot tub are within steps of the lifts, the rooms are comfortable, and a solid full breakfast is offered every morning. While all rooms have mountain views and many have gas fireplaces, guests recommend getting one facing Big Sky’s signature summit, Lone Peak.

Situated in downtown Whitefish 15 minutes from Glacier National Park and 17 from the ski area, this award-winning chef-owned bed & breakfast is known for its immaculate recreation of 1920’s art deco style, from the claw-foot bathtubs to the furnishings to the wallpaper (somewhat unfortunately) and great food. The gourmet breakfast is outrageously good, and every afternoon, guests can expect to return to the comfort of the main living room to enjoy complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres in front of a fire of birch and pine. Owners Rhonda Fitzgerald and Chris Schustrom are an outdoorsy pair that can guests pointed in the best direction for the day’s activities.

Another Sun Valley institution that’s been around since the ski area opened in the ‘30s, the Lodge hosts both the decent Gretchen Restaurant, the Duchin Lounge, which hosts weekly comedy or jazz nights, and the Celebrity Gallery, which hosts portraits of the Lodge’s many famous patrons. While the rooms aren’t the most modern, there are copious options going all the way up to four-bedroom condos. The Lodge makes use of its expansive grounds to house two 50-foot-wide hot tubs, an ice rink, and an open-air concert space that is home to the Sun Valley Summer Symphony.

A renovated motel that’s now a outdoorsy boutique blocks away from the casinos of South Lake Tahoe, the Heavenly gondola, and its own private beach, Basecamp’s thoughtfully designed hipster décor was enough for the New York Times to declare that “Wes Anderson called – he wants his set back.” There’s even a “Great Indoors” room with a canvas tent over the king bed with a chandelier inside, along with a fake fire glowing behind a picnic table. Great communal spaces – from the marshmellow-roasting outdoor fireplace to the rooftop hot tub – encourage connections, while the young staff, showers, and dog-friendly policy all get rave reviews.

While the hotel’s black glass facade draws humorous comparisons to the Death Star, the Resort at Squaw Creek nonetheless packs in a boatload of amenities for visitors. Immediately adjacent to one of the slower lifts at Squaw Valley, the Resort also packs two outdoor pools, a hot tub, an ice rink, a great spa, two restaurants, two more casual bars, and its own golf course. While rooms are plenty comfortable, some guests have complained that the hotel is starting to look a little worn around the edges.

One of Trip Advisor’s 25 best Canadian hotels, the Nita Lake Lodge is the only lakefront hotel in Whistler, and sits 500 meters from the Whistler Creekside gondola. It’s definitely for guests who want a calm, quiet place to retreat from the day’s activities, and not for those who are coming up to get rowdy in Whistler Village. Free bike and boat rentals are available for guests who want to get out on the small lake or the area’s vast bike path network, and free shuttle rides are available into Whistler Village, which is about five minutes away. The Nita’s Aura restaurant gets great reviews, too.

Despite competition from the Fairmont Chateau, the Four Seasons holds the crown as Whistler’s preeminent luxury hotel. Located in Upper Whistler Village, the Four Seasons lives up to its pristine reputation here, with unreal service, gorgeous rooms (especially those with balconies), a great ski concierge service, and again, unreal service. There is some trade-off with the Fairmont as guests are not slopeside like their competitor is, but they’re also in a quieter part of the Village that will be better for older crowds and families. At the end of the day, though, the Four Seasons put itself above the fold thanks to its world-renowned service standards.