A new hospitality brand, First Chair, has launched in Aspen as of June 1, with a focus on providing experiences for the diversity of skiers who travel to the area. Founded by former Wyndham and Vacasa executives and backed by a local team, the brand aims to bring a local, personalized touch to vacation rentals.
"The company is built around an approach rooted in local connection, transparent homeowner partnerships, exceptional property stewardship and consistently seamless guest experiences," a press release states.
First Chair’s Aspen portfolio includes 38 units with Aspen Mountain Lodge and 41 standalone homes from Aspen to Redstone. Chief Operating Officer Bob Milne, a passionate skier and former ski instructor, emphasized the importance of catering to skiers: "When you talk about premiere ski destinations, you can’t do that without making sure you’re talking about Aspen and Snowmass. It just fits into our overall vision of having a company that can cater to the skier."
The debut portfolio — acquired from Casago in December 2025 — also includes homes in other Colorado locations and across Wyoming, Montana, Vermont, Idaho, California, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. CEO Rishi Nigam highlighted that every location deserves its own local feel and attention to detail, saying, "As the vacation rental market continues to expand and become more generalized, we saw a fantastic opportunity to create a new, highly focused hospitality brand that showcases and celebrates the special destination communities we serve in a very tailored way."
Milne noted that First Chair will make sure hospitality starts at the front of every door, addressing a perceived gap in the vacation rental market: "I think the hospitality side of vacation rentals has gotten lost a little bit. Especially with skiers, they really appreciate that. Those things go a long way and that’s where I want to make sure we rise above the pack."
First Chair properties will offer everything from value stays to luxury, recognizing that skiers are a diverse group. "Skiers are kind of a unique group. It’s not a one-size fits all," Milne said. "There are the people that are just out of college … we have to have an accommodation that works for them. There are people that are families that want to teach their kids how to ski … and then there’s also the people who love the glitz and the glamour of Aspen and want to stay in a really luxurious place."
The brand also emphasizes stewardship of local homes, providing homeowners with an advanced portal for real-time visibility into reservations, calendars and revenue performance, integrated technology tools, and targeted marketing to increase property visibility.
For more information or to book a stay, visit first-chair.net.
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