One of the last great New England lodges, the Mountain Washington Resort opened in 1902 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 the hotel make it 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 300 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 Whiteface. 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. Seventeen 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. A bowling alley, movie theater, two hot tubs, two pools, and a summertime “Fun Park” with a host of kid-focused diversions should keep vacationing families satisfied. Service is great and the in-house T-Bar with plenty of TVs has become a favorite for lunch or après during ski season.

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.

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 (gorgeous!) and the heated pool facing the mountain. There's a great breakfast buffet, a fun game room for families, and a ski concierge at the base of the mountain so skiers never have to struggle with gear. Don't miss their in-house restaurant Flame for some seriously good steaks and the pool and hot tub area is out of this world.

The enormous signature ski-in/ski-out lodge of Beaver Creek houses a generous 180 guest rooms and 40 suites. The Ritz’s list of amenities is long and distinguished, too: the only Wolfgang Puck restaurant in Colorado, a 21,000 square foot four-star spa that includes a grotto, and a friendly dog (named Bachelor, naturally) you can actually rent to keep you company. Immaculate rooms greet every guest, and the Bachelor Gulch Express high-speed quad chairlift is right out the back door.

This large outpost of the Westin hotel chain has direct access to skiing at Beaver Creek via a gondola and all the ski amenities you could want. Beyond the nicely appointed rooms and friendly staff, the pool is huge and visitors enjoy jaw-dropping mountain views any time of the year. Don't miss the 27,000-square-foot Spa Anjali, consistently ranked one of the top spas in the nation.

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, and the staff here goes above and beyond to accommodate any need.

This is Aspen’s most classically luxurious experience. The expansive hotel includes a stellar 15,000 square foot spa, Remède, and fine dining at the hotel’s Italian restaurant, Trecento Quindici Decano. Comfortable beds, top-notch service, and a gorgeous heated outdoor pool and hot tub area bring guests back, again and again. Our tip? Upgrade to a suite for the ultimate in luxury and enjoy a glass of wine while sitting at one of the many outdoor fire pits.

The site of the legendary J Bar which inspired an Eagles song, this hotel holds the distinction as the site of Hunter S. Thompson’s memorial service. As one of the first buildings west of the Mississippi to have fully electric lighting, it also made the National Register of Historic Places. An award-winning interior renovation completed in 2012 gave the hotel a gorgeous new lobby along with a great new restaurant – Prospect – while doing away with heavy details like the red velvet that used to hang everywhere. The new Hotel Jerome is better than ever.

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. A renovation in 2009 updated the look and feel of the rooms while another in 2012 added Element 47, a well-reviewed restaurant with an extensive wine list and chef Bryan Moscatello at the helm. The Nell prides itself on service, and will offer guests everything from a quick ride into town to dog walking. This hotel has it all.

Right on Main Street next to the site of Butch Cassidy’s first bank robbery, the New Sheridan is a classic example of frontier Victorian architecture which houses Telluride's oldest bar. A 2008 renovation updated the cozy historical charm of the building while bringing in a stellar steakhouse and two rooftop hot tubs with views of the ski area. Since it is open to the noise of Main Street’s nightlife below, the hotel provides ‘white noise machines,’ which most guests rank as highly useful.

With just eleven hotel rooms and eighteen guest residences, the cozy comforts at the Lumiere impress every time. Helpful staff 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. The hotel is also a short walk from the town gondola, making it easy to ditch your car. The ski concierge is lovely, rooms are large, and the resort gets high marks for small luxurious touches, like the steam showers that transport you to water nirvana.

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.

A well-noted Forbes travel writer named this luxurious outpost one of his picks for "Hotels I Love" and we love it too. Service is impeccable and winter staff at the hotel's Base Camp will even buckle your ski boots (uh, no thanks). There are well appointed rooms, family-friendly amenities, and a gorgeous nature-inspired pool complex with multiple hot tubs. The hotel wins on location, a short walk from the Jackson Hole gondola in the winter and close to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks in the summer. Just keep in mind that impeccable service won’t make skiing the steep and never-ending vertical of Jackson Hole the slightest bit easier. But that's what we come for!

This modern single-story boutique hotel spreads across East Gros Ventre Butte on a remote, private bluff with spectacular views of Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons. The stone and wood décor invite supreme relaxation, as does the location and the 35-meter pool with an open deck facing the peaks. A sizable gym and spa keep visitors healthy and fit, as do the private hiking trails. The Tetons are some of the most dramatic mountains in North America, capped by the 13,775 foot jagged summit of the Grant Teton, and few other locations enjoy the Amangani’s perspective of it.

One of the three original schoolhouses in 19th-century Park City, the Washington School House 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 Washington School House Hotel has a cooler palette with a contemporary chic that creates a calm mountain oasis. 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.

Located mid-mountain in the Silver Lake area of Deer Valley Resort, the Goldener Hirsch Inn was voted as the Best Ski Boutique Hotel of 2013 in the World Ski Awards. This Austrian-style inn features ski-in/ski-out luxury complete with antler chandeliers and handcrafted furnishings. With only 20 rooms (all featuring king-size beds and fireplaces) this place doesn't have the huge resort-type amenities of some hotels, but it does cast a magical European charm. Just call us smitten.

A recent addition to the upper crust of the ski scene, the Montage Deer Valley has earned its stellar reputation with 154 guest rooms and 66 suites. A 35,0000 square foot spa just might be one of the best in ski country, with over-the-top packages and an indoor mosaic pool. Almost all of the well-appointed rooms are larger than expected and the mountain craftsman-style decor is sophisticated and subtle. This place does luxury right.

While Big Sky might not have Vail-level amenities, décor, or luxury, 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 breakfast is offered every morning. While all rooms have mountain views and many have gas fireplaces, we recommend getting one facing Big Sky’s signature summit, Lone Peak.

Situated in downtown Whitefish 15 minutes from Glacier National Park and 17 minutes 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 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 point guests in the best direction for the day’s activities.

After a recent renovation in the fall of 2012, the centrally located Knob Hill Inn features updated boutique charm and a modern palette that impresses guests used to Sun Valley's subtle luxury. The service is outstanding, with friendly staff willing to drive guests a short trip to the ski lifts or to a dinner reservation a few minutes away. The well-decorated rooms feature extra-comfy beds, deep bathtubs, and plenty of space for all your gear (we love the hooks for jackets!). A tasty breakfast awaits each morning, and there are even free iPads available for guests during their stay.

One of the few luxury resorts in the Tahoe area and one of the only slopeside hotels around, the Ritz Carlton at Northstar-At-Tahoe leaves nothing wanting as far as accommodations and service are concerned. A giant octagonal lobby with a 55-foot granite fireplace is a beautiful architectural centerpiece. Guests tend to complain that the mid-mountain location leads more to a feeling of isolation than needed seclusion, but the staff's friendly and accommodating service make up for any drawbacks. Overpriced overight parking is a burn, too, but huge rooms and the ski-in/ski-out location still make the Ritz a solid choice.

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 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.

Located in Upper Whistler Village, the Four Seasons lives up to its pristine reputation 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 some prefer. At the end of the day, though, the Four Seasons puts itself above the fold thanks to its world-renowned service, gorgeous pools, and a spectacular spa.

As Revelstoke Mountain Resort becomes one of the new hot places to ski, visitors should look no further than the Sutton Place Hotel. A ski-in/ski-out property that offers 222 condo-style hotel rooms, this hotel is mere steps away from the lift and the perfect option for scoring all the powder British Colombia has to offer. They even offer heli-ski packages that start at under $900 per person.

As the nicest accommodations in Mammoth, the Westin Monache Resort impresses guests with its four star rating and convenient village location. Good service and dog-friendly lodging are major pluses, and many rooms offer kitchenettes which help cut down on resort food costs. Try booking one of the suites and enjoy mountain views and large rooms.