Leslie Fingerhut is one of those people that you should know if you’re going to Aspen. Why? Because as the concierge at Sky Hotel, she’s “in the know” with the right connections to make sure you have the ideal winter escape.

How should guests take advantage of using a concierge to plan their vacation? Guests should call or email their concierge a few months before they arrive. For me, it’s about building a one-on-one relationship with people who stay here and getting to know what type of vacation they want. I can arrange everything: buying their lift tickets, booking dinners, getting rental equipment to be ready at the hotel, setting up an appointment to have a masseuse come in and decorating a room and ordering a cake if there’s a birthday celebration. The hotel is even pet-friendly and we offer services such as dog walkers and doggie daycare. Everything will be taken care of before guests arrive, and they won’t have to do anything but show up.

What do you suggest as the ultimate winter weekend? First of all, I wouldn’t stay for a weekend, I’d spend a week. Start the day with a good breakfast, some of the local favorites are Hickory House, Poppycock’s and Main Street Bakery. Then head out on the slopes; you’ve got four great mountains to choose from. After that, go to après-ski somewhere followed by a soak in a hot tub. Then at night, make dinner reservations early because you’re going to be exhausted from your day. And definitely plan one night to just relax and do nothing.

So for dinner, do you have any recommendations? It depends on what you’re in the mood for. The great thing about Aspen is that you can go from having saki and sushi in a hip lounge to having beer and cheese-steak in a casual bar. Some of the hottest places in town right now are Social, Jimmy’s and Matsuhisa. And everything is casual, so you can wear jeans wherever you go.

What about finding hidden powder stashes on the mountain? Any tips there? You know, if you have a group of three to five people, even if you’re not beginners, I would get an instructor for a private group lesson. They’re the best guides on the mountains, you never have to wait in lift lines, and they’re always going to know where the good snow is that day.

What about Aspen’s nightlife? There’s trendy nightspots like Eric’s Bar and the Fly Lounge, which has an interior that looks like a Lear Jet, and the servers are dressed as flight attendants. There’s also cool pubs like Little Annie’s. If you like live music, Belly-Up is a great small, intimate venue with all types of music that comes through (Lyle Lovett, The Pretenders and the North Mississippi Allstars are scheduled to appear here in 2009).

Any interesting run-ins with celebrities? We’ve had people like Vince Vaughn and Pat Benatar stay here, but I think one of the funniest things I’ve seen was when Hooters had some models in our lobby because they were shooting photos for a calendar, and Art Garfunkel was just sitting there among them, casually reading a newspaper.

Are there any other off-mountain things that you suggest to guests? Aspen is filled with so much history, and there are these great tours that range from walking through town with a historian to snowshoeing in the outdoors. You find out cool things like Aspen Mountain is almost hollow because of all the mining tunnels that have been dug into it.

Anything else that you love about winters in Aspen? I just love hanging out for après-ski at the hotel’s lounge, 39 Degrees. It’s always a great mix of people and a scene where you’ll see a 21-year-old snowboarder hanging out with a 70-year-old skier and having a good time. There’s something about the mountain that brings everyone together.