The Anchorage Aspen Hotel, located at 108 E. 8th Ave., is scheduled to host its first customers Jan. 17.

For Carol Fraser, the vice president and co-owner of Aspen Hotels of Alaska, the nine months preceding the opening have been a myriad of angst and excitement.

"It'll be really nice to get it open and get people in here," Fraser said. "It will be nice to sleep through the night, again."

Fraser remembers April 9, when the original structure was set aflame. The Anchorage fire department determined that the blaze started in the lobby and that it was intentional arson, she said.

Fraser also remembers the response from the Anchorage community. She said she kept track of all the calls, flowers and e-mail she received after the event, and that the reaction surprised her.

"More than 450 people contacted us in four days," she said. "It was humbling. Everyone still is interested in how we're doing and when we're opening."

It took a few days after the fire, to decide whether or not to rebuild, Fraser said. But, she noted, the foundation was still solid, and that was encouraging.

"Once we decided to rebuild, then we were excited," she said.

The company was also inspired by the outpouring of support it received from both the community and the local Red Cross, Fraser said. Shortly after the fire, Aspen donated $5,000 to the disaster relief organization, said Jim Minnery, the development director for the Anchorage office of the Red Cross.

In September, the hotel chain began a promotion in which a percentage of every hotel room rented went to the Red Cross. Fraser estimated that her company raised $25,000 before the end of the 2002; she added that the Anchorage hotel will offer free emergency housing to people whose homes are destroyed by disasters.

"It's our way of giving back to the community," Fraser said. "You always hear that Alaska is cool and different and that we take care of each other. But, it just becomes a phrase until a disaster like this strikes."

Minnery said Aspen's contributions to the organization have helped throughout the state.

"It's been a remarkable outpouring of support," he said. "I think mainly they saw first-hand what it is we do. Aspen has just stepped up to the plate."

'The final piece'

This week, the hotel will open its doors to its first guests, and its ultimate goal. Fraser characterized the final preparations as "nerve-wracking."

"Everyone's working around the clock to get it done," she said. "It's not just a building anymore, it's an obsession."

George Swift, Fraser's corporate partner, modeled the $5 million Mediterranean-style structure after a hotel in Seattle. Fraser said Swift knew what he wanted when they bought the property.

The 90-room Anchorage hotel is the fifth, and final, in the Aspen chain, Fraser said. It will comprise: three different kinds of standard rooms; spa suites; extended-stay suites for long-term travelers; family suites with a separate room for children; and the presidential suite, a 1,200 square foot room complete with a bar, whirlpool bathtub and heated balcony.

Fraser and Swift have been literally building their company for the past five years. Aspen hotels in Juneau, Valdez, Fairbanks and Soldotna have been under construction or remodeling since 1998, following a string of opportunities too good to pass up, Fraser said.

The Anchorage Aspen Hotel completes the chain, she said. With its wrought-iron fences, heated cobble-stone round-about, and history, Fraser suggested that it will stand out among the area's competition.

"I'm really proud of it," she said. "It really puts the final piece in the puzzle."

Fraser said after five years of development, she is anxious to shift her focus back to sales and marketing for the hotels.

"At that point, we're going to focus on growing the hotel chain up instead of growing out," she said. "Unless we get another call: 'Hey, there's this great piece of property.'"