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Hotel Colorado Fun Facts, Figures and Friends
Opening Hotel Colorado
• Hotel Colorado opened June 10, 1893
• Cost to build: $850,000
• One of the first hotels in the country to use electricity throughout
• Designed by Boring, Tilton & Mellon, a New York architectural firm that was awarded one of the two American gold medals at the Paris Exposition in 1890
Hotel Colorado's Construction
• Built of 10,000 tons of peach blow sandstone from Peach Blow Sand Stone Company.
• Glenwood Hot Springs Company manufactured 3 million bricks for the hotel.
• Oregon fir was used as the framing timber.
• The trim and floors were made of hard pine.
• The doors were made of yellow poplar.
• Electric wiring, installed by the Glenwood Light & Power Company, extended seven miles throughout the building.
• The equivalent of 10 acres of plaster was used in the building.
• Throughout the hotel, alternating walls were 18 inches thick.
• The sandstone slab used in the lobby fireplace weighs two tons.
• Twelve thousand yards of carpet.
• The Pennsylvania slate roofing was larger in area than Denver's state Capitol building.
Special Features
• Fashioned after the electric fountain at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, the great courtyard fountain was illuminated by electricity.
• The great fountain was also the world's highest fountain, throwing a stream as high as 180 feet into the air.
• Three-hundred tons of ice kept edibles at 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Six cold storage rooms made up 1,200 square feet of floor space.
• One hundred seventy open fireplaces.
• The hotel had two high-speed elevators, one for guests and service, and one for baggage.
The Grounds
• A line of shrubbery bordered the lawn on all sides.
• 2,000 rose bushes were planted on the grounds.
• The Walter Devereux Ranch had 6,000 fruit-bearing trees, fish ponds and tame elk.
• On-site herb gardens for the freshest possible ingredients in the hotel’s kitchens.
• Beautifully appointed courtyard and exterior gardens with exquisite plantings and moss rock installations
Other Interesting Facts
• 500 Grand Opening invitations were mailed.
• In 1900, the most fashionable dance was the Cake Walk, and according to The Denver Times, J.C. Keith of Hotel Colorado was the Colorado State Champion Cake Walker.
• The Hotel Colorado is home of the original Teddy Bear, named after frequent visitor Theodore Roosevelt
Hotel Colorado Famous and Infamous Guests
• Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Molly Brown
• Buffalo Bill Cody
• Evalyn Walsh McLean, heiress and owner of the Hope diamond
• Silver Dollar Tabor, daughter of Horace Tabor, the Leadville Silver king
• Gangsters Al Capone, Diamond Jack Alterie, Machine Gun Jack McGurn, Baby Face Nelson
• Wild West outlaw Doc Holliday
• Silent movie cowboy Tom Mix
• Entertainer Dinah Shore
When Hotel Colorado Wasn't a Hotel
• During World War II the Navy converted the Hotel into a first-class convalescent hospital.
• In 1961, the school district leased the building and used it as a school when the local junior high building was condemned.
Hotel Colorado in 2008
• Owners: Glenwood Properties, Inc.
· Managers: Providence Hospitality Partners (for nearly 20 years)
• American Landmark: In 1977, Hotel Colorado was placed on the National Register of Historical Places, preserving it as an American Landmark.
• Historic Hotel of America designation: awarded in 2007.
• Visitors to Glenwood Springs each year: Approximately 1 million per year.
• Busiest month in Glenwood Springs: July
• 130 refurbished sleeping rooms with turn-of the-century charm
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner served in Baron’s restaurant
• Outdoor dining in the Courtyard Café (Opened early Spring to late Fall – weather permitting)
• Cocktails and tapas in the Polo Wine and Martini Bar and at the Coppertop Bar
· Coffee and pastries available at Legends Trading Company in the Hotel Lobby
• 10,000 sq. ft of flexible conference space with six private meeting rooms
· Special events manager available for all wedding, events, and conference details
• Easy access to I-70, Aspen Airport, and Eagle-Vail Airport
• Reservations available on all automated airlines reservation systems.
Offering Auxiliary Services
• Light Circle Massage
• La Provence International Spa and Fitness
• Canyon Bikes
• Blue Sky Adventures
About the Hotel Colorado
Hotel Colorado is located in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, just off I-70, and a short drive from some of Colorado’s favorite destinations: Aspen (45 miles), Vail (65 miles), and Grand Junction (90 miles). The hotel has been a western landmark and destination for over 100 years, and recently underwent a multi-million dollar makeover of guestrooms, public areas and hallways, ballrooms, and the West Tower Bell Suite (dedicated as the Molly Brown Suite in 2003). Providence Hospitality Partners, LLC (Denver, Colo.) has managed the Hotel Colorado for several years and was instrumental in planning and completing the recently completed showcase restoration projects.
Providence brings its long-standing tradition and reputation for excellence in professional management to the ongoing oversight of hotel operations. For more information about Hotel Colorado and its diverse selection of recreational and relaxing activities, call 1-800-544-3998 or 970-945-6511, visit the hotel’s web site or contact Larry MacDonald, General Manager at 800-544-3998, ext 112 or Pamela Hoffer, Director of Sales & Marketing at 303/952-0824. |
