The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa
Photos by Steve Collins
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From the minute you pull up to The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa and are greeted by the impeccably uniformed doorman, you know you are in the lapof luxury. The pampering at this Four Star, Four Diamond property starts at the door and continues throughout the stay.
Dating from 1892, the lobby of the Italian Renaissance building is richly paneled and features an eight-story atrium with a leaded glass ceiling. Traditional afternoon tea is served in the lobby from noon to 4pm daily and for some it is a tradition. Friends meet friends and mothers sit with daughters, many having come here for generations. They sip, nibble on finger sandwiches and pastries and devour scones with Devonshire cream. If you really want to get into the spirit, don a hat and gloves. Should you prefer honey in your tea it will have originated right from the hotel’s roof. The Bee Royalty Program, conceived to produce the honey for the service, was so successful it has expanded. They now have three hives with about 250,000 bees and use the honey in cocktails, in spa treatments and products and are collaborating with Denver’s Wyncoop Brewing Company to produce Honey Saison, a limited-edition beer.
Survey the retro lobby and admire the luxe Art Moderne fixtures and influences combined with Victorian and Italianate ones. The murals adjacent and opposite the elevator are WPA projects painted in 1937. Look for famous golfer Babe Didrikson Zaharias deplaning and Howard Hughes on the tarmac. The hotel’s history is rich. If you stay on a Saturday or Wednesday, there’s a free guided tour of the history of the hotel at 3pm. Make reservations in advance, the tours are popular.
The Brown Palace has welcomed royalty, presidents, movie stars and assorted luminaries through its revolving doors. Splurge and book a room or suite At the Top of The Brown, the name given to the 8th and 9th floors, originally part of the ballroom and turned into luxury apartments in 1937. A selling point for these lavish residences was the hotel service that came with them. Except for a few of the suites, the décor on these floors is decidedly Art Deco in both the hallways and guest rooms.
The Beatles stayed here on their first U.S. tour in 1964, insisting on it after the hotel balked. It was a simple negotiation – they wouldn’t play Denver if they couldn’t stay at The Brown. One of the suites they occupied has recently been refurbished as a shrine to the Fab Four. All the songs they recorded are on a juke box in the room and photos of the group, some never seen publicly, adorn the walls. Another departure from standard décor can be found in the opulent Adirondack lodge themed Teddy Roosevelt Suite.
Denver is a big cattle and cowboy town. Every year, during the annual National Western Stock Show, dubbed the “Super Bowl of Cattle Shows,” the hotel exhibits the Grand Champion Steer penned in the lobby for a few hours. In the past few years, the Reserve Champion Steer has shared the spotlight. Luxury hotel meets cattle; it’s pure Denver. While it sounds like a legend, in 1958 television cowboy, Monty Montana, rode his horse up the hotel’s grand staircase crashing a meeting of the Rodeo Cowboys Association. That’s the stuff legends are made of.
Because of the hotel’s unique triangular shape, the sizes and shapes of the 241 guest accommodations vary. In addition to the Top of the Brown and the suites, the hotel offers Classic and Signature rooms with choice of bed type and Victorian inspired décor. Nightly turn down service is provided, of course.
Denver has a relatively short but interesting history. If you want to feel a part of it, The Brown Palace is the perfect choice for your Mile High City stay. After a busy day, unwind with a cocktail in the wood-paneled Ship’s Tavern, opened in 1934. The hand-made antique miniature sailing ships and art decorating the room were part of a collection of the hotel’s first owners, C.K. and Edna Boettcher. The savvy Mrs. B wanted the items out of her stately home and suggested they be displayed in the themed bar. Cigar aficionados will love the club ambience at the Churchill Bar where a custom humidor offers a selection of over 60 cigars.
*Don’t care to drive around the bustling downtown? There is complimentary car service within a five mile radius offered on a first come, first served basis, via a Mercedes Benz fleet. Check with the hotel for days and hours of service.
The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa
321 17th Street
Denver, Co.
(303) 297-3111
www.brownpalace.com