Ask any local to name the city’s most iconic hotel, and they’ll undoubtedly note the one combining “Boulder” and “Colorado,” the historic Hotel Boulderado. A five-story, brick-and-sandstone masterpiece located one block from the famous Pearl Street Pedestrian Mall, the hotel designed in Italian Renaissance and Spanish Revival Styles opened in 1909 on New Year’s Day. As the city’s oldest hotel, it has been named on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America.
More than 100 years after its opening, guests can’t miss the hotel’s historic Victorian charm, from the mosaic-tiled lobby floor to the curved Cherrywood staircase and stained-glass canopy ceiling. The original 1908 Otis elevator also remains in operation, which guests can ride with the help of an attendant.
Debuting a $2.5 million renovation in June 2017, the hotel’s updated design features a reconfigured lobby—complete with a coffee bar serving local Boxcar Coffee and wine/beer, spirits, and small plates—and an updated second-floor mezzanine level. Guests can choose from 160 rooms, including 42 traditional ones honoring the hotel’s Victorian history, or more modern styles in the North Wing (updated in 2016). The hotel also proudly welcomes Fido.
Boasting 10,000 square feet of meeting space, the hotel also has three restaurants and bars: Spruce Farm & Fish, The Corner Bar, with the iconic moose perched over original wood bar, and License No. 1—a nod to its distinction as the first bar in the city to hold a liquor license—a speakeasy-style bar offering craft cocktails and entertainment. Large windows offer sweeping views of downtown Boulder and the stunning Flatirons.
Visitors have convenient access to biking and hiking trails, including the popular Boulder Creek Path, and the hotel provides guests and dogs complimentary shuttle service to trailheads, breweries, and shops. (Or request to be shuttled in style in a 1977 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II.) Whether visiting for vacation, a college or wedding celebration, or a holiday event, there is undoubtedly no more historic way to experience Boulder.