The gorgeous, rugged Rocky Mountains are a fitting
backdrop for almost any major event, and Colorado resorts are
bent on attracting groups with new meetings offerings and
property renovations, as well as a gigantic new conference
center hotel that is on the horizon.
The new 230-room Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center will
open in January 2014. The hotel will repurpose Denver's
historic Colorado National Bank building, which was originally
constructed in 1915. The property will include a fitness
center, a business center, a restaurant and bar, and 6,000
square feet of meeting and event space; this includes three
boardrooms located inside the former bank's vaults, each with
original 33-inch-thick steel safe doors.
Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center, located in
Breckenridge, has begun construction on a new entrance and
lobby. The new entryway will have an enclosed,
temperature-controlled seating area for guests waiting for the
Beaver Run shuttle, airport transportation, or local buses. The
project should wrap up next month. The 515-room resort has more
than 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including
the 7,200-square-foot Colorado Ballroom, the 5,400-square-foot
Breckenridge Ballroom, and the 2,778-square-foot Imperial
Ballroom.
The Keystone Resort & Conference Center, located 90 miles
west of Denver, recently refurbished the guest rooms in its
lodge with new flat-screen TVs and tinted windows. The resort's
ski area has upgraded its snow-making equipment and purchased
additional snowmobiles. These improvements are part of a
10-year plan to improve skiing trails and access for visitors
to the Keystone Ski Area. The resort has a total of 1,200 guest
rooms and the Keystone Conference Center boasts 100,000 square
feet of meeting and event space, including three ballrooms.
This summer, The Broadmoor Resort has opened a luxury guest
ranch and wilderness retreat in Colorado Springs. Located
within the Pike National Forest, The Ranch at Emerald Valley
features 10 cabins that sleep a total of 32 guests. Each cabin
has a wood-burning fireplace, private deck, and oversized
shower. The 744-room Broadmoor Resort has more than 100,000
square feet of meeting and event space.
The Gateway Canyons Resort has recently unveiled a $20-million
renovation. The property's Dolores River Inn has been rebranded
as the Kayenta Lodge. The lodge's 20 guest rooms now feature
new tiles, gas fireplaces and flat-screen TVs, as well as
freestanding showers and oversized tubs in the bathrooms. In
addition, Gateway has opened the Palisade Casitas, a collection
of 800-square-foot, two-bedroom suites set apart from the rest
of the resort. All 20 casitas feature outdoor showers, private
decks with fire pits, and free-standing tubs. The 58-room
resort has 8,778 square feet of event space.
The 1,500-room Gaylord Rockies Hotel and Conference Center
planned for Aurora continues to attract controversy even after
a favorable decision by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.
A group of 22 hoteliers argued that the development's heavy
dependence on public subsidies would give it an unfair
competitive advantage. Although their initial petition was
overturned in August, it's possible that the group will pursue
further legal action to stop state funding of the forthcoming
resort.