Colorado Rockies

Hotel development and renovation heats up in this four-season destination.

By Joan Drammeh

In the 1800s, travelers flooded the Colorado Rocky Mountain area in hopes of striking gold. Today, faith-based meeting planners flock to the region for its natural beauty and abundance of attractive destinations.

One area that is seeing a lot of new development and renovation is Colorado Springs, just outside of Denver. A Renaissance Hotel under construction is scheduled for completion next year. The hotel will have 300 guestrooms, 50,000 square feet of meeting space, and a full-service spa. The Residence Inn Colorado Springs South and the Fairfield Inn Colorado Springs South have both recently completed $1.5 million upgrades that began last April. The four-star Cliff House at Pikes Peak will welcome small meetings in the spring with an expanded lobby and meeting space.

Located in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, Breckenridge is a quaint Victorian town that will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2009. Over the years, Brekenridge has built a reputation as a four-season destination that combines fresh mountain air with fine art, music, and dining. 

Attendees can break the monotony of the convention schedule by taking advantage of Breckenridge’s vast recreational territory and trail network, which connects the mountain town with the Rocky Mountain wilderness. But the real draw is the more than 2,300 acres and 152 trails of downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowboarding on four mountain peaks.

Beaver Run Resort is the largest meeting hotel under one roof in Breckenridge, with 550 guest rooms and 40,000 square feet of flexible conference space. 

The resort has recently completed a $3.5 million renovation and upgrade, adding the Spa at Beaver Run. For gatherings, the Imperial Ballroom impresses with floor-to-ceiling views of the surrounding mountains. 

There are a lot of new hotel developments going on in Denver, the state’s largest city. Last year, more than 500 hotel rooms opened in Denver, with five new hotels scheduled to open this year, including three at the Denver International Airport.

Forty minutes from the Denver International Airport, the Embassy Suites Loveland opens this month with 40,000 square feet of meeting space, a full-service spa, and 263 suites. The property is located within the Ranch, a corporate development that includes the Budweiser Events Center. 

This story was originally published in the April 2009 issue of Rejuvenate.