Hotel Boulderado was the first luxury hotel to be built in Boulder, Colorado and has been one the most famous landmarks in the city for over 100 years. Located in the heart of downtown Boulder, near the popular Pearl Street Mall, it’s right in the middle of all the action! This boutique hotel offers historic charm with modern amenities and sweeping views of Downtown Boulder, the Rocky Mountain foothills and the Boulder Flatirons.😍
Hotel Boulderado
📍2115 13th St, Boulder, CO 80302
📞 (303) 442-4344
🖥https://www.boulderado.com/
💲Prices: ~$170-380/night
Hotel Boulderado offers valet parking for $25/day or there is street parking available that’s free from 7pm-9am.
Lobby
As soon as you step into Hotel Boulderado you’ll notice the elegant chandelier hanging and the grand carpet entrance with a big “B” for Boulderado. Off to the left is where you’ll check-in and straight ahead is the lobby area filled with luxurious sofas, antique chairs, plenty of memorabilia, and a stunning stained-glass ceiling!🤩
Below is the original entrance to the hotel. Hotel Boulderado has undergone some renovations throughout the years but has made a great effort to keep it’s historic charm by staying true to the hotel’s original look and feel!
You could spend the entire afternoon exploring the lobby and all the history that it holds! It’s filled with old artifacts and antiques like the original guest log, vintage stamp machines, original cash register, and the glacier drinking fountain which, still today, filters water from the Arapahoe Glacier!
This was the original front desk back in the day and is now a seating area where you can sit with your laptop and get some work done! 💻
My favorite part of the lobby has to be the original Otis elevator that was installed during the beginning stages of the hotel’s construction in 1907! It’s one of five remaining in the entire country and still works today. You can ride it up to your hotel room, how cool is that?! So ring the bell, hop in, and take a step back in time!
Rooms
Our room was in the North Wing, so to get there you’re going to walk across the Skywalk which had large windows that looked out to the beautiful mountain views of Boulder.⛰😍
We stayed in their Modern King Suite (North Wing King on their website) which had two rooms. A sitting room with a sofa, chair, and flat-screen TV, and the main bedroom and bath.
The room was very spacious and modern, decorated with contemporary western decor. It had a huge king size bed, laptop-friendly desk with a modern alarm clock and iPhone charging port, another flat-screen TV, and a large closet with plush bathrobes, a safe, extra pillows and blankets, and an iron and ironing board.
Colorado is an extremely environmentally friendly state, so Hotel Boulderado is doing their part to protect the environment with their recycling program! And in an attempt to conserve water, sheets and towels are changed every other day with their linen and towel reuse program. However, if you’d like them to be changed daily you can do so by using their Think Green card!♻️
In between the bedroom and bathroom was a little nook with a luxurious vanity that had a coffee maker (with the cutest Hotel Boulderado mugs!), bottled water, extra shelf space, and a cabinet that opened up to a mini-fridge.
The bathroom was also very luxurious with another gorgeous granite countertop and black and white tiled floor, stocked with Aveda products that smelled incredible; like rosemary mint.🌹🌿 It had a full bathtub and shower and was super spacious. Perfect for two girls getting ready!🙌🏼
But the best part of the room was definitely waking up to the amazing views of the Boulder Flatirons!😍⛰🙌🏼 Our room had a sliding glass door that led out to a Juliet Balcony where you can sip your morning coffee and enjoy the beautiful Colorado scenery.
Historic Rooms
Hotel Boulderado also has historic rooms for those who really want to immerse themselves in the history! These rooms have traditional Victorian decor with vintage wallpaper and elegant draping curtains that will make you feel like you’ve truly stepped back in time! I love that they offer both types of rooms depending on the kind of experience you’d like to have! Read more about their Historic Rooms here.
The Carriage House
If you’re traveling with a larger group for a wedding or a big party, or you just want a little more privacy, you might want to book your stay at the Carriage House! This quaint house sits directly across from the hotel and has 4 suites that are all very spacious and apartment like. Each suite has separate living areas, luxurious modern bathrooms, and sitting areas. By booking the Carriage House, you can have that private house feel and still get the same amenities as hotel guests! Read more about the Carriage House here.
Dining at Hotel Boulderado
If one thing’s for sure Boulder has delicious food and with the eclectic dining options at Hotel Boulderado there’s no reason to leave the hotel! Hotel Boulderado has two incredible restaurants, a one-of-a-kind speakeasy, and a coffee bar!
Spruce Farm & Fish
Hours: Brunch (weekdays) 6:30am-3pm, Brunch (weekends) 7am-3pm, Happy Hour 3-6pm, Dinner 5-10pm
Dinner Menu: https://www.spruceboulderado.com/menus/dinner/
Spruce Farm & Fish offers brunch, lunch, dinner, and happy hour daily from 3-6pm!🍷 Using the best the region has to offer, Spruce Farm & Fish executes a creative cuisine every single time serving seasonal, modern New American eats and fine wines.
We had dinner here one night and the food did not disappoint! To drink I decided to try something different so I got their Burnt Orange Old Fashioned served with cherry infused bourbon, bitters, and a grilled orange. I’m not a huge old fashioned drinker but this cocktail was really good, it had just the right amount of sweetness!🥃
For appetizers we got the Blue Crab Cakes, Ceviche of the Day (Salmon), and the Mediterranean Plate to share.
And for our entrees we ordered the Verlasso Salmon and the Eggplant Caponata Pasta. My eyes are always bigger than my stomach lol but everything we had was incredibly delicious!😋
The Corner Bar
Hours: Lunch & Dinner 11am-12am, Happy Hour 3-6pm
Menu: https://www.boulderado.com/dining/the-corner-bar/
Located on the corner of Spruce and 13th street is the locals favorite, The Corner Bar! In the summer they have live music every Tuesday from 5-7pm with happy hour specials during the event!🍻🎶 So have a seat on their beautiful patio and listen to some live music as you sip on a perfectly poured martini!🍸
We ate here for a quick bite before we headed to the airport on our last day in Boulder. We decided to try the Prince Edward Black Mussels served in a white wine broth with ciabatta bread, the Truffle Fries, and the Crispy Brussel Sprouts & Cauliflower tossed in a delicious chili-soy glaze.😋
And as if that wasn’t enough food we also go the Mustard Crusted Verlasso Salmon Salad.😜 The salmon was so fresh and paired perfectly with the chopped kale and quinoa salad with dried cherries, apples, sunflower seeds, and a white balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top! Yum!
Inside is a casual pub atmosphere with wood furnishings and a giant moose head hanging above the bar. They also have a wooden staircase that leads up to a second level of seating and tables. The Corner Bar is the perfect spot to stop in for a quick lunch or drink!
License No. 1
Hours: Open Daily 5pm-close, Happy Hour Daily 5-7pm
Menu: https://www.boulderado.com/dining/license-no-1/
When Hotel Boulderado opened its doors in 1909, the City of Boulder was completely dry having outlawed the sale of alcohol within city limits. And in 1969, one of the first legal licenses to serve hard liquor in a restaurant was issued to the bar located in the basement of Hotel Boulderado. Today License No. 1 is a one-of-a-kind speakeasy with an incredible ambiance, and continues with the very same liquor license that was first issued in 1969!
License No. 1 is huge (way bigger than it looks) and has multiple rooms that create a really intimate atmosphere! There’s photo booths, games like pool and darts, and they even have live music every thurs-saturday night!🎯
Before renovations were done, License No. 1 was originally known as Catacombs Bar. You’ll see the name and logo in places throughout the speakeasy along with the original hotel sign and the mechanics of the working Otis elevator in the lobby!🕯
Boxcar Coffee Bar
Menu: https://www.spruceboulderado.com/menus/coffee-bar/
Start your morning off right at the Boxcar Coffee Bar inside Spruce Farm & Fish restaurant right in the lobby of the hotel. Here they’re serving up Boxcar Coffee Roasters, a popular Boulder coffee!☕️ They also have juices and baked pastries. It’s the perfect stop before a full day of adventuring out in Boulder!
In-Room Dining
Hours: Breakfast – Mon-Fri 6:30am-3pm, Saturday & Sunday 7am-3pm / Other dishes available daily 7am-10pm
At Hotel Boulderado you don’t need to leave your room to experience fine dining! They offer room service breakfast, salads, and full entrees seven days a week!
Fitness Center
Hours: 24/7
Hotel Boulderado has an on-site fitness center located on 2nd floor of the hotel. It is a relatively small gym, but it has a few cardio machines and some free weights.💪🏼 If you need more than that they have a deal with One Boulder Fitness complimentary for the duration of your stay. You can check out their website here!
Event Spaces/Conference Rooms
Hotel Boulderado has quite a few meeting spaces and conference rooms to hold your next party or event! Read more about event planning at Hotel Boulderado here.
Take a Walk Through History
As I’ve mentioned various times throughout this post, Hotel Boulderado holds a lot of history and is a part of the Historic Hotels of America! So if you’re into history like me then come up to the third floor and take a step back in time!
You can request to take a history tour for free (if you’re a hotel guest) by just stopping by the front desk, or feel free to roam around on your own and learn about the history of Hotel Boulderado! All throughout the third level you’ll find things like Victorian closets, antique chests and ice boxes, the original dining room chairs, and black and white photos from the early 1900’s that each tell a captivating story.
One thing I found particularly interesting were these hand fans. The interesting thing about them is that they weren’t just used for cooling off or fashion purposes, but they were also used as communication devices! The language of the fan was widely used back then, mainly for transmitting secretive love messages. A simple resting the fan on her lips translated to “I don’t trust you”, while quickly fanning herself meant “I love you so much”. Interesting, right?
These artifacts in the glass case are items which were left behind by previous hotel guests over the years!
Back when Hotel Boulderado first opened in the early 1900’s they didn’t just have hotel guests, they also had some long-term residents who lived at the hotel. The lady in the photograph was a very important person at Hotel Boulderado. She was some type of scientist that was there doing research and studying the history of Boulder, and she lived in room 303. So if you happen to walk by her room you’ll see her photograph hanging up outside the door!
This now storage closet is how big the actual hotel rooms were back in the day!😱 Pretty tiny right? They all had a twin bed with a door that opened to a water basin to wash up, and shared bathrooms were in the halls!
The mezzanine is a very special spot in the hotel! You can stand in the exact place where they used to hold weddings! The photo below was taken at the grand party on New Year’s Eve in 1909, and the very next day Hotel Boulderado welcomed their first hotel guest!🎊 This year (2019) is their 111th Anniversary and they’re having a huge New Year’s Eve Carnevale Di Boulderado to celebrate! Learn more about the event here.
Other Amenities
- 24-hour front desk
- Pet friendly ($100 non-refundable fee applies)
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Valet Parking
- Bell Service
- Concierge Services
- Local hotel shuttle
- Same day laundry & dry cleaning
- ATM
- Free history tours
- Complimentary newspaper
- Fresh flowers & chocolates
- Exclusive specials at Marianna’s Aesthetics & Spa
Pros
- Convenient location downtown, close to a lot of attractions
- Historic but modern
- On-site restaurants
- Incredible room views!🤩
- Unique amenities (like the Otis elevator)
Cons
- Street parking downtown is hard to find and valet can add up quickly!
If you’re a history buff like me, Hotel Boulderado is a must! It’s a wonderful option for the modern traveler who has a love and appreciation for history and boutique hotels. With breathtaking mountain views, luxurious old-time charm, spectacular eats, and conveniently located just minutes away from Boulder’s most-beloved attractions like the Pearl Street Mall and the Boulder Flatirons; it’s no wonder it’s considered one of the best hotels in Boulder. Hotel Boulderado truly has it all!
**Thank you to Hotel Boulderado for hosting our stay and sponsoring this blog post!
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