Destination Guides
Colorado
by Sarah J.F. BraleyNovember 1, 2012
Why Here?
The state is buzzing with hotels both new and revamped. Hot properties to watch include the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, the new Westin in Snowmass, the Marriott Denver Westminster and Aspen's Hotel Jerome. The scenery, like the peaks above near Aspen, remains spectacular.
Mountain Tracks
Record ski miles, pictures and more with the EpicMix app and RFID-equipped tickets from Vail Resorts, whose Colorado spots are Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Vail. bit.ly/UVQ1GF
Colorado SpringsÂ
The city weathered a difficult early summer, when wildfires ravaged the foothills. All area attractions reopened quickly as the Waldo Canyon fire was contained, but the Flying W Ranch in the Mountain Shadows area, which had been run by the Wolfe family since 1953 and specialized in Western-themed events, was destroyed. The family plans to rebuild; meanwhile, the entertainers at the property, the Flying W Wranglers, still can be hired for events.
Parts of the two-year, $60 million renovation at the 744-room Broadmoor have been finished, including upgrades to the 21 guest rooms in the Southlake building and the 6,300-square-foot Cheyenne Lodge conference space. Scheduled to be completed by April 2013 are the rebuilding of the Tavern's Garden Room; an expansion of the Golden Bee pub; and the addition of an activity center in Broadmoor West, with bowling lanes, billiards and food outlets. The third phase of the project, finishing up in 2014, features the redesign of the West Lobby Bar, the addition of a new Italian restaurant and the expansion of the 154 rooms and baths in Broadmoor West. Currently, the resort has three golf courses and 185,000 square feet of meeting space.
In May, the 117-room Mining Exchange, a Wyndham Grand Hotel, opened in what was once the local stock exchange and the adjacent Independence and Freeman-Telegraph buildings, following a $30 million transformation. The property has 10,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 3,317-square-foot Grand Ballroom; a spa will open in 2013. The on-site eatery, Springs Orleans, serves Cajun fare, and downtown is on display from the Stratton Lobby Bar.
The Colorado Springs U.S. Olympic Training Center now offers more than 20 meeting rooms totalling 18,433 square feet. The largest space is the 4,114-square-foot West Wing Conference Center; there's also a 225-seat auditorium.
Cheyenne Mountain Resort and the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving jointly offer high-speed team-building activities at Pikes Peak International Raceway. The 316-room resort, a member of the International Association of Conference Centers, features 40,000 square feet of meeting space, the Lotus Salon and Spa, a Pete Dye golf course and three restaurants.