On January 1, the Hotel Boulderado passed the century mark with a swank party New Year's party and then a Sunday open house commemorating 10 decades of hospitality -- luxurious, minimal and then luxurious again. All were welcome to visit the hotel, listen to live music, enjoy free hors d'oeuvres and punch and birthday cake -- and watch ballroom dancers in period costume performing dances popular throughout its long history.
Dancers in period costume (above); Boulderado birthday cake (right) by Shamane's Bake Shoppe. By the time I shouldered close to it with my little camera, several of the top tiers had already been taken off, sliced and distributed to celebrants. The Daily Camera published excellent pix.
Meanwhile, as the gracious Boulderado was entering its second century, the cutting-edge aLoft Hotel (or is it the Aloft Hotel? or the aloft? or the ALOFT?) was getting set to open in Aurora, near Denver International Airport. There are 17 other hotels with this name, one of Starwood's brands, already open or about to open, and I'm thinking that images on the photo page of the website are of some other them. It brand's design seems hip, high-tech and super-cool with mid-century modern furniture and Technicolor hues in the public spaces and Euro-toned down (natural wood + white) in the guest rooms.
I haven't seen the Denver area hotel or received any press materials, so all I can do is quote its own prose:
stay & play: public spaces
Meet & mingle with friends at our w
xyz(SM) bar, grab a sweet, savory, or healthy snack from re:fuel by aloft(SM),
our 24/7 pantry, or play in our re:mix(SM) lobby. Plus, you can always stay
connected with complimentary hotel-wide wired and wireless Internet
access!
rest & refresh: aloft rooms
Breeze into one of our aloft rooms,
featuring our ultra-comfortable signature bed, an oversized spa shower, custom
amenities by Bliss® Spa, and more. Our plug & play connectivity station
charges all your electronics and links to the 42” LCD TV to maximize work and
play.
Colorado's first aLoft/ALoft/aloft/ALOFT is at 16470 East 40th Circle, Aurora; 303- 371-9500. Others are planned for the Arista complex in Broomfield (opening in May 2009) and Glendale (near Cherry Creek and opening March 2010).
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If the Boulderado celebration appeals more to me, does that signify I'm getting old or just not very hip?
ReplyDeleteSybille - IMO, the Boulderado had something very special to celebrate and did so in style. It really is a local treasure.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can appreciate the pared-down, super-cool simplicity and connectivity of hotels like the Curtis and the new aLoft (or however they write it), these hotels seem to be more statements about how hyper-modern the designers are. To me, they aren't particularly comfortable -- and I don't mean the mattresses or the bedding. They are so stark and so clean that opening a suitcase or putting toiletries on the vanity seems like disturbing a Zen rock garden.I feel guilty for messing up my room.
There is something to be said for both ultra modern hotels as well as those that closely guard tradition and carry a piece of the past into the present.
ReplyDeletePersonally I prefer the latter. Modernism surrounds us virtually everywhere. It is entirely more pleasant in my opinion to be "transported" into another place and time -- one which was often more elegant and charming as opposed to the somewhat "sterile" cutting edge boutique hotels which have sprung up in cities across the world.
Interesting to note that some of the best "boutique" hotels actually eschew over modernism (while still providing all of the amenities) in favor of warm designs and elegance which, although served up on a "modern platter", nonetheless harkens back in many respects to the plus luxurious environments of yesteryear.
Well put, AJG. By personal choice, I tend to favor treasured old hotels and B&Bs too (but then, I live in an 1890s home, which is about 20 years newer than my previous one). New "design hotels" are full of WOW! factors, but they tend to be more sterile than traditional ones. Having written that, more recently built hotels, inns and private homes can be warm, welcoming, elegant and/or high-tech too. In the great scheme of things, one "size" doesn't fit all.
ReplyDeleteIts really great that. I very much like this type of events.
ReplyDeleteMohammad Zohaib Khan from Atlanta