In keeping with the spirit of this spooky time of year I went on the Brown Palace Hotel’s Haunted Tour last week. Well, I did not realize it but the Brown Palace is apparently ghost/spirit central. Our tour started in the main floor lobby where we learned about the history of how the hotel came to be.

I learned a great deal of information that was very interesting and fun. I knew that the Hotel was old but I did not realize it was 115 years old! I also learned that it is Denver’s longest operating hotel and was built by Henry C. Brown back when the City of Denver was just 34 years old. As it turns out, one of the most often seen spirits in the Hotel is none other than Mr. Brown himself.

After our introduction we went up to the second floor and went across the sky bridge that connects the older part of the hotel with what is now a Comfort Inn. I was surprised to find that the Comfort Inn is owned and operated by the Brown Palace and has been since the mid 50s. Our guide pointed out that beneath us was (allegedly) once a secret tunnel that was connected to a brothel that allowed men of society to sneak back and forth etc.

It was at this point that she told us that the most haunted part of the Hotel was the Oxford Club Room where many strange and mysterious things have been seen and heard. From ghost musicians to lights that turned themselves on to falling bottles of liquor, the Club has a very long history of haunting.

We then went into the center of the Hotel and stood over the railing overlooking the lobby and soaring atrium. It was really stunning and beautiful. Of course there were a number of spooky and eerie things that have happened in the lobby as well. I was most surprised by the fact that back in the mid 30s the two upper floors of the hotel were remodeled and turned into apartments. i had never noticed that the 8th floor did not have an open balcony but rather it has been sealed off with walls of glass blocks. As it turns out, this conversion of rooms to apartments was done in art deco style and it was at that point we learned that we were going up to the 8th floor to see it in person!

I could not believe how different the 8th floor felt from the rest of the hotel. It really was like a whole other hotel and everything down to the room numbers on the doors felt art deco. Our guide explained to us at that point that we would be touring the Eisenhower Presidential Suite. We learned that President Eisenhower and his wife were very frequent guests of the Brown and even turned the suite into a “Western White House” for a period of time. All I can say is the suite was stunning and it was the first and only time I have been in a Presidential Suite.

We got to sit in the living room of the suite as our guide told us more tales of doors closing by themselves and spirits that roamed the halls of the Hotel. One of the last anecdotes she shared was about a socialite named Louise Crawford Hill who lived in an apartment at the Brown from 1940 until her death in 1955. During a Valentine’s day tour about scandals and heartbreak, our guide was telling Mrs. Hill’s tragic story when the main switchboard of the hotel began receiving calls from Room 904 (her old apartment) when they picked up they could only here static. This was most intriguing because Room 904 had been completed gutted and was under renovation at the time - no phone line was connected. After our guide stopped telling the story about Mrs. Hill the calls stopped.

Our tour concluded back in the lobby of the hotel where our guide pointed out some very unique murals that really showcased what life and society were like when the hotel was first opened and when the murals were painted - in the mid 40s. All I can say is I walked away from that tour having a new found fascination with the Brown Palace Hotel. Given how much Denver has changed over the past 115 years I think it is astounding that the hotel is still there and as grand as ever. I think we are so lucky to have such a historical gem right in Downtown.

Whether you believe in ghosts or all things paranormal or think it is all just made up for publicity, the Brown Palace Hotel is a testament to the City of Denver and its early pioneers. I highly recommend checking it out even if you just end up strolling through the lobby. Personally, I have had cocktails in the Churchill Bar and it was really cool. Happy Halloween!