Disappointed.

We stayed at the Brown on two different occasions. We really enjoyed the restaurants and bar but the rooms and service were disappointing for what we expected and what we paid. There are too many newer hotels in Denver that have just as good of service for the price. We'll do those from now on. We had a used room service menu in our room, we had no turn-down service and no clean-up in our room and no bathtub, which I had requested. I emailed and wrote the hotel but never received any type of response.

Resting on its laurels is NOT enough....

First, the good: we arrived at the Brown very late at night with a young child. One gentleman served as valet, bellman etc. He showed us to our room which was dingy, dark and had one bed. He called the front desk and had us moved into a really wonderful spacious room, with great morning light and two incredibly comfortable bed. This man was an absolute treasure, and because of him we have warm memories of the Brown Palace.

However, if we'd taken the first room (which was grotty... judging from the reviews here, many rooms need to be updated) we would have been very unhappy. The hotel nickels and dimes you for small services (i.e. telephone call) though they do provide nice writing paper if your need for communication is not urgent. In the morning, some event was being hosted at the hotel (I think it was actually the hotel's birthday party) and the staff was so busy catering to the television crews that they made it pretty clear that they could care less about their guests.

This seems to be a rampant problem with stately old hotels with longstanding reputations for excellence. The service that earned them those reputations has for the most part gone by the wayside, and too many of these "fine old hotels" are content to rest on their laurels. With the exception of the man who "tucked us in" when we arrived, no one that we came in contact with at the Brown Palace appeared to understand the finer points of "graciousness" or even "service."

I've been back to Denver more than a dozen times since we stayed at the Brown Palace.... we never went back there again.

Would NOT go back........

I live in Denver and purchased one of the Brown's overnight get-away packages. We were both VERY disappointed in the room. They put us in an old section that didn't appear to have been updated in decades. It was small, dark and dank, musty. The bathroom was like one out of a Motel 6. All was clean, no problem there. The only good thing I can say about our stay was that it included the Sunday brunch which was wonderful....I can recommend that, only. There are many, many fine hotels in and around the Denver metro area I will stay at before I ever go back to the Brown Palace. I would also note that in the past, I've often searched out old, historic, elegant hotels in my travels and more often than not, they all turn out to be just that, 'old'. I no longer do that. At one property in Alaska, I actually ended up leaving my 'old, historic, elegant' hotel after the first night because it was absolutely the worst place I'd ever stayed. Live n' learn.

Brown Bug Palace

What a beautiful hotel, great bar and resturant. The room was nice, but beware of the bugs. I was very excited to stay at this historic hotel. I had heard great things about it from people who visited the lobby resturants but did not stay overnight. We noticed a few little black bugs that seemed to be confined to the bathroom. After killing a dozen or so, then the big ones came out. They were on the wall in the living area and one even found it's way to the bed. ICK! When complaining to the manangement, they sent someone up to check on the bugs and to tell us that there was nothing they could do since the hotel was fulll. They offered up free breakfast, but nothing else. I was very dissapointed in the experience. At $225 a night, I expected a little more.

Good except the windows don't open

Excellent position (near to shops/restaurants and Avis rental!), very good room and bathroom, impressive atrium. We didn't eat anything there. The only thing is that the windows don't open which made me feel rather ill the next day but if you handle that kind of controlled air environment you'll be fine.

Charming but.......

This is an old and charming hotel. It has so much history, however, it's not perfect. Our room and bathroom were pretty small and the sink and bathtub leaked all night..DRIP DRIP DRIP! The onsite dining and bars were VERY expensive but this hotel is within walking distance of many restaurants and the 16th street mall. Fun place to stay!

Don't Go Overrated!!!!!

We live in Denver and have tried giving the Brown Palace a try numerous times for our guests, for dinner and for drinks. 100% of the time the service is disinterested, slow and rude. We recently booked a last minute room there. When we arrived they told us (after they had charged our credit card) that we would be staying at the Comfort Inn - NOT the Brown Palace. After about a 30 minute conversation with the manager regarding how we could pay for a room at the Brown Palace but could put in the Comfort Inn - he charged us 50% more and put us in a very small room that smelled old and wet. The halls there are so narrow that you can hear your neighbors coming and going - which makes sleeping-in very difficult. The hotel lobby is beautiful - but just go there to look around - everything else is sure to be a disappointment and a waste of money.

My Favorite Hotel

The most elegant hotel I have ever stayed in. Visually beautiful in every way, breath-taking lobby/atrium. Great location. Don't miss tea -- you won't want to leave the civility of delicious food, lovely service and the harpist playing. They have a historian that gives tours too. I felt pampered!

Go for tea; but stay somewhere else.

I thought the Brown Palace would be the perfect hotel for a mother daughter weekend. I reserved the "executive stateroom" because I believed the two queen beds and sitting area would provide just enough lounging space for my mother and me. The "sitting area" turned out to be a chair next to one of the beds - not at all what I expected based on the room rate I paid and the description provided to me by the hotel's reservations operator.

Despite my disappointment with the room, the hotel is worth seeing and high tea is definitely worth experiencing.

Fabulous Hotel!!!

My husband & I travel frequently, and I can say without a doubt, this is my favorite hotel of what I would call the "urban category". My husband had a conference here last year, so I tagged along for the adventure. I went shopping during the day while he slaved away at the conference. The hotel is conveniently located 1-2 blocks away from the pedestrian-friendly "shopper's paradise". Denver has this cool street completely closed to traffic, except for buses that you can ride for free, & it's nothing but shops, bars, & restaurants.

The service at the hotel was wonderful - it was truly a 5 star experience! The rooms couldn't be any cuter or more comfortable.

This hotel is highly recommended!!!