In my years as the Mayor of HeidiTown and as a professional freelance writer, I have stayed at some truly outstanding hotels around Colorado. However, there is just something about The Crawford Hotel in Denver that speaks to my soul, and it’s not even historic, although it feels like it is. It appeals to me because it represents travel more than any other hotel.
One hundred ten years ago, the glorious Denver Union Station was erected. For the next three decades, 80 trains a day came through the Mile High City, sometimes with dignitaries of note like Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and visiting European royalty.
When train travel was replaced by automobiles and planes, Union Station was neglected. The third and fourth floors were dingy offices, and this majestic building had become a mere shadow of its former glory.
In its first major facelift in 2014, a $54 million renovation resulted in one of the most outstanding remodels to occur in Denver. Union Station was reborn, and The Crawford Hotel came into being for the first time. The third and fourth floors were converted into a luxury hotel where guests feel as though they have stepped back in time.
As almost everyone in Colorado knows, Denver has had some challenging times since the pandemic. In fact, the first time I returned in 2021, I nearly wept at the sight of boarded-up buildings and the overwhelming sadness of the people living on the streets.
Fast forward to today and while there is still work to be done in the city, Union Station underwent a summer refresh. Gone is the flower shop in the Great Hall, there are subtle changes to the decor, and The Crawford Hotel lobby is now an enclosed sophisticated and cozy room, now separated from the Great Hall.
Times have changed, but our third experience at The Crawford was as wonderful as past stays.
We stayed this month, on a snowy weekend for Ryan’s birthday. We hadn’t been since 2019 when we spent the night before we boarded the ski train to Winter Park. This time we were in Room 222, a Premium Loft Guest Room. I was excited to stay in a new-to-us type Crawford accommodation. There are a variety of room types here. By the way, the rooms were all renovated this summer too, but it still seems like a stately hotel that’s been here for decades.
The spacious loft room features an entryway (perfect for extra luggage if traveling by train the next day), and a living area with a giant flat-screen television and bar. The comfortable bedroom with a slated roof and spacious bathroom is several steps down from the living area.
For some reason, the bathrooms at The Crawford have always stuck in my memory. They are quite nice and the clawfoot tubs come with one of those trays with everything necessary for a relaxing bath experience.
While The Crawford Hotel’s charm is its luxury travel ambiance, it is a place where one can sit still for a bit. In fact, there’s everything right here at one’s fingertips. When it first opened, I wrote a magazine article about staying at The Crawford Hotel and never having to leave the building. And it’s true—from a coffee shop to a bookstore to delicious dinner options and even a popular breakfast joint, it’s all at Union Station. There’s even boutique shopping.
This time, we dined at Terminal Bar, again, a place that feels like it’s been here forever. All dark wood, a long bar, and cozy booths, guests of The Crawford get a free drink here, and free coffee at Pigtrain Coffee Company.
A Latin theme weaves through the menu at Terminal Bar, and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Latin spices gets high marks from me. Union Station is also home to Ultria, a Spanish tapis-style restaurant where we had one of the most fantastic meals I can remember. The Mercantile Dining & Provisions, Press, Milkbox Ice Creamery, and Snooze an AM Eatery round out the rest of the dining options at the train station.
A Winter Weekend in Winter Park, Colorado: Skiing, Snowing & Eating All the Things (2019)
Before dinner, we visited The Cooper Lounge. This is the place where I was first introduced to cocktails on a silver tray with nuts and stuff. I am sure big city folks won’t be as impressed as I am with this type of service, but I am not a “big city” person, and I was seriously impressed the first time I went.
Should you stay at The Crawford, a drink here is a must. Overlooking Union Station’s Great Hall, it’s a memorable and above the “unwashed masses” experience—just kidding, sort of. I mean, an outing here starts with a glass of champagne.
The Cooper Lounge is old-school fancy, and I feel old-school fancy when I go. Plus, it’s down the stairs and around the corner from The Crawford. It’s on floor two and The Crawford is on floors three and four of Union Station. Reservations are strongly recommended because I’m not the only one who likes this place.
The next morning, we woke up slowly. Ryan went down and got us our free coffee at Pigtrain, and made reservations for a 9 a.m. breakfast at Snooze.
When we strolled downstairs, passed the Amtrak window, and into Snooze, I knew that making reservations had been very smart. A line of hungry patrons went out the door.
I’ve always thought Snooze was a fine breakfast spot, but I’ve never understood the insane popularity of this place. I did like the high ceilings and brightness of the new space (they used to be in the north wing), but on a chilly Denver morning, it was a bit brisk inside.
I am a fan of train travel. In college, I took Amtrak from my small school in Michigan to New Orleans for Spring Break. Then, at the end of that same year, I took Amtrak home from Michigan to Washington State (Seattle). Ryan and I have taken the train from Union Station to Glenwood Springs three times, and we’ve taken the ski train twice.
As we gazed at the timetable on the wall at Union Station’s Amtrak office, we noticed we could overnight from Denver to Omaha. Now we’re considering this trip. And we might be back at Union Station this year. The Winter Park Express, better known as the Ski Train, is lowering rates, an anomaly in this world of ever-increasing prices. Tickets will start at just $19 this winter, so we are looking into it.
Thank you to The Crawford Hotel and Union Station for hosting our stay.
By the way, The Crawford Hotel is dog-friendly, but we didn’t bring Fritzi on this trip.
