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Hotel Woes / Tech Hotels / Marriott Hotels / Denver Hotels / Hotel Key Cards / Hotel Parties / New Year's Eve Hotels / → All Tags

New Year's Eve at Marriott Denver Tech Center Ends In Major Technology Fail

Where: 4900 S Syracuse St [map], Denver, CO, United States, 80237

Of all the New Year's Eve parties that took place in hotels on Saturday night, this might be the most action-packed one we've heard about so far. Spread out across two neighboring hotels, the Hyatt Denver Tech Center's "White Rose Gala" and the Marriott Denver Tech Center's "Champagne Hotel" attracted thousands of midnight revelers. And for a while, it was smooth, champagne-fueled sailing.

Until midnight struck, and over 3,000 inebriated Marriott guests tried heading back to their rooms—only to discover they were all locked out! According to MSNBC, a computer error apparently crashed the hotel's entire key card database, and though pretty much everyone was drunk as a bicycle, and ready to collapse into their beds, they all had to wait until 3am to be let back into their rooms.

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Hotel Spas / Beer / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Denver Hotels / Massages / Hotel Pampering / → All Tags

Ritz-Carlton Denver Now Offering a Beer Massage (Yes, It's Exactly What It Sounds Like)

Oktoberfest may be officially over according to the Germans, but there's still a way for you to soak in your love of beer, literally, at the Ritz-Carlton Denver thanks to their Mile High Malt Scrub and Microbrew Massage offered at the hotel's spa.

Here's how it works--arrive at the spa to check-in and instead of cucumber water, you'll get a chilled brew from a neighboring brewery put in your hands. Once that starts to kick in, you can begin your exfoliating Vichy shower experience. First, a barkeep, er, "treatment therapy provider", will mix a light rice Ale beer into the brewery's own malt. Then a full-body exfoliation is done on you using a malt scrub, followed by a body mask of dark rich Stout which apparently gives you a silky soft skin.

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Hotel Desserts / Hotel Giveaways / DoubleTree / Hilton / Colorado Hotels / → All Tags

Colorado Springs Getting A Taste Of DoubleTree's Cookies Today

Where: 1775 E Cheyenne Mountain Blvd [map], Colorado Springs, CO, United States, 80906

Remember that DoubleTree cookie tour we told you about in May? Since kicking off in New York, the dessert truck has made its way across nineteen states in the country, and today, they roll into downtown Colorado Springs, CO. We figured you could use a little pick-me-up to get you through the end of the week. And free cookies definitely have that uplifting quality to them!

For those who live in the area, prepare to get your cookie around 2:30pm this afternoon. The CAREavan will show up at the corner of Tejon St and Colorado Ave, about five miles north of the DoubleTree by Hilton Colorado Springs. Everyone is entitled to a free cookie—no singing or Cookie Man dancing necessary. Cookies will be available until 5:30pm, at which point you should go find yourself a proper meal.

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Hotels for Teens / Teen Lounges / Family Friendly Hotels / Colorado Hotels / Westin Hotels / → All Tags

It's Official: Teens Have Cooler Hotel Lounges Than Grown-Ups

Where: 126 Riverfront Lane [map], Avon , CO, United States, 81620

NOMG. Teens totally have it way better than adults at hotels these days. The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas kicked off the teen lounge trend with their teens-only nightclub, Crush, followed by the JW Starr Pass in Tucson with their teen lounge, Blur. Now, teens vacationing in Colorado have their own place to chill away from the lame adults.

Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain will launch 7430, a new program for teenagers ages 12 to 16 on July 1.

The program offers teens a parent- and little-kid-free zone where they can hang out. The centerpiece of it is the Whitewater Lounge, where for $20-a-day cover charge they can play video games on the Xbox Kinect system, watch a movie or go online on one of the computers.

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Ski Hotels / Colorado Hotels / Capella Hotels / Hotel Deals / → All Tags

Double Dose of Telluride Ski-and-Stay Deals

Where: 568 Mountain Village Blvd. [map], Telluride, CO, United States, 81435

Presidents Day may have come and gone, but ski season is far from over, at least out west. Telluride, for example, has more than five feet on the ground—and two hotels are offering 50 percent off a second room to encourage group ski trips.

First up, the Hotel Madeline, the former Capella Telluride property that was handed over to West Paces Hotel Group earlier this season. (Service, at least per TripAdvisor, hasn't suffered.) The 84 guest rooms start at $250 a night, and a second room is free if you book at least two nights. Split the cost over a foursome, and you're looking at 50 percent off.

The deal also extends to the Inn at Lost Creek, a 32-suite boutique next door, where rooms have fireplaces, kitchens, balconies, jetted tubs and washer/dryers. Again, the second room is free when you book at least two nights. The "Spring Ski Fling" offer is good for stays through June 1.

[Photo: Inn at Lost Creek/Facebook]

Hotel Renovations / Denver Hotels / Kimpton Hotels / → All Tags

Yeehaw! Hotel Monaco Denver Unveils A Sexy New Vampire Look

Where: 1717 Champa Street [map], Denver, CO, United States, 80202

There’ve been some fun things going down (or up?) in the Denver hotel scene recently. The latest? The Hotel Monaco Denver's total renovation of all 189 rooms.

They’ve been done by interior designer Susan Caruso with chocolate and persimmon geometric carpeting, tangerine-colored damask drapes and walls in a camel colored “embossed weave”. And if that’s not making any sense to you, just think “sexy”. Don’t they look awesome? That headboard’s kinda gothicky, the carpet goes bam, those cowprint throws are awesome and the clashing colors – blues and orange – work strikingly well. We likey. A lot! A million miles better than how they used to look. And how cute do the double rooms look?! Like little vampire baby twins! It's kind of Twilight crossed with Brokeback. Amaze.

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Celebrity Scoop / Presidential Hotels / Barack Obama / Vail Hotels / Preferred Hotels / Timbers Resorts / Hotel Rebranding / → All Tags

Get Rebranded, Get a First Family Visit, If You're the Sebastian Vail

Where: 16 Vail Road [map], Vail, CO, United States, 81657

The brand new Library, before its Obama baptism

How’s that for a ringing endorsement of your new name? Just over a month after the Vail Plaza Hotel & Club was reinvented as The Sebastian, it swung itself a presidential visit this week. Or, rather, a presidential family visit – while Obama stayed in DC this weekend, Mrs O took the kids on a jaunt to the hotel.

According to the Mail Online, there’s a spot of controversy over the First Family’s trip to Vail following Obama’s advice on saving money – that one might like to cut back on one’s vacations. But hey, it was Presidents' Weekend after all.

Michelle Obama would almost certainly approve of Block 16, the hotel’s brand new restaurant that serves local, organic, seasonal food, as well as the newly dedicated Library (it’s just 10 days old, according to Facebook) – a room stuffed full of books, games and art which the hotel website reckons is perfect for “lively debate”. There’s also a new spa (which offers pop-up services around the hotel) and live music at the new bar, Frost, but we reckon Mrs O is too clever to risk coming over all Marie Antoinette by getting her nails done or throwing back a scotch.

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Hotel Jobs / Hotel Pets / Pet Concierges / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / → All Tags

More Cool Hotel Jobs: Man’s Best Friend at Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch

Where: 0130 Daybreak Ridge [map], Avon, CO, United States, 81620

All this week, HotelChatter contributor Eric Rosen will be telling us about some of the coolest hotel jobs out there. He reached out across the globe to talk to the dynamic folks who do everything from wrangling elephants (and guests!) to designing the latest high-tech gadgetry for your next guest room. So check back every day to see who he’s talking to next.

Today’s cool hotel job is special. Not just in the way that the others we’ve told you about so far this week have been special, but in that the character who occupies this post isn’t even human! No, we’re not talking about a super-intelligent android, or a beneficent extraterrestrial. Rather, we’re talking about man’s best friend: a dog. Namely, a yellow Labrador retriever called Bachelor, the mascot and all-round activity buddy at the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch.

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Hotel Rebranding / Vail Hotels / Preferred Hotels / Timbers Resorts / → All Tags

The Vail Plaza Has Tranformed into The Sebastian Vail

Where: 16 Vail Road [map], Vail, CO, United States, 81657

If this cold weather has you craving a trip to Vail to hit the slopes, you won't be able to shack up at the Vail Plaza Hotel & Club. The hotel has been converted into the Sebastian Vail.

But the boutique hotel is still open for business, and it offers some new features, including a new signature restaurant, bar and spa. That is, just in case you want some post-ski noshing or pampering.

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Bernie Madoff / Vail Hotels / Hotel Art / Hotel News / → All Tags

Want Some of Bernie Madoff's Art? Head to the Sonnenalp Hotel This Saturday

It may seem wrong buying stuff that once belonged to convicted ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff but as an auction last month proved, people are willing to shell out money for the finer things from his former life, like $1,700 for his underwear and socks. Given that small success, we'd say his art collection will probably fetch a lot more money.

The Sonnenalp Hotel in Vail, a swank ski hotel for the rich, will be hosting an art auction featuring pieces that once belonged to Madoff, including works by Marc Chagall, Henry Matisse, Norman Rockwell, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and Peter Max. The Colorado Independent reports:

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Checking In On / Denver Hotels / Four Seasons Hotels / → All Tags

Four Seasons Denver May Need To Work on Its Patter

Where: 1111 14th Street [map], Denver, CO , United States, 80202

It’s been nearly a month since Four Seasons Denver opened now, which is sufficient time for guests to take their thoughts of the place to TripAdvisor. Well, four of them, anyway. And they’re mixed.

The good: the location (in between the 16th Street Mall and the Performing Arts Center), the large rooms and what’s in them (TVs in the bathroom mirrors, marbled floors, other Four Seasony accoutrements).

The bad: the pool is outdoors and therefore closed in winter. The spa and gym aren’t as good as those at the Ritz-Carlton according to one reviewer (or possible Ritz employee.) And two out of four reviewers had issues with service: dry cleaning not being delivered on time, a 30(!!!!) minute wait to have luggage retrieved from valet, a front desk agent who slagged off the restaurant chain whose shirt a guest was wearing, without stopping to think that maybe the fact that he was wearing it meant that he worked for them. Fail.

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Ski Hotels / Aspen Hotels / Hotel Amenities / Limelight Lodge / → All Tags

Aspen's Limelight Lodge Introduces 'Inside Tracks' Ski Program

Where: 355 S. Monarch St. [map], Aspen, CO, United States, 81611

If the extent of your ski experience has been nursing a glass of brandy by the fire in the lodge, it may be time for some schoolin'. But that doesn't have to mean paying through the nose for ski lessons. The Limelight Lodge in Aspen prides itself on providing affordable luxury, and this winter it's introducing a ski/ride service that falls somewhere between private lessons and throwing yourself at the mercy of the mountain.

The Inside Tracks program--which kicks off on January 3 and runs until April 1--gives guests complimentary guided tours around Aspen/Snowmass's four mountains. While there is no instruction element of the tour, three pros will be on hand to offer tips and assistance as necessary. (We hope that includes picking us up when we tumble head over skis.)

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