Hotel Colorado is the grand dame of Glenwood Springs, a sandstone-and-brick landmark that has welcomed guests since 1893. Presidents, the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown and even Roaring Twenties gangsters have stayed here, and the hotel is famous as the place where the teddy bear legend was born.

Silver baron Walter Devereux built Hotel Colorado in 1893 to draw wealthy travelers to Glenwood’s healing hot springs. The hotel says no expense was spared: there were tennis courts, a Victorian garden, a bird sanctuary, an indoor waterfall, a European-style spa and a fountain in the courtyard that shot water 185 feet into the air. In 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt made the hotel his temporary White House during a three-week bear hunt, and legend says the hotel’s maids cheered him with a stuffed bear sewn from fabric scraps, the story behind the name “teddy bear.” President William Howard Taft visited in 1909, and during World War II the U.S. Navy used the hotel as a convalescent hospital that treated more than 6,500 patients between 1943 and 1946.

Today the hotel offers classic rooms, suites and signature suites, including the Molly Brown Suite filled with family photos and period furnishings. Dine at Baron’s Restaurant, sip a drink in the Polo Lounge or grab coffee and teddy bear souvenirs at Legends Coffee & Gift Shop, with courtyard dining and the Coppertop Bar in season. With a past that includes tales of a murder, a fatal accident and a morgue, Hotel Colorado also has a reputation as one of Colorado’s most haunted hotels. It is steps from Glenwood Hot Springs Resort and a short drive from Iron Mountain Hot Springs.

Hotel Colorado celebrates the season with events such as its Halloween costume ball and haunted high tea each October, plus holiday dinners in November and December. See the latest events and packages at hotelcolorado.com.