The Broadmoor
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Forbes’ inaugural hotel icons list is full of European luxury lodging — the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, Ritz Paris, the Savoy in London. In fact, thirteen of the 23 hotels on the list are in Europe. Only five U.S. establishments earned the accolade, and all but one of those are on the East Coast. The other one is right here in Colorado.
The Broadmoor is billed as the longest-running Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel — earning the top honor for 65 consecutive years — so its appearance on this new list isn’t that surprising; the roster celebrates enduring luxury properties that have continuously operated under the same name for more than a century and have earned a distinguished Five-Star rating.
Spencer Penrose opened the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs in 1918; John D. Rockefeller was the hotel’s first celebrity guest, and the 35-by-80-foot swimming pool was the largest in the West. Rooms were $10 to $12 per night back then; today, rates for a classic room are $300 to $500 a night and suites go for over $1,000. Guests can pedal paddle boats, golf, bowl or watch movies in the on-site theater on the 5,000-acre campus in Colorado Springs; they can also enjoy wilderness experiences, like fly-fishing camp and guided mountain biking, zip-lining, hiking and rock-climbing courses that take advantage of off-site properties.
The Broadmoor
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Denver oilman and billionaire Phil Anschutz was a longtime fan of the Broadmoor, and bought the place in 2011. In 2016, he told Forbes that “I started coming here when I was five. And when I was ten, I was sitting in the corner of the bar when I told my mother and father I was going to buy the Broadmoor.”
Under his ownership, the Broadmoor has continued to expand its offerings, including Colorado Appreciation Menus, curated three-course meals across the hotel’s three signature restaurants. The hotel is going all-out for the holidays, too, with a lineup of special celebrations and events, including Breakfast with Santa, Santa’s Winter Games, the 12 Days of Christmas activity series, the Broadmoor’s classic holiday variety show and plenty of seasonal fine dining and drinking. (Frosted Poinsettia, anybody?)
The fun will continue in the new year, when horse lovers can look forward to the fourth annual Winter Polo Classic on February 21 and jazz enthusiasts can check out Earl Klugh’s Weekend of Jazz from April 9-11.
Looks like the Broadmoor is setting itself up for another Forbes shout-out in 2026.
