Cheyenne Mountain Resort getting $20 million face-lift

As it prepares to mark its 25th birthday in October, the Cheyenne Mountain Resort faced a problem many of us do as we get older: It was feeling a little dated.

“Right now we’re known as a clean product — dated, but clean,” said John Branciforte, director of sales and marketing at the resort.

For Cheyenne Mountain Resort, the cure to the curse of age is a $20 million facelift that got under way in May and will really kick into gear this fall as all 316 guest rooms at the resort are redone. The renovation should be completed in spring 2011, in time for peak season.

It’s the largest renovation in the resort’s history, Branciforte said.

“We’ve done it piecemeal,” he said, “but never a total gutting and retrofit.”

The changes play up the resort’s new tagline, “authentic Colorado experience,” with a natural stone fountain at the entrance, a slate firepit on the back patio, aspen-print wallpaper in guest rooms, a waterfall at the lower entrance, a herb garden near the golf course and new stonework and flowers in the landscaping. The project will also redo the hotel’s meeting rooms. Most of the public spaces in the lobby and terrace area have already been updated.

“There’s a defining movement as we turn 25 to relaunch and rebrand the resort,” Branciforte said.

Hotels require frequent updates and renovations to appeal to guests and meeting planners, said Kathy Reak, director of convention sales at Experience Colorado Springs, the region’s convention and visitors bureau. It’s a necessary investment even when the economy is struggling, she said.

“One of the first questions many planners ask is, ‘When was the last renovation?’ They want to know the property is in good shape and well taken care of,” Reak said in an e-mail. “Hotels must maintain their standards, and renovating in a down economy, difficult as it may be, needs to be done to stay competitive.”

After brutal years in 2008 and 2009, the hotel business is coming back, with occupancy rates at Colorado Springs hotels rising for the past four months. Leisure travel has led the way, Branciforte said, with groups and meetings beginning to rebound.

“We still face an issue where our bids are up against 20 other cities” for group business, he said. “There’s more availability.”

Renovating an operating hotel is like changing a tire on a moving car. It’s a little easier at Cheyenne Mountain, where the guest rooms are divided into blocks that can be closed, but updating the public spaces and meeting rooms is a challenge.

“The minute I took the Colorado (ballroom) out, I got three calls,” Branciforte said. “I could always put it (the remodel) off, but it’s the right thing do: Get it done, get ready for ‘11.”
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