Sweetest of the suites for the DNC

Take a tour of Denver's most luxurious hotels and the presidential rooms that will host the DNC's luminaries

By Debra Melani, Special to the Rocky

Published August 22, 2008 at 3 p.m.
Updated August 22, 2008 at 3:03 p.m.

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Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

The living area in the presidential suite at the Oxford features decor of the historic hotel's era, with comfy leather furnishings and a homey hearth.

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Chances are good Sen. Barack Obama will step over the threshold into a Denver hotel room later this week.

What the presidential hopeful will see, if reports are correct, is chic and plush. With a large front room, full wet bar, dining area and separate sleeping quarters, calling it roomy sells it short. And the views? Mile High magic.

It's no Motel 6, that's for sure.

Obama and all the political top dogs spilling into the city this weekend are filling up presidential suites right and left, inundating the top floors and luxurious wings of Denver's poshest hotels.

"Absolutely all the suites in town are snapped up," said Susan Stiff, director of public relations for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which owns the Denver Sheraton and the Westin at the Tabor Center, where Obama is reportedly staying.

"They've been snapped up for a long time," said Stiff, who said she was not allowed to confirm that Obama would be a Westin guest.

Presidential suites, named such because they are fit for a king (and we don't have those here), are a hotel's finest rooms. Often booked by celebrities, Denver's numerous presidential suites have hosted everyone from Oprah and the Dalai Lama to Magic Johnson and Snoop Dogg. And they don't serve just the rich and famous. The spacious rooms are also booked for parties and receptions by the less-than-wealthy.

As the Democratic National Convention readies for launch, we offer a peek into presidential suites at three popular Denver hotels, including the Westin and the Brown Palace, where one suite was renamed after Obama for the convention and where the Clintons reportedly are staying.

Brown Palace Hotel

321 17th St.

If you're seriously excited about the chance to see political dignitaries this week, you probably don't work for the Brown Palace. For staff members of this historic hotel, seeing notables is almost ho-hum. Except for Calvin Coolidge, the Brown has greeted every U.S. president as a guest since Teddy Roosevelt.

In 1908, the hotel played host to the Democratic National Convention. And, more recently, the Clintons stayed in this triangular- shaped sandstone and red-granite hotel, straddled by 17th Street and Tremont Place, during the Summit of the Eight, inviting dignitaries from around the globe inside its doors.

With all of this presidential hoopla, it's no surprise the Brown boasts three presidential suites, each reflective of the president for which it was named. Here's a look at the Eisenhower. The other suites: Reagan and Roosevelt.

* The suite: Inaugurated as a presidential suite in 1905, this room was later named for one of its most-frequent visitors, Dwight Eisenhower. Ike first used the lavish suite for official business when he made it his campaign headquarters. Because Mamie Eisenhower's mother lived nearby on Lafayette Street, the first couple spent so many summers in Denver after the election that the suite became known as the Western White House. (The Eisenhower has been renamed after Sen. Barack Obama for the duration of the convention.)

* Living in style: From the eye-popping bright-blue carpet to the swooping, gold-tasseled swag valances, blue and gold establish the predominant color scheme in the current Eisenhower Suite. Renovated in 2000, "regal" best describes the room's motif. Gold-plated bald eagles serve as book-shelf brackets. Dining-room nooks display antique china. And stately white pillars frame gaping entryways.

* Size matters: 1,250 square feet (a foyer, powder room, front room, wet bar, dining room, office area, bedroom, full bath)

* Money is no object: $1,500 a night

* If these walls could talk: While practicing his swing, Eisenhower winged a golf ball into the suite's original fireplace mantel. The dented mantel piece was removed during the 2000 remodel and encased as an in-room memento. When President Clinton came to stay, an excited Brown Palace chef asked the commander in chief what he would like on the evening's menu. To the chef's dismay, the president was in the mood for something not often taught in culinary school: a cheeseburger and fries.

* Star-struck: A small fraction of notable guests include Buffalo Bill Cody, Helen Keller, Jack Benny, John Wayne, Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Bill Murray, James Earl Jones, Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, the Beatles, Grateful Dead.

* Wow factor: Walking the halls that historical figures once walked, guests enter an antique- lover's dream, but are treated with state-of-the-art style, whether it's the full-service spa and salon, flat-screen TVs, high-speed Internet access, two-line phones, terry robes and slippers, or pure artesian water from the hotel's own well.

Westin Tabor Center Hotel

1672 Lawrence St.

Despite the fact that the Brown Palace renamed one of its three Republican-named suites (the Eisenhower) after Sen. Barack Obama for the duration of the convention, the presidential hopeful reportedly chose the Westin for his Denver stay instead.

Choosing the Westin at the Tabor Center means Obama opted for views over history, modern over antique. Built in the 1980s, the hotel has catered to actors, musicians and, particularly, athletes, with sports teams making up 10 percent of its business.

The 19-story hotel's views are so outstanding that the three presidential suites are named after some of the peaks that inspire Mile High visitors: Longs, Pikes and Mount Evans. We took a peek at Longs.

* The suite: Unobstructed views of Colorado's Longs Peak give this room its name, which boasts a solid wall of floor-to-ceiling windows in the main room and large bedroom.

* Living in style: Elegant yet simple, the suite's main room offers a clean, modern look. A solitary vase centered on a table. A single abstract painting hanging on a wall. With tan carpets, taupe walls and light-upholstered divans and chairs, earth tones prevail. The result is a bright and open feel, contrasted only by rich-brown drapes and red-mahogany tables.

* Size matters: 1,100 square feet (large front room, bedroom, luxury bath, powder room, wet bar).

* Money is no object: $1,300 per night

* If these walls could talk: Jerry Lewis was a guest when Dean Martin died. He and his family, including their two Shih Tzus, remained secluded in their suite. Noticing that they never saw the dogs leave the room, staff members worried about the shape they'd find the suite in once Lewis checked out. But it was clean. Toilet-trained canines, perhaps?

* Star-struck: Famous guests include Jacques Chirac, Helmut Kohl, Robert Goulet, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Johnny Mathis, Jackie Robinson, Bob Dole, Magic Johnson, Dennis Rodman, Frankie Valli.

* Wow factor: In the main bath, a large whirlpool tub; double-headed, glassed-in shower; and granite double vanity allows for luxurious bathing and unwinding. Or, a heated, rooftop pool - with hot-tub and sundeck - offers guests a soak with scenery. Those spectacular views rank as a Westin signature, as guests may gaze at an expansive view of the Front Range by day and at the twinkling lights of the Mile High City by night.

The Oxford Hotel

1600 17th St.

Guests of the Oxford Hotel in Denver step off of a bustling LoDo street into an elegant piece of the past.

Complimentary services include shoe shine, bath-butler and bed turn-down, evening liqueur in the lobby, Lincoln Town Car to downtown and (21st-century alert) high-speed Internet access. Guests might find this piece of history a slice of heaven.

The historic Oxford opened in 1891, one year before the Brown Palace. We took a look at one of its finest suites and what a guest such as a presidential hopeful might find.

* The suite: Smaller than the suites at the Brown Palace or the Westin, what this presidential room lacks in space it makes up for in elegance. Maintaining its original look, with claw-foot bath and antique armoires, the suite still boasts high-tech commodities, such as 42-inch plasma TVs and Bose stereos with iPod docking stations.

* Living in style: The presidential suite glitters with gold, from its gold walls, to its sweeping, floor-to-ceiling drapes imported from Asia, to its massive Oriental rug covering a hardwood floor. Leather furniture and a decorative fireplace with a hand-carved mantel round out the stately room, which feeds off of a foyer with a wet bar and wine chiller.

* Size matters: 800 square feet (front room, wet bar, bedroom, two baths).

* Money is no object: $2,000 a night for VIP package.

* If these walls could talk: Lauren Bacall called down for a footstool to help her get into the plush, king-size bed. Lyle Lovett, who took a liking to the doorman during a stay there, invited him up for a private guitar session. Bill Cosby, finding an antique porcelain bowl and pitcher once used for bathing, had bellboys, staff members and eventually lobby patrons in stitches, using the set as a stand-up comedy prop.

* Star-struck: Other notable guests include Robert Redford, the Dalai Lama, Carlos Santana, Def Leppard, Al Roker, Bonnie Raitt, Glen Campbell, Kurt Vonnegut, Bill Clinton.

* Wow factor: VIP package includes a bottle of Dom Perignon; chocolate truffles; breakfast in bed, including bottomless mimosas or Bloody Marys; transportation from airport or home (30-mile maximum drive from Oxford); bath butler service, including bath salts, oils and rose petals; in-room massage for two, 85 minutes.

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