Two years in the making, The Western Hotel & Spa in Ouray, Colorado, opened this week in the heart of the mountain town’s historic district. Originally built in 1891, during Ouray’s initial silver boom as a mining community, the odds-defying Western is one of the last surviving three story wood frame hotels in the west. A bucket-list project for Denver-based Zeppelin Development, the hotel was reimagined as a sophisticated hospitality experience and a quietly luxurious homebase for leisure and outdoor recreation among Colorado’s most scenic mountain landscapes.
Encompassing both a wood-fired signature restaurant and saloon, and onsite general store and Nordic spa with hot and cold saline plunge pools, the Western offers a welcoming, curated mountain-town experience, where understated luxury meets the original iconic character.
“We are proud to be part of the Ouray community and to have this rare opportunity to restore the Western for its next century of history,” said Kyle Zeppelin, founder of Zeppelin Hospitality. “We look forward to keeping the spirit of The Western alive while ushering in a new era of timeless luxury.”
With dark wood and leather trimmed interiors curated by the Zeppelin team, the hotel’s design combines modern details with the building’s deep historic character to create a thoughtful, intimate environment. Preservation was a top priority for the team throughout the 132-year-old structure. Common areas that had fallen into disrepair have had layers of history peeled back to reveal wallpaper and the original silver tin ceiling. A potbelly wood stove also is trimmed in silver. The saloon bar remains largely intact, anchored by the original hand-carved bar and an early 20th century mural on the floor, a woman, Jezebel, whose face was painted in several bars around the state, with this one being one of two surviving ones. Washed in natural light from floor to ceiling windows and fresh air brought by full height accordion doors, the dining hall now opens up directly to a sprawling patio. Original taxidermy and art, stained glass windows and the original front desk add to the Americana aesthetic. Wayfinding details to highlight major features were hand-applied in silver leaf, following the traditional process over the original plaster and also to glass storefronts.
“We retained a large portion of the building’s historic detail, while working to incorporate elevated, luxurious touches throughout the space,” said Antoine Moinard, director of hospitality. “We want guests to feel a sense of familiar comfort from the moment they walk through the door.”
That sense of elevated comfort is also found in the light-filled guest quarters, which include eight queen suites, four double queen suites, two king suites and two deluxe king suites located on floors two and three, each bearing inspired names like the painted lady quarters, silver spoon doubles, or baroness suites. Features including luxurious baths, Norwegian fireplaces, large vintage mirrors, custom flat-weave wool rugs and kitchenettes outfitted with a sink and two-burner stovetop, make each space ideal for a long weekend retreat or an extended stay filled with recreation.
Inspired by Ouray’s signature, unmatched natural setting, a color palette of dark brown, white, denim, sage green, and touches of yellow, is prevalent throughout the hotel’s guest suites, common areas, spa, restaurant and saloon.
The team tapped specialty vendors to create a unique warm aesthetic, including custom Colorado-based quiltmaker Beth Corn, a fourth-generation quilt maker who specializes in traditional denim quilts. In each guest suite, custom leather-upholstered beds created by Steve Boltz of Denver Upholstery Design can be found, paired with sustainably-made mattresses, pillows, and wool comforters by Colorado-based natural home furnishings company Suite Sleep.
Montreal-based lighting design studio Lamber & Fils were brought on to create railroad-inspired light fixtures, an ode to the first train that arrived in Ouray in September 1887, just before construction started on The Western. The black and white portraits of modern day outlaw Hunter S. Thompson during his 1970s historic mayoral run in Aspen, another heyday of mountain culture in Colorado, are the work of photographer David Hiser.
On the hotel’s main floor, both The Kitchen and The Saloon have retained their Old West charm, along with a menu inspired by traditions of the Ute tribe and local ingredients. Culinary director, Nic Weber, who has worked extensively throughout Colorado and California, including on the James Beard Award-winning team at Mercantile Dining & Provision in Denver and three Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, created a seasonal menu of Western Colorado cuisine with a focus on local sourcing. Prepared with a blend of wood fire and modern technique, guests can expect a selection of classics with a mountain twist, including the pulled pork and mole sliders, the charred beef short rib, the double duck breast plate, as well as seafood specials and small veggie plates.
One of the restaurant’s standout dishes, Three Sisters, tells the story of an American Indian farming technique, where beans, corn and squash were plotted together and worked symbiotically to enrich the soil. Here, buttered Anasazi beans, Ute Tribe-grown heirloom blue cornbread, and a variety of seasonal squash are blistered over embers, and finished with a Coloradito Mole.
“Our hotel and food tell a story of both old and new,” said Weber. “We pride ourselves on cultivating a dining experience that showcases the history and agriculture of Colorado’s Western Slope. With a seasonal menu, guests will have a new experience each time they come in.”
The Saloon’s cocktail program, led by beverage director Ryan Arndt, features a selection of agave spirits and draws inspiration from the pre-Prohibition era, with cocktail offerings, including an Old Fashioned, Mint Julep, Black Manhattan, and Gin Gimlet. The wine list focuses on old world wine, giving guests a hint of the experience of the original boarding house.
"When you walk into The Western and step into The Saloon, you're stepping back in time into a piece of history,” said Arndt. “The cocktails offered at the saloon are inspired by and echo that sentiment."
The Spa, located in the lower floor of the hotel, offers Nordic therapeutic treatment methods with three treatment rooms and a horseshoe-shaped subterranean hot and cold saline plunge pools, complimenting the region’s natural hot springs.
The Western is available for weddings, corporate and special events, including full buy-outs. Home to some of the state’s most picturesque landscapes, Ouray is a 50-minute drive from both Telluride and Silverton Mountain, and a five-hour drive or 45-minute flight from Denver through Montrose.
“From Ouray’s year-round world-class outdoor recreational activities to hosting a classic Colorado wedding, we are committed to providing memorable experiences for our guests in this historic setting,” said Zeppelin.
For more information, please visit www.thewesternouray.com.
