Denver Brown Palace – Rachel Mains w/ Alfonso Perez-Vega

SPEAKER 01 : 0:00

Welcome to Pinpoint Colorado. I’m your host, Rachel Maines. Today, we’re at the legendary Brown Palace Hotel, a Colorado icon that’s known for its timeless hospitality and unforgettable design. Coming up, I’m joined by hotel manager Alfonso Perez Vega. Well, thank you so much, Alfonso, for joining us. I’m so excited to learn more about the Brown Palace Hotel. I’ve come here to have tea with friends and family, and it’s just so iconic here.

SPEAKER 02 : 0:40

It really is. You know, it’s a place of tradition and definitely a generational place and a landmark here in Denver. And we are just so honored just to even be part of this community for the last 133 years.

SPEAKER 01 : 0:55

133 years. Wow. So you guys give tours, right?

SPEAKER 02 : 0:59

We do. Yeah, yeah, we absolutely do. I would say our most popular are haunted tours. Some big news that made a splash here in Denver recently in October is we were named one of the top 10 most haunted hotels in the United States.

SPEAKER 03 : 1:13

Wow.

SPEAKER 02 : 1:14

So that’s definitely something. And we were actually the only hotel on the list in the state of Colorado, which is something really special. So we started doing haunted tours this last October, and we hosted one every single day. We did it in the evening as soon as the sun started to set and gave people just a little inside scoop of what we get to experience here on a daily basis. And that was completely sold out, we’re lucky to say, and did extremely well, and we’re excited to bring that back around next October.

SPEAKER 01 : 1:48

Yeah, and you know, the T is iconic, but what are some of the questions in terms of the tour, besides the Haunted that you just started, what are some other things that people are curious about in terms of its history?

SPEAKER 02 : 2:00

Definitely. I would say we love, when available, taking people up to some of our special guest rooms that we have upstairs. We have three presidentials here on property, all very specifically themed based off of people who actually stayed here historically.

SPEAKER 01 : 2:17

Well, name somebody.

SPEAKER 02 : 2:18

Yeah. So my favorite one is our Eisenhower Suite, which is really, really special upstairs on the eighth floor. The really special thing about that specific room is we really turned it into a museum. It is actually a mini replica of the Oval Office. There is a replica of the Resolute Desk. But most importantly, everything that’s put up on the walls, all the artwork is all true, genuine. artifacts that we have from during his time here, such as a phone directory that he had when he was here and all of the rooms that he had while he was running for president, as well as his days as president. And most importantly, there’s a letter that he wrote to our general manager at that time, thanking him for all the wonderful times that he has spent here in his presidential letterhead. And we have that letter hanging just right up into the guest room.

SPEAKER 01 : 3:07

Well, that is special. And being a manager yourself, I’m sure you read that a couple of times.

SPEAKER 02 : 3:11

I sure have.

SPEAKER 01 : 3:12

I’m sure you’ve gotten letters yourself.

SPEAKER 02 : 3:13

Yes, I definitely do. More than I think I have in any other place. Just today, we were finishing sending up some holiday postcards and I kind of looked at my desk and had over 20 holiday postcards that I’ve received from, you know, just regular guests that we’ve had staying here over the years.

SPEAKER 01 : 3:29

Yeah, because people enjoy learning about the history and then staying somewhere that’s so luxurious and so unique. What are some other comments that people who stayed here say, you know, this was just so unique and such an unforgettable memory?

SPEAKER 02 : 3:43

You know, we like to use the word timeless a lot, right? Not only as you kind of enter the hotel itself, but as you get into the rooms, you really do feel kind of as if time had just stopped, you know, 50 plus years ago. And that’s something that we really pride ourselves in, right? We want people to have, you know, a all-inclusive experience of Denver, but also kind of bringing them back to that special time that they’ve had here, especially if it’s someone returning or someone who maybe their family has returned to. this is a place that you could come to generation after generation you’re still going to have that very specific experience that you’ve had right so walk us through when up to the time someone checks in and then some of the amenities that they can take advantage of as they stay here yeah absolutely uh so we are one of the few hotels now in denver that do still have a running spa um so full treatment room downstairs, estheticians, nail, hair, everything that you could possibly think of, but really something special that makes Brown Palace one of a kind is we are connected to a underwater well. It runs 750 feet below ground, When we opened, we were the first hotel in the United States with running water and that was because of that specific well. But that well still works now and we use it to run both of our water fountains that we have here in the lobby area as well as our spa. So if you do join the spa, you get to use just our real artisanal well that’s 750 feet below our hotel here.

SPEAKER 01 : 5:14

Wow, I’m sure there’s some healing benefits to that, you would think.

SPEAKER 02 : 5:17

Yeah, there definitely is. As well as our bees that we have upstairs. We have a colony of six bees that we take care of year-round. This year, they produced the most amount of honey that we’ve seen. It was 115 pounds worth of honey.

SPEAKER 01 : 5:32

Wow, just six bees?

SPEAKER 02 : 5:33

Yeah, six colonies.

SPEAKER 01 : 5:34

Oh, six colonies, okay. Yeah, six colonies.

SPEAKER 02 : 5:37

So we have them upstairs. We have a beekeeper that comes in and takes care of them. And then that’s the honey that we utilize in our guest rooms. That’s the honey we utilize in our tea, as well as we make custom bath amenities for them in our spa and utilize those in our spa area as well. But all coming directly from just right upstairs, right at the top of the hotel.

SPEAKER 01 : 5:57

very unique i have not heard that from a hotel before and i’m sure you guys are just so proud of that and that’s a unique thing that people from around the world come to the spa for the the honey that they can use on their skin and for other things and also the tea which is very yummy tell us about the tea experience

SPEAKER 02 : 6:13

Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, tea has been here around since day one, but really has transitioned or transformed over the last 50 years into really what it is now. Right around 40 years ago is when we started serving our tea just down in the Grand Atrium, as you see today. And really, it’s turned into something quite special. Our partnership with the Denver debutantes is what brings us this gorgeous chandelier that we have here hanging just right over the atrium. And because of that chandelier and because of the amazing tea service that our tea servers bring, we have a month weightless for our holiday tea experiences, just as people want to get to experience tea service underneath that beautiful chandelier. But it’s a very traditional high tea that we have. here downstairs. We fly in the Devonshire cream from England as we have and have a great partnership with a local tea maker that creates us over 120 teas that we have downstairs to offer and 20 of those specifically made just here for the Brown Palace that you can only have here.

SPEAKER 01 : 7:21

Wow. See, I didn’t know that, that there was 20 tees that were only you can have here. That’s impressive because I do a lot of high tees with friends and stuff. So that is really, really neat. And having your own unique honey, too, that’s made here.

SPEAKER 02 : 7:33

It really is.

SPEAKER 01 : 7:34

That is very, very special. I like, too, that you have, you know, piano players that come. How do you, you know, find these artists or how do you vet them?

SPEAKER 02 : 7:43

Yeah, so we have our director of music, who is Mr. John Kite. He has actually been playing the piano here for the last 40 years. 2025 was his 40-year anniversary that he’s been here.

SPEAKER 01 : 7:55

Congratulations to him.

SPEAKER 02 : 7:56

But he has spent those last 40 years playing both down in our atrium as well as Ship’s Tavern. We do have live music here every single day. And on the weekends, we’ll have three different locations have live music playing. Something that makes the Brown Palace so special. If you’re up in the guest rooms or the moment you walk through the door, you’ll hear either our piano playing, a harpist, or our live jazz if you’re here in the evening. Something quite special. But he handles and curates all of the music that we use. And it’s all local artists that we have here that we get to employ.

SPEAKER 01 : 8:29

Yeah, how special. That’s very wonderful. Now tell me about, you know, the behind the scenes in terms of being an employee here and what that is like. I’m sure that this is just an unforgettable experience for people who are in the hospitality industry to get a job here at the Brown Palace Hotel. What are some of the things that your employees say to you?

SPEAKER 02 : 8:49

You know, I think the number one thing is just how proud they are, right? This has to be, of all the hotels that I’ve personally worked at, where we have the most longevity in our associates. In Ship’s Tavern, we have someone this year that just celebrated their 65-year work anniversary.

SPEAKER 01 : 9:06

Wow.

SPEAKER 02 : 9:07

65 years of working here at the Brown Palace. T-Servers, for instance, the last time we had to hire a T-Server was 12 years ago. We have not had any openings since then. And the average tenure of our T servers is right around 25 years right now. This is truly a place where people feel so prideful and feel ownership to come in and work every day. You know, not only is that something that I feel we see with the associates, but also with just the community overall. Right. You know, this is such a special place for Denver. Our associates have stories of how their families have brought them here before and what the Brown Palace has meant to them, not only working here, but before then, right? And the history that they have or the impact that it’s made to, you know, a local school or a local organization that they’re connected to. So it’s pride, what brings them in every single day. And again, what makes this place so special? Because without them, you know, none of this would be possible.

SPEAKER 01 : 10:04

Yeah, with people being employed here for so long, you do feel like family, and I’m sure you have guests, reoccurring guests every year that you see that you know, and you ask them about, hey, how’s your dog? And are your grandkids? So tell us about that.

SPEAKER 02 : 10:17

Yeah, just even today we have Henry, which is our hotel mascot. He is a golden retriever. He’s nine years old. He’s a real dog. And he gets to stop by the hotel about once a month and surprise us. And today was one of those days. So we got to see Henry. We actually have a Henry plush that we sell downstairs as well as a history book for Henry. And that is something that Deborah Faulkner, who is our historian, used to create to tell the story of the Brown Palace a little bit easier to children. But it is a real-life dog and owned by one of our hotel guests here. But again, it’s family. It’s not just a standard guest that comes. Everyone that comes through these doors are now part of history. You know, they’re part of the Brown Palace, even if it’s just a one stay or multiple stays, you will forever be part of the Brown Palace history.

SPEAKER 01 : 11:18

Right. And change for sure.

SPEAKER 02 : 11:19

Absolutely.

SPEAKER 01 : 11:20

Do you have a specific memory as a hotel manager of being changed or something that’s really you’ll just be a timeless memory forever, even when you’ll retire? You’re always remember. I remember that day working at the Brown Palace. This is just a real special memory.

SPEAKER 02 : 11:34

I think it has to be the 38th Annual Champagne Cascade. That is something that we do here every November. We just did the 38th Annual, and it was my first time being here present for it. But it’s not only the meaning of getting to do this grand party for our guests and for the community. It’s much deeper than that, and it’s the connection that we are making to the community. So for instance, this year we partnered with Mount St. Vincent, which is a hospital here, 501C, that specifically focuses on adolescent youth, those who are in foster care or within the system. This year we partnered with them for our Champagne Cascade and we’re able to raise $32,000 for them. And this is, again, something that we do on a yearly basis, but every year work with a new organization, a way for us to continue building our footprint within the community, even after 133 years. But also another way for us to get to learn more about our guests, about the community, about Denver and how we can support them.

SPEAKER 01 : 12:40

Right. Because you guys are an icon here in Denver, but also changing Denver as well as being part of the community. So the people who are listening right now, they want to know, well, how do I, you know, book for a tea appointment? If I want to stay here, can you give those details to them?

SPEAKER 02 : 12:58

Yeah, absolutely. I would say best place is going to be brown palace.com. Actually, on December 29, we have a brand new website coming in something we’ve been working for for over a year since since I’ve joined. And we’re gonna we really work to have everything in a one stop shop, you’ll be able to see all of our events, all of the musicians, We even actually added our musician bios into that website as well. So you get to learn a little bit deeper history of who you’re going to be listening to if you come into property, as well as all of our events, our spa and our guest rooms and all of the food and beverage outlets that we have here on property.

SPEAKER 01 : 13:32

Well, wonderful. Well, I know our listeners are just really excited now to come down to the Brown Palace and learn even more and book a tour. That’s something I’d like to do. So, Alfonso, thank you so much. Thank you for all the hard work you’re doing here and making this place truly timeless and very hospitable and unforgettable.

SPEAKER 02 : 13:50

Thank you so much. Definitely a pleasure.

SPEAKER 01 : 13:54

My thanks to Alfonso Perez Vega and the team at the Brown Palace Hotel for a great conversation and a behind-the-scenes look at one of Denver’s true icons. For Pinpoint Colorado, I’m your host, Rachel Maines. Thanks for joining us and see you next time.