Pitkin Hotel — Hotel in Pitkin

As a rule - I think it's wrong to get up before the sun does. However, I did not even grumble when my husband said it was time to get up at 4:52 a.m. to leave this place. I was with a group of 14 who came to go 4-wheeling. This is a primo location for such activity. The Pitkin Hotel is like camping indoors. For the money spent ($60 the first night & $90 the 5 nights following) I expect a private restroom. As one who struggles with insomnia & a tiny bladder, there is nothing like waking up, look for a cover-up, trek down the narrow & creaking hallway to find the first or both of the 2 communal restrooms occupied. Now, if your staying in the bunk rooms - they've got 4 communal toilets. 3 times my husband & I had to go searching for toilet paper. The restroom supply is not replenished daily. The showers on our hall were adapted in claw footed tubs. They rigged shower curtains around it with clothes pins. No matter where you shower, expect the water to go from hot to cold frequently. In the claw footed showers you don't really have an escape from the fluctuating temperatures. The bunk room has more spacious showers where you can step to the side and allow the water to adjust itself. ||Our first night we stayed in a room in the interior that had 2 twin beds, a dresser, & a shared nightstand and NO windows. There was no room for our luggage in this postage stamp sized room. For the money, you would of expected a television, a phone, climate control and such amenities. You would of been as disappointed as we were. Our climate control came in the form of a fan on the dresser. There only two outlets in the room. You either sacrifice charging your electronics or do without the fan & light. It did not take long for our body heat to raise the temperature of the room. I slept in my clothes on top of the covers, sweltering. There is, also, no maid service while you are there. You kinda take care of your needs on your own. ||The next 5 nights we stayed in a larger room with 2 windows! We were excited to be able to leave our windows open at night. For some reason, I failed to notice that the 2nd floor decking allowed access for someone to just peer into your room while your sleeping. I didn't realize this until my husband had attempted to enter from the outside rickety stairs and found the communal entrance door locked. He knew I was in the room and walked over to our window to ask me to unlock the door. He scared the bejeepers out of me. ||Speaking of stairs. There are two sets to get upstairs. There are no elevators. One set is outside and one set is inside. The stairs inside are very steep and have no handrails. If you have difficulty with your knees and stairs expect to use a lot of pain reliever. ||Even though, we moved to a larger room there was still no room for luggage. This room had 2 sets of bunks and a queen size bed. A large dresser would of only housed clothing for a couple of people had you chose to unpack. The top of the dresser was useless space because it held baskets of towels and a fan. There was only one outlet on that side of the room. The fan took up one of the 2 plug-ins. There is another outlet near the queen bed but you had to unplug the lamp & fan to use it for electronics. There is a half bookshelf in the room full of useless clutter (monopoly games, old random books, teddy bears .... don't get me started on the teddy bears that take up residence in the rooms .... blah!). Anyway this bookshelf & a wooden rocker are more important to the owners than their customers experience in the room. I mentioned to one of the owners that another luggage rack in the room would be appreciated by the occupant. She told me that her "talented" mother & sister decorated the room. I guess her sister was quite talented in beauty pageants in the 80's and that experience qualified her to decorate hotel rooms. I didn't care for the Americana theme - but I was more concerned with the functionality of the room. ||They do have a full kitchen available with all the utensils, cookware, etc that you would need. The refrigerator in the kitchen was filled with other groups stuff. There is other refrigerators upstairs in the bunk room. We used it and kept an ice chest in our room. ||If you are like me and prefer privacy - this place will stretch you out of your comfort zone. I don't think calling it a "hotel" in modern vernacular is accurate. It's more of a hostel with hotel pricing or expensive camping indoors. If you go in with low expectations you won't be...

We appreciate what the owners of the Pitkin Hotel have done with this venerable accommodation. Very thankful that this historic building, which is part of the American story of the West, has been preserved and appears to be thriving. The owners are most hospitable and endeavor to meet needs. It is situated in the heart of town. One picks up on the vibe of this quaint mountain community while staying in the hotel. Indeed, a guest needs to be aware of the serve-yourself expectation. A guest is expected to retrieve his or her own fresh towels, wash cloths, trash sacks, etc. There is no daily clean-up service, so a guest needs to be prepared to make his or her own bed, empty the waste container in the room, and find toilet paper if the dispenser is empty in the communal bath. These items are easy to dig around and find, and the hotelkeepers are happy to direct you to supplies if you are missing something. Bathrooms are certainly workable, but a guest must keep in mind that the facilities are to be shared. Guests are expected to tidy up after themselves for the consideration of the next guest that will follow. Again, supplies are not difficult to find, but the guest needs to be aware that it is totally self-serve in nature. The beds were comfortable, but yes, some of the second-floor rooms can be quite public. We merely draped towels over the cafe-curtain windows to obtain privacy. The kitchen is amply supplied; we saw groups heartily enjoying themselves as they prepared full breakfasts and other meals. I was sorry that we didn't fully figure out the system (our fault) until after a few days into the trip. We would have brought supplies and prepared smoothies every day (my hubby's breakfast of choice) if we had fully realized that so many appliances, much like in one's own kitchen at home, were available. Possibly, as the owners continue to upgrade, a bit of additional signage here and there would help, especially to make guests aware about expectations concerning bathroom self-tidying. All in all, this lodging is very workable once a guest gets the hang of it and figures out the system. Someone looking for a luxury accommodation would need to look elsewhere, but probably that kind of traveler probably wouldn't venture off the beaten path to Pitkin, where the pioneer spirit is still alive and well. We look forward to what the year ahead brings in terms of continued progress for the hotel. We certainly plan to stay there on a return trip and wish the new owners the best. Tough to take on a redo, for sure! Can't do everything on the...

Where to start…? This place absolutely defied our expectations. My gf and I arrived late after driving from Denver and couldn’t wait to check in and relax. We met Jelly, who could teach a clinic in hospitality, and immediately felt right at home. He was about to close up the bistro but kept it open and invited us back down for a cocktail once we were settled. Exhausted from the drive, but excited to experience the beautiful atmosphere, we obliged. He then proceeded to pour his signature Old Fashioned from the specialty cocktail menu. Guys. I’d fistfight a bull moose in the rut for one of those concoctions. The next morning we met Kyle the Chef/Manager/All Around Great Guy, who started the coffee as he heard us coming down the stairs. We bellied up to the bar and couldn’t decide what to order so we followed our hearts and ordered everything we were hungry for. Now, I’m not saying Kyle sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads for the biscuits and gravy recipe, but he’s not here to deny it, so… You know the food is good when you realize you’re ignoring the bacon. After emerging from our food comas we snowshoed up to Gold Creek Campground, basically just working up an appetite for the dinner special we read about on their social media. After 4 miles of grueling snow stomping, up to our waist the last 100 yards, we were famished. We cleaned up and came down to Spencer behind the bar. It was like meeting a friend you haven’t seen in years. We instantly vibed. We were swapping stories and cracking each other up, sharing photos of our dogs, and comparing ghost stories. If we could’ve bottled the energy in the bistro that night, we could light Coors Field. Then the elk meatloaf arrived. I cannot recommend this enough. We even hung out with Edwin who worked on the restoration of the hotel. He crushed it. This place is gorgeous. The owners have an amazing eye for color and decor with wonderful attention to detail and comfort. We can’t get back...