Sleep like the dead in Dracula’s den, plus other themed rooms at Colorado hotels

If you’re superstitious, you’ve probably noticed a lot of hotels don’t have room 13s or floor 13s. But at Mesa Verde Motel in Mancos, the odd-numbered room is one of the most special places to rest your head because it’s imbued with a dreamy, intergalactic theme complete with special lighting and some alien design features.

In late 2021, when the owners acquired the 15-room roadside motel in southwest Colorado, they noticed that one of the rooms was wildly different from the rest, from the flooring to the walls, to the tiles and vanity. So they leaned into the uniqueness even harder and gave it a themed makeover that detours from the modern cowboy design defining the rest of the rooms.

While a lot of hotels play it safe with beige boxes, some in Colorado — like the Mesa Verde Motel, where nightly rates for the themed room start at $147 —  are offering more playful rooms that make for a memorable stay, with themes that run the gamut from beer and bikes to The Beatles.

As for Room 13?

“It’s an out-of-this-world experience for human people to explore a space between galaxies,” said Sally Dziedzic, one of the owners of Mesa Verde Motel.

By the way, you won’t find a 3-D tour of the room online; the owners want future guests to be surprised when they swing open the door.

Here are six more hotels in Colorado that have special themed rooms to dial up the fun factor on your next staycation.

The Rally Hotel

Anchoring McGregor Square and across the street from Coors Field, you can’t miss The Rally Hotel’s rah-rah nods to baseball: the kinetic sculpture in the lobby with a baseball that runs through it; Colorado Rockies memorabilia on display; and red stitching on a leather banquette reminiscent of a mitt.

But for a curveball, the eighth-floor guest rooms — which are perched at exactly 5,280 feet, i.e. a Mile High — are all purple. Could it be they’re for the Rockies? Or that they’re inspired by Colorado sunsets? Or, is it a subtly sexy design for those looking to join the Mile High Club without landing on a no-fly list? To lend credence to that last hypothesis, The Rally has an Elevated Date Night Package that comes with eighth-floor accommodations, aphrodisiac truffles, a private distillery tour and two Mile High Club lapel pins, among other things.

The hotel also has a rooftop pool and hot tub, and neighboring date spots like Carmine’s for pasta, The Original (a great brunch spot with doughnut sliders), and relative newcomer Caldero, where margs and Southwestern dishes are on the menu. Nightly rates for the eighth-floor rooms start at $329.  1600 20th St. Denver; therallyhotel.com

The Elizabeth Hotel

All three of the themed suites at The Elizabeth Hotel reflect the fabric of Fort Collins.

The Beer and Bike suite is a nod to the craft brewing culture and love for biking in Northern Colorado. Wrapped in brick, the suite is furnished with a beer pong table and has a beer tap (but, per liquor laws, it needs to be staffed if you want it to flow). There’s also a full-sized fridge that guests can have stocked with New Belgium, Odell and other local beers.

The green-and-gold Rams Suite is all about Colorado State University school spirit. Decor includes clippings from the student newspaper, the Rocky Mountain Collegian.

The equivalent of a presidential suite, The Elizabeth’s Music Suite has a baby grand piano and state-of-the-art sound system. The room is designed with black and white finishes and has bronze accents to conjure up images of piano keys and brass instruments. Music appreciation runs throughout the hotel, with in-room record players and vinyl records to borrow, an instrument lending library and live music hosted at the hotel’s Magic Rat bar and at The Sunset Lounge. Nightly suite rates start at $900. 111 Chestnut St., Fort Collins; marriott.com

The Curtis Hotel

Located near the Denver Performing Arts Complex, The Curtis is a playful hotel with a lobby that practically doubles as a selfie museum. The renovated lobby made its debut in 2020, ahead of the color-saturated, pattern-happy “dopamine decorating” trend that’s now popular. Cheerful vignettes in the lobby include a working area with a faux pool and pink flamingos, a chairlift with neon-lit sun rays in the backdrop, a neon marquee sign and more.

As for the hyper-themed rooms? There are 13 of them, plus fun hallway surprises that vary by floor. Themes include a video game room with a Donkey Kong arcade; a Final Frontier sci-fi suite; a shagadelic disco pad; and a “Talladega Nights” room. The Barbie suite with a mural of the dolls and a salon dryer chair is fit for those anticipating the July 21 release of “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie. Nightly suite rates start at $199. 1405 Curtis St., Denver; thecurtis.com

The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa

During their 1964 world tour that stopped at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The Beatles stayed in a suite at The Brown Palace. Today, one of the hotel’s suites pays homage to the British rockers, with framed records above the bed, a custom Beatles jukebox, and iconic band photos. The luxury suite is also outfitted with a marble vanity and jacuzzi tub.

In addition to The Beatles, the grande dame of Denver has hosted other musical superstars, like Taylor Swift,  Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Cindy Lauper, Victoria Beckham, Jewel, Paul McCartney, Ringo, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Pete Townsend, Metallica, Jon Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam and more. Nightly rates start at $599. 321 17th St., Denver; brownpalace.com

Black Monarch Hotel

Sleep tight, don’t let … Dracula bite.

For a cinematic stay, book Bela Lugosi’s Dracula Room at The Black Monarch Hotel, a former brothel and casino-turned-hotel in the historic mining town of Victor. The hotel worked with the Lugosi Estate to officially license and use the likeness of the actor who portrayed Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic. An imposing mural of Dracula is above the bed’s headboard, and the red-and-black room is furnished with movie posters and memorabilia.

Other themed rooms at the boutique hotel are named after some of history’s most notorious serial killers, like Jack the Ripper, who terrorized London in the late 1800s. Nightly rates start at $120. 301 Victor Ave., Victor; blackmonarchhotel.com

The Maven Hotel

After a Rockies game, slide into home at a baseball-themed suite at The Maven Hotel.

Located on the Dairy Block and near Coors Field, the Diamond Suite’s amenities include a collection of classic baseball movies like “Field of Dreams,” “A League of Their Own” and “The Natural,” and in-room snacks include ballpark classics like Cracker Jacks, peanuts and bubble gum.

The suite is outfitted with a rug made from artificial turf and decked out with cool baseball art, like a piece showcasing rare collector’s cards and a steer head made with old baseball gloves.

The space also has a wraparound balcony that overlooks Coors Field. Nightly rates start at $1,300. 1850 Wazee St., Denver; themavenhotel.com

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