One 12-foot evergreen; scores of garlands and Christmas wreaths; at least 130 poinsettias; and one 25-foot-wide, 3,500-pound chandelier. That’s what it takes to transform the Brown Palace Hotel into holiday central. The effect: magical.
We love Christmas dinner at the hotel’s unfussy Ship Tavern, which dates to 1934 and inhabits the “prow” of the famously triangular hotel. Chef Michael Rodriguez’s holiday menu ($55 prix fixe; Dec 24–25) features comforting classics—juicy prime rib, tender sea bass—while Charles Smith’s playful drinks menu spotlights local flavors—Breckenridge-made bitters, say, or honey harvested from the Brown Palace roof. Beers on tap include the seasonally changing Brown Palace cask craft ale, made down the street at the Wynkoop Brewing Company.
Given the informal atmosphere, you’ll feel equally comfortable in a little black dress or a Peyton Manning jersey. In the corner,
hotel pianist John Kite plays seasonal favorites (“Let It Snow”), and, if you’re lucky, he could be joined by a local musical theater actor, or even by Billy Joel, who once duetted in the lobby. According to veteran bartender Charles Smith, who’s worked here for 14 years, “People come back again and again, year after year, and there’s very little turnover in the staff … it feels like a family.” $$$$; 321 17th St.; brownpalace.com.