The Historic Oxford Hotel - Denver, CO

In honor of October, the most haunted month of the year, we stayed in Denver’s oldest hotel. The Oxford Hotel is a landmark in downtown Denver. Upon its completion in 1891, it wowed guests with its opulence and the first elevator west of the Mississippi. Today it stands as a testament to the past and is a luxurious portal through time. Let’s explore the Oxford Hotel!

Located just a half block from Union Station we easily found our way to the Oxford Hotel’s front door. The warm and welcoming lobby was just the greeting we were hoping for after a long day of travel. A double height fireplace and decorative ceiling, hints to the extravagance of the past.

The front desk hostess was extremely nice and handed us an actual door key. No plastic keys here!

All the hotel’s hallways are nice and wide. In fact, they were designed to accommodate two women in 19th century dresses, walking side by side with their luggage.

No two guest rooms are exactly alike. Our room was a Superior Classic with Victorian details. Luxury is definitely included in each guest room. This isn’t one of those hotels that was taken down to the studs and rebuilt. This hotel has been lovingly cared for throughout each renovation to maintain its original details and character. We loved the gorgeous enormous bed, upscale art and fine touches. The bathroom is a great example of this balance, accommodating a claw foot tub next to a modern glass shower.

As we mentioned above the lobby is welcoming. To elaborate, guests are actually encouraged to hang out in this lobby. Most hotels have nice impressive lobby areas but guests don’t necessarily feel comfortable. The Oxford does things much differently by hosting a bourbon tasting as well as a unique group event each night. It feels a lot like it might have at the turn of the century, people from every walk of life gathering and talking about their travels.

The Bourbon is over the top great. The Oxford partnered with the best whiskey house in town, Laws Whiskey. You’ll be happy to note that a bottle of Laws Whiskey Bourbon is in every guest room. Upon discovering this we, of course, invited friends over enjoyed the bottle and the lobby, long into the night.

Here’s a bit more about the history of the hotel:

• Completed in 1891

• By 1902 the hotel was hosting 35,000 guests per year.

• The Cruise Room opened the day after prohibition. Its wall panels have toasts in 11 languages.

• The spa and gym are in the former brothel.

• Home to the first elevator west of the Mississippi.

• 80 guest rooms - no two alike.

• Guests are encouraged to enjoy the large art collection throughout the hotel.

• An antique typewriter on the second floor can be used to write a letter home. Postage is complimentary.

We had dinner at Urban Farmer which shares the first floor of the hotel. The steak sampler was delicious. The first floor also hosts the Cruise Room, which is a lovely place for drinks. 

Ok now let’s get to the good part; haunting! After a little online research we discovered three rumored hauntings in the hotel. 

Room 320: A woman named Florence Montague reportedly shot and killed her lover In 1898. Sadly she also took her own life in the same room. Hotel staff avoid putting single male guests in Room 320 as they often report feeling their arms being pulled, the faucet turning on and off, lights turning on and off and bed sheets ripped off of the bed.

Women’s bathroom in the basement: Formerly the barbershop, women have reported a scruffy man, possibly a miner, leering at them while using the facilities. He has a gigantic grin and vanishes if screamed at. Nicknamed “the peeper ghost” perhaps he is just looking for a haircut? 

Cruise Room: Bartenders have reported seeing a man dressed in an older postal service uniform and ordering a beer. He then mutters, “the children, I have to get the gifts to the children.” He appears to drink the beer and leave, but upon inspection the bottle is always full. According to local researchers the newspaper archive unearthed the tragic story of a 1930’s postal worker who was set to deliver Christmas presents to nearby Central City. The gifts never arrived, and when the winter snows melted, his body was found surrounded by all of the Christmas gifts. 

Did we experience any ghosts? No, not this time anyway. We better visit again, for the sake of research of course.

If you are planning to do your own research, hotel staff wants you to know that all their ghosts are friendly, they just like to remind visitors that they’re still here.

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