The Cliff House in Manitou Springs is Colorado’s oldest operating hotel

Colorado‘s oldest hotel started welcoming visitors before there was a state.

The Cliff House at Pikes Peak was built in the winter of 1873 and added to over the next three decades, according to History Colorado. The wood-frame Victorian structure sitting on a stone foundation in downtown Manitou Springs began life as a stagecoach stop on the route between Colorado Springs and Leadville.

What was first known as “The Inn” evolved over time into a hot springs-centered resort, and later a posh getaway that drew leaders and celebrities, according to the hotel website. Clark Gable, Theodore Roosevelt and giants of business were among the guests.

In 1982, a fire destroyed part of the building and led to a prolonged shutdown, but a series of owners, investors and managers worked over the past 30 years to reinvigorate the property.

The property was sold again in March 2026 and is undergoing a $4.5 million renovation. It remains fully open with all services available “in some form,” according to the hotel website.

The Cliff House has only held the title of Colorado’s oldest operating hotel for a little over a decade. The Peck House in Empire, which opened in the 1860s, was the oldest. It closed in 2014 when its owners retired, according to a media report.

The Cliff House is also just a few months older than the next oldest hotel, the Windsor Hotel in Del Norte, which opened in 1874. It appears to be the only other hotel still operating that began lodging guests before Colorado’s statehood.

What amenities does the Cliff House have?

Each room at the Cliff House is “individual in character,” according to the hotel’s website. Rooms can have features such as gas fireplaces, two-person spa tubs, steam showers and towel warmers.

Attractions near the hotel include Pikes Peak, the Manitou Incline, Cave of the Winds, Garden of the Gods and more.

How do you get to the Cliff House?

The Cliff House is located at 306 Cañon Ave. in Manitou Springs. It’s a couple miles off of U.S. Highway 24.

Nate Trela covers trending news in Colorado and Utah for the USA TODAY Network, with an emphasis on consumer finance, legal issues and state laws.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado’s oldest hotel welcomed visitors before it was a state

Reporting by Nate Trela, Fort Collins Coloradoan / Fort Collins Coloradoan

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