GAYLORD ROCKIES RESORT MAKING DEBUT DEC. 18
Huge hotel near Denver International Airport scrambling to be ready for Dec. 18 debut
There are 26 fireplaces, 32 elevators and 1,501 rooms at the huge, $800 million convention center and hotel south of Denver International Airport.
For commuters who have watched the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center rise to towering heights south of Denver International Airport, that chance to see what it all was about is coming soon.
At precisely 12:18 p.m. on Dec. 18, Colorado’s largest hotel will open its doors and the public is invited to come check things out.
Workers are still scrambling to finish the hotel section and water park so those can obtain certificates of occupancy. Landscaping is going in, furniture shipments are arriving and works of art wait placement on bare walls.
About half the 1,500 permanent employees, or “stars,” will undergo their first orientation Saturday, with the remainder to join in the weeks that follow.
“There is nothing that will deter us from opening on Dec. 18,” said general manager Rick Medwedeff, who has put in 18-hour work days to get the Aurora hotel across the finish line.
Here are a few of the numbers behind the $800 million project:
• The resort includes enough drywall to cover 112 acres, 2,845 square feet of glass and 20 miles of pipe in the guest bedrooms. There are 26 fireplaces, 32 elevators, 16 escalators, and 17 rooms in the spa. A massive, 75-foot-tall glass atrium in the 100-foot-tall Grand Lodge frames views of the Rocky Mountains, assuming it isn’t cloudy.
• The hotel was supposed to have 1,500 rooms, but one more was sneaked in. Marriott International, which runs the hotel, has booked more than 1.1 million room nights through 2028. About 80 percent are with groups that haven’t booked a conference in Colorado before.
• There is 486,000 square feet of conference space — including a 115,000-square- foot exhibition hall, which is adjacent to the Aurora Ballroom at 60,000 square feet. There are three floors of meeting space — including 60 breakout rooms and three other smaller ballrooms.
• At the peak of construction, there were 1,500 workers at the site. That has dwindled to about 500. The first big wave of permanent hires, about half the total, will be attending an orientation Saturday. The other half will join on in following weeks as activity ramps up.
• Gaylord Rockies offers its “stars” free meals — and provides a convenience store where they can buy items such as bread and milk at cost. The company provides uniforms, and washes and irons them too. Workers punch in a code at one of three automated clothing lines to retrieve their clothes.
• Guests and the public will have access to five sit-down restaurants. They include the Old Hickory Steakhouse — a staple at Gaylord hotels — as well as locations serving American, Italian and Asian fare. There is also a grab-and-go location for people on the run.
• The Mountain Pass Sports Bar has seating for 550, taps from Dry Dock Brewing Co., including two beers exclusive to the hotel, and a 75-foot by 14-foot television. Two of the urinals in the men’s bathroom are former beer kegs — talk about full cycle.
• The resort includes an indoor-outdoor pool, a 45-foot water slide and a lazy river for its guests.
The hotel will conduct a soft opening in December and January. Colorado residents who are curious can reserve a room starting at $119 per night, a substantial discount, by calling 1-877-382-7299.