St.elmo Hotel

My friend and I were on a 3 week road trip - KC, MO, Glenwood Springs, Kanab UT, Zion NP, Tuscon, Phoenix, Grand Canyon NP, Monument Valley, Moab, Denver, Badlands, and Sioux Falls. This by far was the absolute biggest disappointment of our trip AND the most expensive. At nearly $600 a night - which is my choice of course, we expected to be treated well, sadly - not to be had. No secret folks, in July 2026, Ouray was on fire and mudslides were devastating the area. The Facebook posts for Ouray were begging people not to cancel, stating things were misrepresented in the press. We were HAPPY to keep our reservation and support a town that was in economic trouble. We were prepared to have things 'off' but we were not prepared for disrespect, lack of basic safety, and misrepresention. We emailed ahead to see if the pass was open, was assured that it was. It wasn't, which really, isn't anyone's fault. But you know what, when things go sideways, its the responsibility of the $600 a night hotel hosts to make sure we are safe. Or maybe offer something nice, a gingerale, an app or dessert with dinner, ya know, a kindness. This management doesn't give a DAMN about hospitality, let alone safety. We are elders, and were treated like a big fat pain in their ass. They care about having a band, and loud music and selling drinks. There is no disability parking, there is no AC to help filter the smoke. Well, they HAVE AC, its just "fully installed". I've been coming to this hotel for many years, I will never return. The remodeling is a joke, they took victorian charm and replaced it with tacky vevlet headboards. Dirty floors, window sills and screens full of smoke soot. It was unsafe, unkind, and dishonest. GREED and desperation doesn't look good on anyone.

My sister and I were on a road trip in Western Colorado and northern New Mexico and stayed two days and nights here in July. Shout out to front desk person Brittany! She was very courteous and helpful with our reservation that was made on an expired credit card and required a lot of her time on the phone working it all out.She also gave us accurate info regarding the town, shopping, and other things. Our room was on the second floor accessible only by staircase and was just lovely. They are remodeling this very old historic building and doing a great job. Our bathroom was super fun decor. Our bed was very comfortable, and we had just what we needed. We both loved their special first floor room, which I think was called the vinyl record room, it was like a lounge with velvet couches and chairs and cool music. We played bananagrams there one evening! Off of this room opposite the entrance from the hotel is a set of French doors down into the outdoor seating of their attached restaurant, the tavern. We ate a wonderful dinner there and had cocktails. The lobby of the hotel is just so tastefully set up and very comfortable. We loved the art on many of the walls in most of the rooms.The hotel is towards one end of the downtown area and right on the main drag so it’s very convenient to checking out the shops, art galleries, and the scenery is so beautiful.Parking is easy at an angle on the street in front of the hotel or in the back. We enjoyed the hot tub in the back of the hotel one night where Brittany popped up with towels for us! We highly recommend staying here if you’re in the area. We hung out in Ouray one day and hiked through box Canyon one day and then drove to Telluride the next day for great Jeep tour up in the Alpine. The area after all is called the American Alps for a reason.

Marginal food despite “quality food” prices. Almost $400 for dinner for two couples. Our waitress was great. Atmosphere, especially inside, was amazing. The food was marginal - at best. Our $45 steaks tasted boiled, not charred and came with simple fries. When we asked for salt and pepper, no joke, we got McCormicks store-bought shakers (see pictures). For an Italian restaurant with some fancy new Italian chef, the food was not very Italian. VERY limited menu. Overall, just another over-priced, marginal quality tourist trap. The prior Italian place was amazing.