Strater Hotel - Durango, CO - An historical hotel founded by Henry Strater

The Strater Hotel is located at 699 Main Avenue in Durango, Colorado. There are ninety-three rooms in the in the hotel each one has antiques, and wallpaper to give them a Victorian feel. The hotel is in Durango's downtown and has a number of conference rooms, a historic lobby and lounges for the convenience of guests. The hotel is close to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and a number of other attractions including the historic shopping district on Main Avenue and Henry Strater Theater.

In 1887 Henry Strater was a pharmacist from Cleveland that wanted to open a hotel in Durango. He did not hotel experience or money and was still a minor at this time. He managed to obtain a loan by lying about his age then with the help of his father and brothers he managed to get the hotel open. It cost an estimated $70,000 for the Strater Hotel to be completed.

The Strater Hotel was a popular place for those in the area to stay when they closed their homes in the winter. At the time the hotel's rooms had washstands, pianos and wood burning stoves. Charles E. Stilwell and Hattie Mashburn purchased the Strater Hotel from the Bank of Cleveland when it was reposed during 1893. The two of them ran the hotel until after the turn of the century and gave it a refined appeal by offering fine dinners and opera.

In 1926 Earl A. Barker developed an organization to purchase the hotel. Room 222 of the Strater Hotel is now called the Louis L'Amour room since that is where he stayed to write his novels. The hotel has undergone continuous renovation to bring into the next century. The hotel still has the charm of the Victorian area but not has modern conveniences and a number of amenities to offer its guests.

The Strater Hotel offers guests a fiber optic enabled broadband connection to the Internet. The facility even offers the use of a computer to the guests that do not have one to use. Room service at the hotel has an exclusive menu. Dinner service at the hotel is normally available between the hours of five in the evening to nine at night. The holiday hours for dinner service at the hotel may vary from the regular hours and should be confirmed with the Strater Hotel.

The Strater Hotel also offers a number of services to its guests including free parking for all guests of the hotel. Reservations are needed to use the hot tub at the facility which is in a Victorian style. There is also a continental breakfast with a variety of cereals, hot breakfast items, fruit, milk, tea, coffee and a variety of other options provided free of charge.

There is nightly entertainment provided at the Henry Strater Theater or the Diamond Belle Saloon at no cost at the hotel. The hotel does not offer smoking accommodations to protect the drapery and upholstery in each room. There are two bars and a popular restaurant in the Strater Hotel.