HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
A 1909 Boulder landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, where guests report Victorian-era apparitions and a portrait-room presence that fascinated Stephen King.
2115 13th St., Boulder, CO 80302
Research updated October 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Hotel room rates; dining and bar available separately. See website for current pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic hotel with elevator access to upper floors; ADA accommodations available
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1909 · National Register of Historic Places · Opened January 1, 1909 through community subscription · Cantilevered cherry staircase and stained-glass lobby ceiling · Boulder landmark hotel for over 115 years
Boulder's business community and civic leaders organized and funded the Hotel Boulderado through public subscription in the early 1900s, recognizing that the city lacked a hotel of sufficient quality for visitors and conventions. The hotel opened on New Year's Day 1909 to considerable local celebration. Its name combined 'Boulder' and 'Colorado,' and the building's cantilevered cherry wood staircase and stained-glass lobby ceiling became signature architectural features.
The hotel remained a center of Boulder social life through the twentieth century. It hosted traveling dignitaries, politicians, and artists and weathered several ownership transitions and renovation campaigns. Author Stephen King is documented to have stayed at the hotel and expressed fascination with its atmosphere — a connection that has been noted in regional coverage of the hotel's haunted reputation.
Honey Bee Lennartz (1904-1998) frequented the hotel dining room, especially in her later years, and bequeathed the life-sized portrait that hangs on the fifth floor. The hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to operate as a full-service boutique hotel.
Sources
The Hotel Boulderado's paranormal accounts have been recorded in local media and travel publications since at least the late twentieth century. The most frequently described phenomena include a woman in Victorian dress seen rocking in a chair in one of the upper corridors, windows in certain rooms opening and closing without anyone nearby, and the building's antique elevator operating between floors when no guest has called for it.
The fifth floor portrait of Honey Bee Lennartz, who frequented the hotel dining room and bequeathed the portrait to the hotel, serves as a visual anchor for guest accounts focused on that section of the building. The claim that she is a ghost connected to the portrait represents local tradition rather than a documented historical incident.
Rooms 302 and 304 appear in local accounts in connection with a reported double suicide. The circumstances and identities involved were not confirmed from primary historical sources. In keeping with dignity standards, the specific method is not described here. Stephen King's documented interest in the hotel has been cited in regional coverage as lending cultural weight to its haunted reputation, though King's connection reflects a writer's appreciation for atmospheric setting rather than a paranormal endorsement.
Notable Entities
Guests staying at the Hotel Boulderado have reported seeing a woman in Victorian dress rocking in a chair, windows opening on their own, and the antique elevator operating without passengers. The fifth floor, where Honey Bee Lennartz's life-sized portrait hangs, is a focal point of guest accounts.
Explore the third floor of the historic wing on a self-guided history tour, with a brochure full of historic artifact information. Check in with the Front Desk before starting to receive the brochure and instructions on where to start.
Guided history tours led by the hotel's in-house historian: the Boulderado History Tour (the hotel's architecture and building history, with its historic guest rooms), Boulder-ado: The Hotel's Place in Colorado History (the historic mezzanine, lobby, grand staircase and other common areas) and The Boulderado Mystery Tour (the hotel's secrets and quirks, including its disappearing rooms and door to nowhere). Reservations are required: call 303-442-4344 ext. 4211.
See current room rates and availability at Hotel Boulderado.
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