20/12/2024

Backpacking Destination

Backpacking Tour and Travel

Colorado Vacation Lodging – Are There Still Mom And Pop Motels, Lodges And Resorts?

Colorado Vacation Lodging – Are There Still Mom And Pop Motels, Lodges And Resorts?

When you are on vacation, staying at a cookie cutter, chain hotel, helps assure a basic quality, but sometimes you just want something different. You should be glad to know that there are still small resorts, motels and lodges that are family owned and run. And guess where you’ll find them?

Well, bed and breakfasts are generally owned and operated by wife and husband teams, but you’ll find a good number of family owned lodges, motels, and small resorts too. It is often easier to find them than you think, particularly in the more traditional vacation destinations in Colorado. Areas around Durango, just west of Colorado Springs in Manitou Springs, and the Estes Park area, to name a few. These areas have many more mom and pop lodges, resorts, cabins, and campgrounds than any of the corporate hotels. And that’s the way it has always been!

So where else can you find mom and pop motels and resorts in Colorado? Many times it is where you least expect it. Look at small towns that are maybe 10 or 15 miles away from the major attractions. A great example is near Boulder, Colorado. You can’t really find them in Boulder at all, but look just west of the city and you’ll find two or three, or look just west of the town of Lyons. Lyons, Colorado is just north of Boulder. Here you’ll find a couple more. These are all great places, with a lot of personality.

Stay close to the interstate, or the well known ski resorts like Vail, Beaver Creek and Aspen, and it will be difficult to come by mom and pop lodges. Your best bet for finding them in these areas is to look in the surrounding small mountain towns again, and even a little further in the boonies. Another option is to look in the ski towns that were significant towns before skiing became popular. This includes Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, and maybe Aspen or Telluride.

Keep in mind, many of the mom and pop motels and resorts don’t advertise on the big hotel web sites. They have to watch there advertising dollar much more carefully. But you will find them on a lot of other Colorado vacation and lodging web sites that are not bound to the big reservation systems. To find what’s not in the main stream, you need to look out of the main stream.

There is something very important too about these smaller, independently owned and operated lodges and resorts. They are not big corporate machines! These family businesses are built on hard work and a lot of dedication. And, they are up against massive marketing budgets and big corporate structures of the chain hotels. They should be given a lot of credit for providing a service that is unique, and serves the public without being a commodity.

So, when I stay at one of these lodges, I always thank the owner or staff, tip more generously, and overlook a minor inconvenience. The big hotels all strive to offer the best service with the most up to date rooms and technology, but that’s not everything. I always feel proud that my business is actually helping out a family run business directly.