The Broadmoor

A legendary five-star resort built in 1918 by Spencer Penrose at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain. The Italian Renaissance-style hotel sits on 5,000 acres with a private lake, three golf courses, and multiple restaurants. One of the longest-running Forbes Five-Star resorts in the world.

The Broadmoor was built in 1918 by Spencer Penrose, a Philadelphia-born mining magnate who had made his fortune in the Cripple Creek gold fields. Penrose and his wife Julie envisioned a grand European-style resort at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, and the result was a pink-stuccoed Italian Renaissance masterpiece that quickly became one of the most prestigious hotels in the American West. The site had previously been home to the Broadmoor Casino, built in the late 1800s by Count James Pourtales, a German nobleman, but a fire swept through the casino in 1897, leaving only stories and ashes. The Penroses poured their lives into the resort for decades, and Julie in particular became its grande dame and public face.

The most frequently reported spirit at The Broadmoor is Julie Penrose herself. According to local accounts, in the final days of her life, Julie disappeared into a heavily wooded area near the hotel lake. She was eventually found unclothed, shaking, and unable to explain how she had gotten there or what had happened to her. She died approximately one week later. Since then, her ghost has been seen floating down the hallways and ascending the front staircases at night, wearing a period 1930s dress. The penthouse suite where Julie stayed during her later years is considered the most active area of the hotel, with lights turning on and off, deep cold spots appearing without explanation, and objects moving on their own. One guest reported waking in the middle of the night to feel the bedcovers being slowly peeled back and an unseen hand dragging them by the foot toward the edge of the bed.

Beyond Julie's spirit, the hotel's history with the original Broadmoor Casino fire of 1897 and the many decades of guests, staff, and events have contributed to a broader atmosphere of paranormal activity. Staff members have reported seeing shadowy figures in the lower levels and hearing unexplained sounds in empty banquet rooms. The Broadmoor has been ranked among the most haunted hotels in Colorado by multiple paranormal publications, though the hotel itself maintains a dignified silence on the subject, preferring to let its five-star reputation speak louder than its ghost stories.