A Rebirth On The River - For Years, The Old Hotel Waited For A Fresh Start, And Then Two Accidental Innkeepers Changed Its Fate.
By Cara McDonald / Photos by Carter Photographics

Snow spiraled off the rooftops of the tiny town of Hot Sulphur Springs. The wind picked up, drowning out the steady hum of the Colorado River, whipping the steam from the surface of the nearby pools at the hot springs. Richard Paradise looked out the windows of the old Riverside Inn, trying to gauge the situation. The forecast predicted a storm, and based on the steady stream of headlights going south on Highway 40, it looked like skiers were bailing out early, heading home to beat the weather.            

Maybe it’ll pass, he thought. He was on a frantic search for bath mats, trying to pull together the last of the guest rooms. He and his wife, Julie, had purchased the 106-year-old hotel just six months prior as two eager rookies with no hospitality background whatsoever. “Well,” says Richard, “we loved to entertain and we had a couple of big parties every year...we thought, ‘how tough can it be?’”

After months of cleaning, painting, and redecorating the 16-room inn, they’d been open only two days when the storm hit and the phone calls started. “Any rooms tonight?” The snow thickened; passes closed, and word came that every motel in Kremmling was sold out.

Suddenly, the Riverside was bursting with travelers stomping snow through the lobby, laughing in the bar, jamming the restaurant. One family slept six to a room with only a full bed, just to avoid an overnight at the high school gym where many travelers were stranded. “It was exhilarating,” says Richard. “Restaurant-wise, I learned that night the difference between dinner for eight at home and running a commercial kitchen.” With the help of staff and family, Richard and Julie kicked out 60 meals, filled every room, and went to bed exhausted, but filled with hope. Perhaps their crazy enterprise just might work.

For every successful bed and breakfast or inn, there are plenty more that fail, namely due to overly enthusiastic entrepreneurs who fall in love with the idea of a lifestyle, but grossly underestimate the time and operating costs of a rambling old place in the country. There’s the constant cleaning and turnaround, staffing, and not to mention the never-ending repairs on a historic building.

That’s where the love comes in. Richard and Julie discovered the Riverside when a friend from Denver took them up for a visit 15 years ago. Though the hotel sported 70s decor and needed serious work, something about the place got to them; they returned, spending seven Christmases there with their family. “What we loved most about it,” Richard says, “was the potential. Julie had talked about owning a B&B, and after every trip would drive home, saying, ‘What if we owned it?’”

At the time, the couple lived comfortably in Kansas City, where Richard was part owner of a sales business and Julie was a teacher. The two did have a love for entertaining, and Richard, who traveled and dined out often with clients, felt sure he could infuse the tiny restaurant with more upscale fare. When his business sold, the Paradise family got enough money out of the sale to start thinking. With their kids, Rachael and Scott, grown and through college, they thought, “Maybe now’s the time. Let’s do it.”

The Riverside Hotel was built in 1903 with the hopes that the town of Hot Sulphur Springs would become a magnet for tourists seeking the healing virtues of the natural springs. It shared its riverside location with adjacent livery stables, which were eventually made part of the hotel and converted to more guest rooms. Legend has it the place was a brothel, though the Paradises’ research can’t confirm it, and descendants of previous owners firmly deny it. But local lore holds fast, so much so that each guest room carries a placard with a woman’s name above the door – Sheryl, Elizabeth, Carol, Audrey – hinting that more than soaking was on the minds of the guests. A psychic medium recently visiting the springs claimed that she had a vision of a ghost train pulling up and “men rushing up to the big white building … a place that just seems to be party central.”

Though the nature of the partying has certainly changed, the Paradises have infused the inn with a vivacity and charm that has once more restored its party-central role. On a dark night, the hotel glows in the heart of town, the windows fogged from the crackling wood stoves inside. The lobby has been transformed from a dark green pass-through to a white-washed space filled with welcoming leather couches, a riot of colorful throw pillows, twinkling white lights, and collectibles from the couple’s travels. Lucy, the Paradises’ Border Collie-mix pup, skitters from guest to guest, looking for attention. In a room just off the lobby, guests hang out with a drink at the massive Brunswick bar, an ornately carved piece original to the hotel.

The guest rooms have all had facelifts. Under Julie’s care, fresh coats of paint, period-type wallpaper, and heaps of quilts and pillows in hues of robin’s-egg blue, dusty rose and rich burgundy have made for charming, colorful retreats. Expect to find antique brass beds, wicker, dried flowers and historic photos of the town and its residents throughout the hotel. Each room has its own circa-1930s sink, but guests share a restroom.

The restaurant has also seen major changes. Chef Daniel Walker, who holds past experience with Italian restaurants in the Kansas City area, now adds a Northern Italian flare to the menu with classic dishes such as Trout Almandine, Rib Eye, and Veal Saltimbocca. This suggests a more white-tablecloth dining experience, drawing diners from as far as Grand Lake and Granby and filling a void in the area’s dining scene. Pastas are house-made, as is the delicate, creamy mozzarella cheese found in many of the dishes. Expect huge portions – the buttery trout and its side of rich potatoes au gratin could feed two (not that you’d want to share). And don’t miss the homemade desserts each night.

With the first year under their belt, the Paradises are hopeful that the word will spread and people will feel for the hotel what they feel – a love of its charm and its history. They’re in the process of adding it to the National Register of Historic Places so that it will be protected from future development. But in the meantime, they’re having a ball.

“We’ve had magical nights,” Richard says, “where you have a group of people that you wouldn’t think would sit around together … one time it was these rough bikers, and a bank president and his wife from Denver, and a Korean family, all sitting on the back porch singing … it’s those things that remind us why we do this.”

RIVERSIDE HOTEL CONFIDENTIAL -
Getting There: The Riverside Hotel is located in the heart of Hot Sulphur Springs off of Highway 40, 30 miles from Winter Park and 69 miles from Steamboat Springs.

When to Go: The hotel is busiest in summer, with park-goers, rafters, and those just passing through, so be sure to make a reservation. The Riverside also makes for a romantic winter getaway for couples wanting an aprés ski soak at the springs followed by a delicious meal and warm bed.

Lodging: Rates start at $68 for twin and full rooms and max out at $84 for queen suites. The “Mil” and “Mae” rooms in the older section of the hotel are particularly large, cozy and private.

Dining: The restaurant is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Entrees run $18.95 to $24.95. Don’t miss the well-edited wine list and generous by-the-glass pours.

READ MORE STORIES FROM THIS ISSUE:
• The Green Parade: Green Profiles, Outdoor Furnaces, Timber Frames, Green Remodel, & Architecture
• Off-the-Grid: Solar Power Has Never Looked Better
• Special Lifestyle Section
• 2009 Feature Articles