Apr. 19, 2005 - The landmark Hotel Jerome in Aspen has been sold to the upscale Broadmoor Hotel and Resort in Colorado Springs, the Aspen Daily News reported Monday.

Officials at The Broadmoor and the Hotel Jerome declined to comment on the deal, but the sale was recently completed and the transaction is scheduled to close May 2, the paper reported.

The purchase price was not given.

"It would be a good fit," said Ilene Kamsler, president of the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association. "They're very similar in their historic nature; they have a similar clientele." Darcy Weissenborn, a bartender at Bentley's at the Wheeler in Aspen, said the sale is a good thing for the hotel and for the town.

"The Broadmoor is a great hotel. It is run well. -- I hope for good things from The Broadmoor," she said.

The Broadmoor is owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Co. A history of Hotel Jerome on the company's website says it was purchased in 1984 by a major investor group, but it doesn't list the principals.

"It's an Aspen landmark, and it needs to be maintained," Kamsler said of the Hotel Jerome.

INN GOOD COMPANY

Comparing Aspen's Hotel Jerome and Colorado Springs' Broadmoor Hotel and Resort. The Hotel Jerome has been purchased by The Broadmoor:

HOTEL JEROME

Location: Aspen

History: Opened in 1889. Built by Jerome B. Wheeler, co-owner of New York's Macy's Department Store.

Rooms: 91

Rates: $125 to $1,400 a night

Amenities: Heated outdoor pool; ski-slope transfers; three restaurants; and two bars, including the well-known J-Bar saloon

Notable guests: Bob Hope, John F. Kennedy, Jackie Joyner-Kersee

BROADMOOR

Location: Colorado Springs

History: Opened in 1891 as a gambling casino. Transformed into a resort in 1918.

Rooms: 700

Rates: $145 to $3,500 a night

Amenities: Three golf courses, a spa, 11 restaurants and lounges, stables, a private lake

Notable guests: Bill Clinton, Jimmy Buffett, Oprah Winfrey

By Julie Dunn and Tom McGhee

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