Apr. 30--If only the white-glove teams from AAA and ExxonMobil Travel Publications could have seen The Broadmoor hotel last week. 
 

As Colorado Springs' internationally known five-star resort wrapped up its massive renovation project, piles of construction debris littered the floors of the hotel's original, main building. Dangling electrical wires and empty pop bottles made the lobby, mezzanine and other public areas look like a trashed-out fraternity house.

But that was last week. 

On Wednesday, a cleaned and scrubbed Broadmoor will open the doors to its renovated and redecorated main building -- the final phase of a two-year, $75 million makeover at the hotel in southwestern Colorado Springs. 

The overall renovation was part restoration and part modernization. Changes ranged from the remodeling and redecorating of the main building to the construction of a suite building and pool complex nearby on the resort's 3,000-acre complex. 

Why bother to renovate in the first place? 

After all, The Broadmoor maintains its reputation in the national and international lodging industry; it consistently receives five-diamond and five-star ratings from AAA and ExxonMobil Travel, respectively, which recognize excellence in accommodations and dining. 

Broadmoor officials say the upgrade will help maintain the hotel's place among the best of upscale resorts, which include such properties as the Greenbrier in West Virginia and the Phoenician in Arizona. 

"What it does for The Broadmoor is position us for the next decade and beyond to compete with the very, very best in the world," Broadmoor President Steve Bartolin said. "I really believe it's going to be a golden era for The Broadmoor, over the next decade at least." 

Key elements of the renovation were done last year, and crews worked furiously last week to complete the main building. That part of the renovation, which began in November, required an average 350 workers a day. Broadmoor officials estimated they squeezed the equivalent of 17 months of renovation work into about six. 

Highlights of the project: 

Renovation of the main building and its Northmoor and Southmoor wings: 

New heating, cooling and plumbing systems, three new elevators and new windows were installed. 

New Italian floor marble in the lobby. 

A new bar has oak paneling, an entertainment center and private booths. 

Guest floors in Northmoor and Southmoor were gutted of all walls to allow the reconfiguration of rooms, which now have larger bathrooms, two-line portable phones, dataports for laptop computers and Internet access through On Command Web TV. All rooms have custom features designed for The Broadmoor, from wall and lighting fixtures to the bed and bedding. 

Driveway: 

The main building's entry drive has been redone and is heavily landscaped. 

Cars no longer will be allowed to park near the lobby, which has a redesigned porte-cochere -- or porch roof that hangs over the lobby entrance. 

New construction: 

Last year, the hotel completed construction of a 21-suite building, which replaces rooms that were lost in the Northmoor and Southmoor towers. Overall, the hotel has about 700 rooms. 

The hotel completed construction last year of a pool complex at the north end of the resort's Cheyenne Lake. 

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(c) 2002, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.