"We have made special arrangements to ensure our guests have ample Champagne to ring in the Millennium," said Peter Aeby, Managing Director for The Brown Palace Hotel. "We have a special order arriving which will be kept under lock and key until December 31."

The increase in Champagne consumption between 1997 and 1998 is more than double what it was between 1996 and 1997. In addition, sales of the high-end Dom Perignon increased 49%. 

In tracking other consumption habits of their guests, The Brown Palace found that the interest in martini's continues to grow (13 percent between 1997 and 1998) whereas Cognac sales decreased 6 percent. In fact, according to the January 1998 issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, the number one selling cocktail today is the martini whereas five years ago, the top drink was gin and tonic.

And while beer remains the number one selling cold beverage (outselling soft drinks more than two to one), beer sales decreased 7 percent between 1997 and 1998. This is despite the continuing interest in microbrews that registered a 16 percent increase and represent 40 percent of total beer sales. The real losers in the beer category are traditional domestic beers where sales decreased 28.5 percent.

There also were winners and losers in the non-alcoholic beverage category. Sales of coffee, which include cappuccinos and espressos, declined 13 percent over 1997 while tea sales dropped 22 percent. At the same time sales of bottled water grew 12 percent, which is consistent with national trends. Per-capita bottled water consumption since 1986 has increased 150 percent.

A 106-year-old luxury landmark located in downtown Denver, The Brown Palace Hotel is a charter member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, as well as Historic Hotels of America. It is managed by Quorum Hotels Resorts, a full-service management company headquartered in Dallas.