The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals.
At Halcyon hotel in Cherry Creek, one of the coolest amenities isn’t a vibey rooftop pool or a fully tricked out fitness center—it’s a storage room.
Behind the lobby, the hotel keeps what it calls a gear garage, and depending on the season, its shelves are lined with sleds and snowshoes, pickleball paddles and yard games, Piaggio scooters, New Belgium cruiser bikes, Hamboards and longboards, GoPros, stacks of board games, vinyl records, and even an Oculus headset. Guests don’t need to pay a fee to use the items; they simply check the pieces out and bring them back when they’re done.
“Halcyon opened with a gear garage so that our guests can have a full Colorado experience during their stay with the opportunity to borrow just about anything they could need to explore Cherry Creek and beyond,” says Kathryn Guzinski, area director of sales and marketing. “We want guests to feel at home from the moment they arrive, which includes having access to our gear and equipment to make the most out of their visit instead of having to overload luggage or buy something new in town.”
It’s a practical solution to a common Colorado travel dilemma: Most of the activities people come here to do require gear that’s challenging to pack. And while Halcyon was early to the idea, it’s no longer unusual. Increasingly, hotels across Colorado are swapping traditional lending libraries of dog-eared and sun-faded paperbacks for closets stocked with trail gear, instruments, games, and everyday adventure tools designed to help visitors live like locals.
In the mountains, that often means helping guests get outside as quickly as possible. Sitting at the base of Vail Mountain, the Hythe boasts an “adventure locker” that operates like a checklist for outdoor pursuits. Guests can borrow Helly Hansen ski jackets and snow pants, snowshoes, sleds, hiking poles, bikes, backpacks, yoga mats, and even telescopes for stargazing. It removes the logistical hurdles (and the “I didn’t pack the right layer” or “we don’t have snow gear” excuses) that can keep visitors indoors.
A few miles down the valley in Edwards, the Inn at Riverwalk takes a similarly outdoor-focused approach. Its gear garage includes Specialized hybrid bikes, a Thule kid trailer, Atlas snowshoes in multiple sizes, a GoPro with attachments, a Polaroid camera (with film), and oversize lawn games like giant Jenga, Connect Four, ladder ball, and cornhole.
But these lending libraries aren’t just about impressing guests with high-end outdoor gear, they’re designed to help visitors experience and enjoy what the area is known for. At the Elizabeth Hotel in Fort Collins, the lending library reflects the city’s vibrant music scene. Since opening in 2017, the hotel has offered guitars, ukuleles, keyboards, pedals, tuners, and headphones, along with a vinyl library for the turntable in every room. Guests might catch a set at the on-site venue, Magic Rat, then head upstairs and work on a melody of their own (or just jam to a classic record).
“At the Elizabeth Hotel, we created a music instrument lending library because we believe access to the arts should be easy, visible, and inclusive,” says Tamika Weiss, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing. “We see music as something people should participate in, not just observe, which is why we pair free live music performances at Magic Rat and the Sunset Lounge with opportunities to create music firsthand. The library reflects our commitment to strengthening community through creativity by inviting more people to explore music in their everyday lives.”
Back in Denver, Catbird hotel takes perhaps the most everyday approach. Designed for longer stays, the RiNo property’s “Playroom” feels like the kind of communal closet you wish your apartment building had. Guests can borrow bikes, Vespas, and backpacks to explore the neighborhood or Polaroid cameras, picnic kits, frisbees, and basketballs for a day at Wash Park. For those settling in for a week or more, there are also small appliances, including air fryers, rice cookers, waffle irons, and Instant Pots—all the sorts of things that make a temporary place feel more like home.
“The Playroom was created because Catbird is designed to feel less like a traditional hotel and more like a place you actually live in,” says general manager Kari Coughlin. “We wanted to create a space where guests can borrow, play, explore, and just have fun. The goal is to remove friction and add delight.”
While each program looks a little different, together they reflect a broader change in what Colorado hotels prioritize. Instead of four-dollar-sign restaurants or sadly stocked minibars, they’re focusing on useful gear—the kind that helps guests get outside, try something new, or settle into a neighborhood faster.
Read More: The 6 Best New Denver Hotels
