General Palmer Hotel

Great place to stay when in Durango. Cookies and Tea in the lobby when checking. Continental breakfast. Hugh balcony over looking the train, nice place for coffee and break in your day. Rooms are gorgeous, clean, quiet and comfortable bed. Starbucks across the street. Can walk to anything. Love it here I will stay again. This is my 2^nd trip in 4 weeks both stays where perfect. Rates are reasonable for Historic Hotel.

We stayed at the General Palmer Hotel for several nights in July and enjoyed the décor and attention to detail in keeping with the Old West theme. The staff was very polite, the room was large and nicely appointed as well as the bathroom which was bright and large with lots of shelf space.
Unfortunately, the air conditioning was not working on a couple of days. We were told that they were having problems with it. It worked on and off and it appeared that the management was trying to conserve the usage. This was very disappointing because ti was very hot.
The breakfast which was included with the room was pretty bad. Rubbery eggs, and very mediocre offerings.

Great hotel! The service was great and all the staff was delightful. Centrally located, the coolest (and oldest) elevator in Colorado, cookies in the afternoon, and yummy continental breakfast. Worth a stop!

The General Palmer is a historic hotel in the heart of historic Durango. Check in is at 4pm which is a bit long to wait for a room in my view. We had a small room at the back of the hotel, room 207, which was directly on the path of a exterior stairwell that limited our privacy and resulted in having to draw the shade which darkened the room. There are robes-​wonderful addition. The room has Keurig coffee machine and coffee for two. However, when we arrived we found the coffee but no machine. A call to the front desk informed us that the coffee machine for 207 was broken. No offer to replace was forthcoming until some gentle pressure was applied and only available since there were empty rooms to borrow the Keurig. That I found unnecessary given the cost of the room and multiple star rating. There is a room fan plus the hotel has retrofitted the building with a/​c. The second and third floors open to porches that on a good day would offer an opportunity to sit and view the comings and goings of the Steamboat Spring/​Durango steam train and cars. The doors lock immediately upon leaving the hotel so the stairs will need to be negotiated to reenter the hotel. The trains start at 8 am so expect to hear the trains anticipatory and departing whistles in your room. No need for a wake up call. Breakfast is included and served in a small room on the first floor of the enclosed porch. We stayed for two nights and only on one day did fresh fruit appear on the menu. Otherwise there is coffee, tea, hot eggs, sausage, bagels or toast that you prepare and bring to your table or waffles or biscuits in the warming pan, juice and cold cereals. There is no restaurant at the main building of the General Palmer and guests are recommended to use the restaurant down the road where the General Palmer has rooms also. When making your reservation be sure to clarify which building you will be housed in. We were in the main building so I cannot comment on the second building. There is a small flat screen television and clothing storage is limited to the bed side two drawer each and a tall lingerie dresser and the closet. An ironing board and iron and hair dryer are available for your use. The elevator is very compact with a spring loaded accordion brass gate. Stairs are available but they are enclosed. There is parking included with the room. Free coffee and tea is available near the main desk and cookies are served at noon.

Their motto is «ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.» This motto is true in every respect! My wife and I are 66 and little things become more important to us in the way of service. An exceptional hotel to stay at if your plan is to take the Narrow Gauge train to Silverton or for any special occasion to get away and truly relax. A classic 1800s Victorian type hotel. Fantastic Continental breakfast is included. This year, on May 2 they transitioned from the winter heating to the summer air conditioning. Wonderful! AARP rate was good. You will definitely not be disappointed if you stay here.

WOW!!!
That is truly the only word that comes to my mind while recalling my stay at this hotel.
My wife and I were getting ready to celebrate our first wedding anniversary and decided to make the drive up to Durango. When my wife and I arrived we were greeted at the front desk by an awesome gentleman who’s name escapes me unfortunately, I told him my name and he smiled a big smile and said «You’re going to looooove your room.»
My wife and I boarded the elevator that seems to be original to the building with a sliding metal grate and just large enough to fit two and their luggage, it was one of my favorite parts of the hotel, and pushed the 2 button to get to our room. The gentleman at the front desk wasn’t joking, our room was magnificent. It had a huge king size bed, a jacuzzi tub, a bar and a huge leather couch. I figured there was no way this was the room that we booked for the modest price that we paid, we are broke newlyweds in college after all. I would later find out that the hotels General Manager Paula had found out that we were making the trek up there for our first anniversary and moved us into the Presidential suite.
To sum up, I want to thank you Paula and your staff from the bottom of my heart for an amazing, memorable first anniversary. Thank you.
Alan.

We chose to stay downtown knowing from reviews on Unilocal that the train was close. Forgot reviews to request an exterior room for a window! Cloister phobic in size and we quickly got hot. Ceiling fan did not work even though we figured out the small slide dial was on the wall light switch to the fan. Called down to the front desk for a repair and he forgot! Dang– we sat in the room waiting for repairmen’s arrival wasting precious time for touring the town! Finally left the room asked at the front desk and realized clerk was apparently stoned,
bellman apparently also partook because he was just as loopy. Made it through a hot night and thank goodness the competent female agent in the morning took care of us and changed our room to an upgrade at no extra charge. Much better set up in the smaller annex building with a king bed. Had to hurtle in though because of the very high bed and during the night bathroom breaks meant moving the step stool between sides which is impossible in the dark!
Walking distance to many great restaurants.
Nice to have complementary breakfast
served room service style.

I think this place is gorgeous, the pics on their website and on Unilocal don’t do it any justice. I honestly was surprised how beautiful this place was when we walked in. We stayed in room 305 for a couple days and it was great. Very newly renovated, yet kept with a classic style similar to the time period of when the hotel was first built. Very clean, very nice. The staff is also super helpful and nice. Oh and the cookies are really as good as everyone is saying they are. I would recommend this place for sure. I was impressed!

We stayed here for 5 nights. The hotel staff was very polite and professional at all times. We had a small bachelor party and the staff was very generous in letting us use the balcony and breakfast room for the activities. Comfy beds and rooms. Not a negative thing to say!

AAA discount. Seriously vintage building. Breakfast was alright, really friendly staff. the wi-​fi is not good, very spotty. My room had a «murphy» bed so it came out of the wall. Actually pretty comfy. Right in the town so I walked around the shops. For the money, I would have rather stayed at The Leland House & Rochester Hotel because the décor is much more my style but they only had a room without a tub and after driving for hours I just wanted to soak. I also had a nice view from the 3^rd floor in the room at GP which I wouldn’t have had at Rochester.

Go. Stay. Enjoy. You won’t regret it.

We loved the loved the location, the rooms were clean, beds and pillows were very comfortable and service was great. Only complaint~ breakfast. Just stop serving it if you are going to do such a horrbile job. Everything else was so great but that piece was insulting to everything else you did so well. Would certainly come back and recommend to others, but like we did this time~ we will eat somewhere else for breakfast.

The noise level in this hotel is appalling! I could not get to sleep. Between the crappy, live music coming from the street, to the apparent drag racing occurring right outside, to our neighbor coughing constantly, I almost went insane. Never again. I called to complain about the noise, and they lent me some very uncomfortable headphones that did nothing to help. They had «run out» of earplugs. What does that tell you? In the morning, the young woman at the front desk said «Yes, it does get loud here sometimes, we do need soundproof windows.» Wow. Not one bit of a discount or perk for our inconvenience. DO NOT STAY HERE!

We loved our stay here. The free double chocolate and macadamia nut cookies with coffee in the lobby after 12 definitely sweetened the deal.
Other perks:
They bring breakfast to your room, for free.
Luxurious bathrobes. Exfoliating bars.
Wonderful service.

Great 100+ year hotel located conveniently in downtown Durango. Very attentive, friendly, and helpful staff. Breakfast is mediocre. There is a loud steam train whistle each morning at 8AM (ear plugs suggested). Two night stays seem to yield better nightly rate.

Went on a bus trip in Durango and stayed at this hotel. When I first arrived at General Palmer, had a really good impression on the entire hotel. Really cute Teddy Bear collection at the door, old fashion interior but is definitely modified and looks pretty new, the girl at the check-​in desk was super sweet.
But then, it was rather frustrating experience that it took us 3 times to eventually get our room. Okay we did check in early, but you could’ve just told us once that I need to wait till 4pm instead of saying 4 times that you will be ready in 10 mins…
What irritated me more was… the house of maintenance literally kicked me out 10am in the morning during my last day of staying… OMFG what kinda service was that?! Not to mention the stain on the blanket…
Free WIFI? You do need to ask the desk about the pw.
I still really like the hotel, since Durango actually ended up become one of my favorite town and I really do like the hotel overall. But not sure if I would try it again…

A fantastic hotel, that you indeed pay for the luxury and simplicity for. Thankfully a AAA member or even better military discount will shave off a little bit of a substantial room fee.
Even for the price the room was super quaint, comfy, great bed, and the rustic feel. The entire hotel near made us feel (as we rode in on our enduro bikes from a 5 day trip sans showers) like we were true modern day cowboys holdin’ up in a legit western victorian style hotel.
Very kind staff, great coffee bar with fresh cookies, and the breakfast wasn’t half bad either. Essentially you’re paying for the atmosphere, but I dare say it’s worth it, especially with a great outter deck view of the old time coal driven train on it’s trip up to Quray and Silverton.

This was our 5^th time to stay here since 2001. The staff was friendly as usual. We had a queen room overlooking the main street. Cookies & coffee always available in the lobby. Staff are very friendly. It is a historic hotel, room very elegant, bed very comfortable. In the heart of downtown– felt very safe and walking distance to shopping. Sat outside on the 2^nd floor balcony and watched the Silverton-​Durango train leave in the morning and return in the evening.

Lots of free tea and cookies in the lobby, which ALMOST made up for how far from closing I was with the gorgeous girl behind the reception counter.
Yeah, the place is quaint, the rooms come with a pre-​snuggled teddy bear, and for Durango it’s in a hip part of town.
But if you’re expecting to just whip your California cock out and score because it’s snowing outside and logically there is no other party besides the one in your pants, this is the wrong place.

So it was a few days before my anniversary weekend (two years with E!) and we couldn’t afford a big trip (like San Diego last year). So we decided on a staycation — an amazing dinner from Ken & Sue’s that I separately reviewed, and a night’s stay at a lovely hotel. It was a toss-​up between the Palmer and the Strater, and I picked the Palmer because E has always said he’d love to stay there. Next time, though, I am definitely checking out the Strater. They have a hot tub.
What to say about the Palmer… Well, it’s gorgeous, for one. I had always admired it from the outside, but the inside is amazing too. It’s like stepping back into the 1800s, with beautiful marble and antique furniture and even a stuffed peacock on top of a buffet that always holds fresh coffee! That’s the lovely thing that I liked the most — there’s always coffee and a little bowl of chocolates in the lobby, and a plate of cookies in the evening for a little nibble before bedtime!
The girl at the desk was extremely nice and knew my name before I had even shown any ID. The Palmer gives you actual metal keys, instead of plastic cards, and then gives you two options for getting upstairs… you can hike up the stairs or take their very old elevator. It has a metal gate and nicely fits two people and an overnight bag. It’s pretty awesome :)
Our room was nice, with comfy off-​white linens on the bed, a huge closet, and a flat-​screen TV. Thy also have little mini Keurig coffee makers with K-​cups for morning coffee. E was thrilled that the machine was a mini version of the one we have at home. They also have glasses for water instead of plastic cups. I’m all about the little things :)
The one touch that really won me over, though, is the proliferation of teddy bears. There’s a whole two couches full of them in the lobby that always provides a smile if you’re walking by, but each room also comes with its own teddy. Ours was adorable, and the only thing that would have made it better was if the teddy bear came with the room. Unfortunately, the teddy bears come with a sign that says «Adopt Me! For $ 25 and up…» Yikes. That’s a lot for a teddy bear!
Overall, a very fun and enjoyable experience. I’m so glad that I decided to stay in town for the weekend and enjoy my town, one that so many other people make a destination for their vacations. What a wonderful weekend!