June and July have been a highlight for the LGBTQ+ community, with Pride and Pride Disability month passing, and the repertoire of events and participating businesses coinciding with the prismatic celebrations. While some may feel there is a layer of commercialization to it now, The Curtis Hotel, the iconic “happy” hotel on 14th and Curtis, stands out as a major, year-round supporter of the community — always colorful and welcoming to any guest.
Throughout June, The Curtis Hotel organized eight Pride-centric events to create engaging opportunities for community members and guests to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and give back. These events included partnering with The Center on Colfax, which is the largest LGBTQ community center in the Rocky Mountain region, and the Denver Principles anniversary event which celebrated the property’s historic significance in the HIV and AIDs movement alongside several more.
“One of the most obvious partnerships is The Center on Colfax. We partner every year with them around our participation in hosting Denver Pride,” said Lizzie Raudenbush, General Manager of The Curtis Hotel. “This year we really leveled up a bit and with the 40-year anniversary of the Denver Principles we decided to just knock it out of the park in regards to the number of events we hosted around pride and also in support of The Center.”
The Curtis has a long history aligned with the LGBTQ+ community stretching as far back as 1983 when it was originally called The Executive Tower, also with Denver Principles, where they were a bit more reserved in how vocal they were in their support — likely a mixed bag of avoiding any unnecessary press coverage and also making sure members of the community were safe. However, in comparison to that time, in 2023 the hotel has become an inclusive, supportive space for those marginalized Denver communities.
The Curtis made a charitable contribution of $6,190 to The Center, but their support doesn’t end when everyone else puts away their rainbow marketing. With a number of staff members who identify as LGBTQ+ in some way, The Curtis does everything to be an inclusive space for all. Their employee dress code is gender-neutral, they offer flexible PTO and wellness plans that can be used how they want and inclusive benefits recognizing non-traditional partnerships to be eligible for those.
It adds up to a more inclusive work environment that goes above and beyond what is typically seen. Raudenbush mentioned an anecdote about a couple of employees who were transitioning during their time working and were astounded at the accommodations made to support them during such a tumultuous period, like using their preferred names on their paychecks instead of their birth names. Throughout the year they also create packages or specialty cocktails at their bar The Corner Office where a portion gets donated to The Center.
Being a hotel, they encounter people from all walks of life — including those that are less receptive. On occasion, there will be a comment or complaint regarding the décor or not expecting such an avant-garde experience. Comments like “Is this one of those gay hotels?” have occurred, but there’s some good to be had when something like that happens.
“We actually donated $100 for every verbal or written complaint that we received from a guest this year during Pride. So we had eight guests who complained about our décor and programming when we had drag bingo, so we donated an extra $800,” Raudenbush added.
The efforts continue throughout the year, with a little extra effort given to the last two months, with more on the way, such as the continuation of monthly Drag Bingo and greater plans for the holidays, when members of the community may not have all the support or a safe place to go home to celebrate. The Curtis’ history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community only continues on, because, as Raudenbush put it, “How can you stay happy if you can’t be yourself?”