The town of Hot Sulphur Springs was founded in 1860 by William Byers (he of The Rocky Mountain News fame), purchasing the land from The Ute Indian tribe, who’s ancestors inhabited the area for hundreds of years prior to the arrival of white settlers in the 1840’s. Byers envisioned building Hot Sulphur Springs into a bustling tourist Mecca, similar to New York’s famous Saratoga Springs.

The Riverside Hotel was built in 1903, the year the town was incorporated, to cater to the Hot Springs visitors that would arrive on the Rocky Mountain Railroad at the newly constructed train depot. Not only has The Riverside functioned as a hotel for all of its 105 year history, but has also been a garage in the 1920’s, a biker-bar burger joint in the 1970’s, and often times a brothel in between – or so the legend goes.

The Riverside’s 15 minutes of fame came on The Tonight Show when Janet Leigh – who stayed at the hotel in 1962 – discussed the virtues of a hot sulphur soak with Johnny Carson. If Ms. Leigh took a shower while staying at The Riverside, it apparently was without note. The Riverside also hosted John Lennon on August 25th, 1964, on the evening prior to the Beatles concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Imagine that!

Much of the original structure of The Riverside is still intact, including a fabulous original “Brunswick Bar”, which was constructed in 1895 and brought to the hotel in 1905. While the hotel amenities have been updated in the past years – most notably fresh paint, new lighting and plush, new queen sized beds – the hotel still drips with history and a feel that you’ve stepped back in time.

In December of 2007, The Riverside was purchased by the Paradise Family, transplanted from the plains of Shawnee, KS. It is our intent at the new Riverside to make you extremely comfortable with excellent food, good drink and a sound night’s sleep, all the while enjoying the unique history of our building, the majesty of the Colorado River, and the legend of Hot Sulphur Springs.