Owner-Innkeepers Sallie and Welling Clark have been operating the Holden House continuously for 35 years.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 9, 2021
Colorado Springs’ first Westside area B&B, the historic Holden House, has served over 45,000 guests with original owners Sallie and Welling Clark at the helm.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, UNITED STATES, June 9, 2021 — This year on June 9, 2021, Holden House 1902 Bed & Breakfast Inn celebrates its 35th Anniversary of exceptional guest service in the B&B industry. An appropriate anniversary designation for an inn that has itself, received recognition for the “Best Bed & Breakfast Inn for an Anniversary” by Inn Traveler Magazine. Holden House has the distinction of being one of the longest established B&Bs in the state of Colorado operated under the same ownership since Sallie and Welling Clark started the business in 1986. Other awards over the years include “Top 50 Inns in America” by Inn Times, “Best Inn Buys” from Bed and Breakfast/Country Inns Magazine, “Best of the Springs” from the Colorado Springs Gazette, “Best Of” from the Colorado Springs Independent, “Best in Business” from the Colorado Springs Business Journal, Tripadvisor’s “Travelers’ Choice”, and “Best in Housekeeping” from AAA, as well as numerous historic preservation and guest service awards.
When asked what has allowed the Clarks to continue in the B&B innkeeping business, owner Welling Clark says, “We’ve learned to adapt to the changing needs of the tourism and bed and breakfast industry while balancing our personal lives and employing a competent and dedicated innkeeping staff. The love of our community and sharing the Pikes Peak region with guests, instills in us a continued appreciation for Colorado Springs”, he said. Welling and Sallie Clark are also active members of the non-profit Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado association which the Clark’s founded in 1987. Both Welling and Sallie successfully juggle their busy lives by being involved in the community and the neighborhood in which they live and work.
People are ready to travel, ready to have face-to-face interaction and are ready for the personalized attention and service we provide at Holden House.”
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20% of U.S. small businesses fail within the first year. By the end of their fifth year, roughly 50% have faltered. After 10 years, only around a third of businesses have survived. The Clarks attribute their longtime staying power as a labor of love. “While 2020 was one of the most challenging years we’ve faced as a small business, we are seeing a positive rebound in 2021, especially for full-service bed and breakfasts like Holden House”, said owner-innkeeper Sallie Clark. “People are ready to travel, ready to have face-to-face interaction and are ready for the personalized attention and service we provide at Holden House. That’s something unique about staying at authentic bed and breakfasts with home-cooked breakfasts, innkeepers to assist you in planning your itinerary, meeting other guests and staying in beautiful surroundings. Our staying power over the last 35 years while serving approximately 45,000 guests, we attribute to our continued love of the business of hospitality and the people who stay with us”, she said.
Holden House now enters its 36th year of operation in 2021, maintaining the same ownership since first opening in 1986 as the historic Westside’s first B&B in Colorado Springs. The Clarks well remember their first guests, a couple from Silverton, CO and young honeymooners on their way to Fort Huachuca, AZ to start their new life as a married couple in the Army. Prior to opening, the inn underwent extensive renovation with the daunting replacement of the home’s foundation, heating, plumbing, and electrical work in 1985 and successfully achieved city zoning approvals with support from adjacent neighbors. Improvements have continued year-after-year, including fresh coats of exterior paint and updated sidewalks in front of the adjacent Rose Victorian this year. The Clarks recalled opening day at the inn. “While the sidewalks had been completed, our lawn and garden was awaiting installation”, said Sallie. “Thankfully, our first guests were not deterred and I remember sending after photos to our first guests to share our finished landscaped exterior. We also transplanted heirloom tea roses from the side of the house to the front garden, which not only survived, they thrive today with beautiful pink blossoms each summer.”
Holden House opened in 1986 with three guest rooms and one house, and today features three side-by-side Victorians and six guest suites. Holden House offers six spacious guest suites, each with private bath, sitting area, and a gourmet full breakfast is included. Special packages include an optional ensuite breakfast, fireplaces and private label amenities. Each of the suites are individually appointed with their own style; four-poster beds, oversized tubs, open Victorian turret, hand painted murals, private balconies and more. The inn caters to those seeking a romantic getaway while also providing excellent accommodations as a boutique-style inn for business travelers with free WiFi, cable TV, off-street parking, full breakfast and a convenient business center all close to the historic district of Old Colorado City in Colorado Springs and a few miles from quaint Manitou Springs.
For more information on Holden House 1902 Bed & Breakfast Inn visit www.HoldenHouse.com or call 888-565-3980. The website also features information on inn specials and packages, favorite recipe and travel blog and details on Holden House and the Pikes Peak region. An inn-tour video is included on the website and you can also find the inn on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram. Guests are also encouraged to #BookDirect on the official www.HoldenHouse.com website to provide the best options for rates and packages.
Historic Holden House 1902 Bed & Breakfast Inn celebrates 35 years and more than 45,000 guests June 9, 2021. Heirloom tea roses, transplanted into the front garden in 1986, bloom in abundance each summer.