The Historic Plains Hotel has offered the most elegant accommodations in Cheyenne, Wyoming, since it first opened in 1911, but this property owes its creation to just one special dollar bill. The idea for the hotel was born during the Industrial Club’s annual $1 dinner, when club president Thomas Heaney made a passing joke about the town’s need for a modern hotel.
Heaney’s $1 idea quickly formulated into a brand-new five-story luxury hotel that held its grand opening March 9, 1911. The hotel was way ahead of its time, offering private bathrooms, art-paneled skylights, grand brass fixtures and a staircase made entirely of marble and steel. From the day it opened, the Historic Plains Hotel has been the favorite of presidents, Hollywood celebrities, oil tycoons and cattle barons.
The hotel underwent an extensive multimillion-dollar renovation in 2003 and today features 130 Western-chic guest rooms with the latest in modern amenities, along with a celebrated restaurant and bar, a dainty tearoom off the mezzanine floor, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a cigar stand on-site and more. Despite its modern facelift, the Plains Hotel managed to preserve its signature style and historic heritage by keeping the original artwork and photography from well-known Wyoming artists, as well as many of the original features from the property.
The hotel’s central location makes it an obvious choice for group gatherings in the city, as it is located directly across the street from the historic Union Pacific Depot and many of the city’s best shops, restaurants and museums. During the summer, groups can step off the front steps of the hotel and walk right back in time on a classic horse-drawn carriage ride through town, or hop on the holiday lights trolley to see how the city sparkles over the holidays.
Events at the Historic Plains Hotel are hard to top; the hotel has more than 9,000 square feet of conference space, including six unique spaces for meetings. From high Western weddings to sophisticatedly simple power lunches, the Historic Plains Hotel can add a special touch to small meetings and events.
Meeting Space
The meeting spaces at the Historic Plains Hotel are spread across the hotel’s first and second floors, offering great options for guests to customize their events by using one or more of the hotel’s levels. The 9,000 square feet of conference space is divided into six rooms: The Green River room holds up to 30 guests; the Platte River Board Room and the Wind River room each hold up to 90 guests; the Powder Room holds up to 70 guests; and the Ballroom holds up to 300 guests. The sixth room, the Range Room can be divided up into three spaces: Range Room A holds up to 75 guests, Range Room B holds up to 120 guests, and Range Room C holds up to 75 guests.
