BOULDER, COLORADO

ROOMS & RATES ∙ ABOUT ∙ RESERVE NOW ∙ GREEN HOTEL ∙ LOCATION ∙  BREAKFAST ∙ TEA ∙ POLICIES ∙ HOME

The Briar Rose Inn is run by innkeepers Jessika Kimes and Gary Hardin, a Zen monk.  It is our intention to bring mindfulness and compassion to our care for the guests and the inn.  Above all, our hallmark is to offer a feeling of "home" in the heart of Boulder.  We simply take care of whoever walks in the door.

Our gardens offer a private retreat — for personal reflection, a warm conversation or simply enjoying the many different plants, flowers, trees and shrubs. The living room,  with a wood-burning fireplace is an inviting spot for reading, meeting with friends, or enjoying a fine pot of tea with fresh-baked shortbread cookies.  Guests and staff may sit in our humble meditation room listening to the small waterfall in the garden below.  We serve a full, organic breakfast in our dining room or on the cheery sun porch, weather permitting. Arrangements can be made for in-room service. 

We belong to two state bed and breakfast associations, the Distinctive Inns of Colorado, and the Bed and Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado. Both feature high-quality inns.  We are the only Boulder bed and breakfast (or hotel) that serves organic breakfast and the only local member of the Green Hotels Association.  We are inspected by AAA and are members of the Boulder Hotel and Motel Association.

The Briar Rose is was once the home of the McConnell family.  The current innkeepers arrived at the Briar Rose through the work of many people, but the McConnells deserve special recognition.  Grace and Harold "Mac" McConnell (left) were married in the 1920s, and they brought the Tulip Poplar tree from Virginia and planted it in the front yard.  The tree now has a girth of 12 feet. 

Mac (1891-1968) was a collector and eagerly showed off his stamp, rock, and barbed wire collections to guests.  Mac was also a gardener and the Briar Rose gardens were especially important to him. Mac and Grace were active in the Boulder Valley Christian Church and brought flowers from the garden when they were available.

Grace Jacques McConnell (1891-1968) sewed and made most of her clothes.  She loved to paint and entertain.  She served tea to her guests, beginning a tradition that we renew to this day.

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