Boulder Approves New 110-Room Downtown Hotel Tied to Sundance Prep
QUICK ANSWER
On August 20, 2026, Boulder City Council voted 7 to 1 to sell the Spruce Street downtown parking lot for $5.8 million so it can become a 110-room boutique hotel. The city agreement explicitly ties the project to Sundance, requiring the developer to make “commercially reasonable efforts” to work with Visit Boulder on event space and room rates during the festival. It will not help with lodging for the 2027 festival itself: the project still needs standard development approvals, a process expected to take more than a year from now.
Last verified: August 27, 2026
What’s confirmed
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| City council vote, 7 to 1 in favor | Confirmed, August 20, 2026 |
| Sale price for the Spruce Street lot | Confirmed, $5.8 million |
| Developer: MA-LR Boulder LLC (Midnight Auteur and Landrock) | Confirmed |
| Room count and amenities: 110 rooms, restaurant and bar, rooftop open to the public at least 20 hours a week | Confirmed |
| Opening in time for the January 2027 festival | Not expected, approvals alone take over a year |
The developer also has to provide over 2,000 square feet of below-market retail space, donate $100,000 to the Boulder Arts Foundation, and host rotating local-artist exhibitions, with an option to buy out of those obligations for $200,000 to $250,000 after five years. Only Councilmember Taishya Adams voted against the sale, citing water and energy concerns.
Why it matters if you’re planning a 2027 trip
This hotel will not add rooms for the first Boulder festival, but it is a useful signal of how the city is treating Sundance as a long-term fixture, not a one-off event. If you’re trying to gauge how tight lodging will be for January 2027 specifically, this project doesn’t move that needle. Our post on what Boulder’s current hotel room count means for your trip and our where to stay guide cover the lodging picture that actually applies to 2027.
What we’re watching
We’ll update this post as the project moves through Boulder’s development review process, and we’ll note if the developer’s required collaboration with Visit Boulder produces anything concrete for future festival years.
