Hotel Boulderado Workers Are Unionizing and Asking Sundance to Weigh In
QUICK ANSWER
Confirmed: employees at Hotel Boulderado, the hotel Sundance Institute has confirmed as festival headquarters for 2027, notified management of their intent to unionize with UNITE HERE on July 2, 2026, and picketed outside the hotel on September 11 asking Sundance to publicly support their organizing effort. Reported: workers describe layoffs, cut shifts and a near doubling of housekeeping workloads since the hotel’s 2025 ownership change. Sundance Institute has not made a public statement on the union drive as of this post’s last verification.
Last verified: September 25, 2026
What’s confirmed
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Hotel Boulderado employees notified management of intent to unionize with UNITE HERE, July 2, 2026 | Confirmed |
| Workers and supporters picketed outside the hotel, September 11, 2026, asking Sundance to support the union effort | Confirmed |
| Hotel Boulderado is Sundance 2027’s confirmed festival headquarters, used for credentialing and hospitality | Confirmed |
| About two dozen layoffs and reduced shifts and benefits since the hotel’s 2025 sale to AJ Capital Partners, per worker and union accounts | Reported, not yet confirmed |
| Whether Sundance Institute will respond publicly to the workers’ request | Pending |
Hotel Boulderado, the 117 year old landmark hotel at 2115 13th St in downtown Boulder, was sold in 2025 by longtime owner Frank Day to AJ Capital Partners, which is rebranding the property as a Graduate by Hilton. Day to day operations are handled by Schulte Hospitality Management Group. According to reporting from Boulder Reporting Lab and Denver7, employees describe a sharp change since the sale: roughly two dozen layoffs, weekly shifts cut from four or five days to two or three, individual shifts shortened from six to eight hours down to four, and housekeeping workloads that grew from about 11 rooms per shift to 20 or 22. Workers also describe benefit cuts and reduced guest amenities, including room service now served on paper plates. Boulder Reporting Lab reported that about 65 percent of staff had signed a petition supporting unionization as of early July. Organizers are working with UNITE HERE, the national hospitality workers union.
On September 11, 2026, employees and supporters picketed outside the hotel. Their specific ask, according to KGNU’s reporting, was for Sundance Institute to publicly support their right to unionize, given that the festival will use Hotel Boulderado as its headquarters for credentialing and hospitality during the January 21 to 31, 2027 festival. Colorado AFL-CIO organizer Len Harris told KGNU the goal is to “force the Hotel Boulderado to follow the law and allow these workers to unionize.” AJ Capital Partners and Schulte Hospitality did not respond to requests for comment from either Denver7 or Boulder Reporting Lab.
Why it matters
Hotel Boulderado is not just another place to book a room during Sundance 2027, it is the building Sundance itself has named as festival headquarters, which our venues guide covers in detail. A labor dispute at that specific property is worth tracking whether you are booking a stay there, attending a hospitality event based out of the hotel, or just following how Boulder’s businesses are handling the runup to the festival. If you are comparing where to stay, our where to stay guide and our roundup of early 2027 Sundance hotel rates cover other downtown options if you would rather wait and see how this develops before booking Hotel Boulderado specifically.
What we’re watching
We’re watching for any public statement from Sundance Institute, for whether the union drive proceeds to a formal recognition vote, and for whether the dispute affects hotel operations or credentialing services during the festival’s runup. We will update this post if new developments change the picture.
SOURCES
