Historic Bigelow Hotel 1920s-Themed Bash Boosts Business

Back in the 1920s and 1930s, the Bigelow Hotel was the center of life in Ogden.

The historic hotel relived some of those glory days recently, as 260 party-goers — all dressed in period costumes — came to say goodbye to 2017 and welcome in 2018 in a 1920s-themed New Year’s Eve celebration.

The party proved to be a success, not only for the hotel, which sold out all of its rooms that night, but it also provided an economic boost for other local businesses.

This was the first year — in decades anyway — that the hotel has played host to a New Year’s Eve event on this grand scale, according to Susan Cross, Bigelow Hotel AGM and Director of Sales. While normally such an event takes months of planning, this one came to fruition in a matter of about three and a half weeks.

“We had talked about having a New Year’s Eve party at the hotel. We vacillated back and forth because it was on a Sunday this year,” Cross said. “We took a total gamble and didn’t know if it would be a flop or a success.”

In 2016, the hotel was purchased by a new ownership group, NBT-ERI Ogden LLC, which focuses on boutique hotels and speciality brands. The Bigelow is managed by Marin Management Group.

“We have put substantial money into the renovation of the hotel,” Cross said. “I was out of marketing money, so I didn’t have money to advertise the party.”

To that end, she focused on using Facebook, flyers and word of mouth. In addition, she approached Carrie Vondrus, who owns Endless Indulgence Retro Wear on Historic 25th Street. Vondrus alerted her more than 15,000 social media followers about the event and her clients were thrilled to be a part of it.

After she posted information about the party, Vondrus said, “My regulars, in particular, came in and literally I had some people that bought their dresses and then went straight up to the Bigelow and bought tickets for the event.” She told of instances when wives would be trying on their dresses in the store, while their husbands would head over to the hotel to purchase party tickets.

“We dressed about 30 percent of the people in attendance,” Vondrus said of her store. “We’re looking forward to it again next year.”

Beaded dresses, also known as flapper dresses were big sellers for the women, and Vondrus also sold a lot of fedoras and suspenders to men.

According to Cross, “Out of the 260 people who attended, not one came out of costume. We had flappers and gangsters all over the place. We had Al Capone.”

Local tuxedo shops also saw a rush on rentals for New Year’s Eve, Cross said, providing another economic benefit to the city’s economy.

The event included butler-style hor d’oeuvres, a buffet dinner, dancing and a champagne toast at midnight.

Originally hotel staff planned to sell 220 tickets, which is how many the banquet room will hold, but when those sold out and there was a waiting list, they made 50 more available and opened up another small room.

Utah-based band the Roadside Ramblers, which specialize in traditional jazz from the 1920s and 30s provided the music for the evening. Cross said the band was a big hit, because not only did they play music, they brought along some dancers that helped teach the party-goers some 1920s dance steps.

Plans for the 2018 New Year’s Eve party are already taking shape. “We’re already selling tickets for the 2018 party,” Cross said.

Guests who attended the 2017 event are receiving thank you cards with an invitation to book a spot for the 2018 party at 2017’s price. That price was $169 for two tickets to the party and a hotel room.

The historic building was built in 1890 and was known as the Reed Hotel. Over the years, the hotel was host to presidents, entertainers and movie stars. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was known as the Bigelow Hotel and then later was sold and renamed the Ben Lomond Hotel. It’s now back to its former name of the Bigelow Hotel, and will have an official grand opening on April 13.

The newly renovated hotel has a new lobby, new guest rooms and 3 floors of condominiums available for lease.

“We have to get the word out that we’re not the old Ben Lomond Hotel anymore,” Cross said. “We want to be the prominent hotel in Ogden. Our location is amazing. It’s a fun time to be in Ogden.”