Hotel Polaris

Hotel Polaris opened in November 2024 as the first public hotel at the U.S. Air Force Academy's North Gate, a 375-room resort with six restaurants and bars, a full-service spa and three flight simulators. It is now Colorado Springs' second-largest hotel after The Broadmoor.

The place

Hotel Polaris stands at the North Gate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, at 8989 North Gate Boulevard on the northern edge of Colorado Springs. It is an entirely new, purpose-built resort-style property with 180-degree views of the Academy's mid-century-modern campus and the Front Range beyond.

The concept

Developed by Matthews Southwest Hospitality and managed by CoralTree Hospitality Group, Hotel Polaris opened on November 14, 2024 as the first hotel open to the public at the Air Force Academy, a gateway property for graduation weekends, campus events and Pikes Peak-region leisure travel alike. Atlanta-based architecture and interior design firm BLUR Workshop built the 375-room hotel around aviation-inspired cues — blue and silver palettes nodding to the Academy, warm wood tones borrowed from mid-century modern design, and artwork referencing flight — without tipping into theme-park literalism. At 375 rooms it is Colorado Springs' second-largest hotel after The Broadmoor, and its amenity list leans hard into the aviation hook: three flight simulators (F-16 and 737 Max), which the property markets as the only ones at any hotel in the country, plus a K9 Cadets program and Junior Cadets activities aimed at Academy visitors and families.

Dining & wellness

The hotel runs six dining and drinking venues, including Pamela's for American cuisine, the rooftop Aviator Bar, and Doolies, a casual soda-fountain-style counter. Ascend Spa & Wellness offers a six-room full-service spa, and the property has an outdoor pool and sun deck plus over 26,000 square feet of meeting space.