MORRISON —A Best Western hotel in Lakewood has been attracting guests from all over the world, and Morrison is becoming the beneficiary of that popularity.
“Even though we are in Lakewood, Morrison is our bread and butter,” said Greg Tally, who, with his wife, Meredith, owns otherwise known as the “Dino Hotel.”
The Tallys remodeled their hotel three years ago to reflect their love of paleontology and worked closely with the director and chief curator Matthew Mossbrucker to fill it with museum-quality casts of dinosaur bones and fossils.
Meredith, who sits on the board of the museum’s nonprofit foundation, said they were focused on showcasing paleontology that was different from what the museum has.
“We’re not trying to compete with the museum — we’re trying to work with the museum,” she said.
The Tallys say their hotel is unlike any other Best Western — or any other hotel, for that matter — in the world. Walking through the front doors feels more like walking into a paleontologist’s study than a hotel lobby. Antique wooden display cabinets and a mantel salvaged from a bank built in the early 1900s are filled with paleontological collectibles.
In Paleo Joe’s, where guests take their complimentary breakfast, the fossil of a full-sized tylosaur hangs from the ceiling.
“They’re really trying to take local paleontology, local fossil science, and make it real and relevant for people staying at the Best Western, and I think that’s really cool,” Mossbrucker said.
They even have an interpreter on hand to inform guests of the fossils and their history.
“The fossil table here, I would argue, is more successful than the fossil tables I do at the museum,” said Chenoa Ellinghaus, an illustrator and “paleoartist” who works at the hotel and volunteers at Morrison Natural History Museum.
All of this dedication to paleontology combined with the Tallys’ marketing tactics have brought a wide variety of visitors to the hotel since its remodel was completed. In 2013, they donated to a fundraising campaign hosted .” The sizable donation went toward a museum dedicated to the scientist Nikola Tesla, and won them a blog post by the artist and national attention.
Since then, they have been featured in The New York Times, Entrepreneur and Parenting magazines, Forbes and more.
Most recently, the Tallys took another marketing leap by donating $40,000 to the crowdfunding campaign a show they said they watched regularly when they were dating. The contribution earned them an executive producer title.
“We really wanted to reach out and find people who were passionate about the same things we were, and invite them to be our clientele,” Greg said.
The Tallys also partnered with the Alamo Drafthouse in Littleton to bring the Morrison History Museum to the premiere of “Jurassic World” this summer. Moviegoers got to see and touch dinosaur bones and fossils before watching the film.
“I personally didn’t know beforehand that Morrison is a treasure trove of old fossils,” said Steve Bessette, Alamo Drafthouse’s creative manager.
Such marketing tactics are good for the hotel’s business, but Mossbrucker said the Tallys have also succeeded in their mission to promote science and the arts.
“With (Greg) and Meredith’s support,” he said, “they have really made a difference in creating a greater awareness about this place.”
Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com or @JosieKlemaier
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