Buffalo Bill Cody's Irma Hotel
"Buffalo Bill," William F. Cody was probably the best-known American in the world during his lifetime. Having been involved in many events that shaped the American West, he formed an arena show of the western experience called Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in 1883. It toured the United States and Europe for 30 years. Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show try-outs were held on the lots west of the hotel, when buffalo ran amok in downtown Cody, and when European nobility headquartered at the Irma Hotel on hunting treks in the area.
When my wife told me that she had booked the reservation at the Irma instead of a hotel with a swimming pool for my 9 and 12-year-old boys I expected a revolt from the boys, I was pleasantly surprised. The rooms are the original suites that now house period furnishings. The first room we stayed in featured a fabulous retro bathroom with a pedestal sink, claw foot bathtub and one of the original flush toilets with the water tank high over toliet with the draw chain flusher. The boys were enthralled. All furnishings were fine antiques. The second room we stayed in wasn’t quite as quaint, bathroom wise, but very large and comfortable and had a very nice Victorian couch in the foyer. All rooms feature the 10 foot ceiling that can only be found in luxury hotels of today and yesterday, some having skylights. The Irma’s renovated rooms hosted some of the most famous personalities the world has ever known. You can even stay in Buffalo Bill's private suite or in a host of other historic and non-historic rooms. All have modern bathrooms and air conditioning The Irma’s restaurant puts on an awesome feed featuring Prime Rib billed as the best in the west, the retro ambiance featuring 1902 décor, period paintings on the wall and trophy animal mounts are certain reminders that you have left the twenty first century and returned to a earlier time. We were there for Valentines Day and there was a steady stream of local cowboys, from young wranglers romancing their girl to old ranchers bringing their wives to the Irma Hotel for a night on the town. It was evident that the Irma Hotel was Cody Wyoming’s place to go on special occasions for the locals.
Enjoy a drink in the Buffalo Bill Bar or the Silver Saddle Lounge certainly are a step back in time where you can belly up to the bar that is still the hangout of local characters and genuine cowboys and ranchers of the area, and where you can also see a show saddle that belonged to Buffalo Bill Cody. I was amazed at how well my young boys enjoyed staying at this hotel. Although a state of the art hotel it is showing signs of wear which for me adds to the charm. On presidents weekend we only paid $60 dollars per night and we enjoyed it more than if we would have stayed at a modern hotel with a swimming pool for the bays for twice as much
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