I have a conference to attend in mid September in downtown Denver (it's at the Adams Mark), and would prefer to stay at another hotel. Any suggestions? Based on the web research we've done, we're considering the Brown Palace, Hotel Teatro, Hotel Monaco, or Queen Anne B&B. Is anyone familiar with these? Also any thoughts about restaurants, things to do, etc. would be appreciated.
Here come reviews from my 'bible' in the travel industry, the STAR Guide.
HOTEL TEATRO: TEATRO, 1100 14th St., opposite the Performing Arts Complex, is a more expensive version of the nearby Monaco, offering attitude and character as opposed to the efficiency and anonymity of the other business hotels here. Designed in conjunction with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, this refined operation is housed in a historic nine-story building dating to 1911. It has a comfortable lobby and registration area. Props, costumes, masks, and set pieces from previous productions dress up the lobby, creating an aura of romance and magical fantasy -- ideal for those seeking a hotel that offers something different. Dining is a pleasure too, with guests choosing between the intimate Kevin Taylor restaurant for Franco-American fare, and the casual jou jou, a modern American bistro. The barrel-vaulted wine cellar is available for private dining for groups up to 40. The adequate fitness center never closes, but guests can also use the facilities at the Denver Athletic Club. The largest of the three meeting rooms seats 45. Valets park cars, and a Range Rover shuttles guests around city center. Simple and elegant in stripes and solids, the guest rooms favor neutral colors. Cherry furnishings, comfortable chairs, 27-inch TVs, CD players, minibars, coffeemakers, and triple-sheeted beds with duvets and a choice of specialty pillows create a chic, romantic mood for weekenders. Business travelers appreciate the spacious desks that come with ergonomic chairs, dual-line phones with caller ID, data ports, high-speed Internet access, and combination fax-scanner-printer-copiers. Baths, clad in Indonesian marble, are roomy and offer plump robes, extra-large towels, massaging showerheads, and hair dryers. Standard rooms are the smallest and have a single double bed; Superior Queens are larger with armchairs and ottomans as well as mostly separate tubs and glass showers in the baths; Superior Kings have larger baths with soaking tubs; Deluxe Queens provide the highest capacity with two beds as well as a loveseat; and Deluxe Kings come with rain showers to go with the deep tubs. Room service runs round the clock, overnight shoeshines are complimentary, and turndown is provided. This may be the best-equipped business address downtown, but the atmosphere here is more like opening night at the theater next door. 116 rooms
SALLY WATKINS, Certified Travel Counselor sally@century-tvl.com www.sallywatkins.com Italy Specialist Certified Swiss Specialist Certified Aussie Specialist My business depends on referrals - please tell someone today!
THE BROWN PALACE, 321 17th St., at Tremont Pl., in a designated 1892 landmark, near Larimer Sq. and other points of interest, four blocks N of US 40, is Denver's deluxe choice. Though the newer Monaco and Teatro have siphoned off some of its trendier clientele, this historic hotel sets the standard when it comes to personalized service, award-winning restaurants, and distinguished meeting rooms. As for visuals, it is the captivating sight of the galleried atrium lobby in this triangular Italian Renaissance structure that proves most memorable. This is the mother of all hotel atriums, glowing with Mexican onyx arches, adorned with distinctive art, trimmed with six tiers of cast-iron balconies, and topped with a spectacular stained-glass ceiling over a terrazzo floor. Tapestries lend a Victorian touch that is both formal and Old World, and the kind and gentlemanly staff adds a proper amount of starch to the scene. The intimate Palace Arms dining room has a Napoleonic air -- the Little Corporal's dueling pistols hang on the wall. The room is popular for its salmon and pheasant. Ellyngton's faces the financial district and is a favorite place for power meals. The nautical Ship's Tavern, the oldest restaurant here (1934), resembles Admiral Nelson's stateroom and centers on a collection of clipper ship models. Its bill of fare features prime rib and trout. The restaurant on the second floor offers lunch only, and afternoon tea, with scones and Devonshire cream, is served daily in the lobby -- arguably Denver's premier social fishbowl. Churchill Bar is a smart rendezvous for Scotch and cigars in a setting of bookshelves and red leather wingback chairs. More than a dozen meeting rooms seat 750. Accommodations, all facing outside -- guests can choose the morning or afternoon sun -- reflect a blend of traditional opulence and modern comfort. Decor varies, with Victorian overtones in some, Art Deco ones in others. Electronic improvements have resulted in complimentary Internet access (computers require a network card, which can be purchased at the front desk for $75), multi-line phones, fax hookups, electronic locks, and ceiling fans. All soft goods are routinely replaced. Most units have work areas, TVs in armoires, full-length mirrors, and fine baths with robes. The State rooms on the top two floors are larger than those on the lower floors, and have been remodeled to resemble ornate accommodations from the 1920s. These rooms offer big-screen TVs, cordless phones, safes large enough to stow laptops, and ornate baths with dual vanities and separate showers and tubs. Specialty suites are frozen in time from the days when celebrities, including the Beatles, stayed here. The Eisenhower Suite, for example, still bears the scars of the President's putting iron. Room service is round the clock, and in-house carpentry and upholstery shops keep the furniture in top shape. This hotel uses its history, location, and unique Old World charm to justify its high rates and the affectations of its concierge. One way to enjoy the opulence here without paying the price is to stay at the budget-grade Comfort Inn across the street, which is under the same ownership and linked to this grandee by skywalk. 237 units
SALLY WATKINS, Certified Travel Counselor sally@century-tvl.com www.sallywatkins.com Italy Specialist Certified Swiss Specialist Certified Aussie Specialist My business depends on referrals - please tell someone today!
HOTEL MONACO, 1717 Champa Street, one block from the 16th Street pedestrian mall, resides in two historic buildings, one dating to 1917, the other a streamlined structure from 1937. The boldly colored interior design is a retro-active, from the reception desk patterned after a steamer trunk to the Art Deco paint job highlighting the 20-foot-high ceiling. The Panzano turns out contemporary northern Italian dishes as well as first-rate pizzas, and the bar is the place for late-night dancing, Scotch in hand. Borrowing a page from the nearby Embassy Suites play book, the hotel offers a complimentary "Altitude Adjustment" wine hour with hors d'oeuvre, which creates a party mood that resonates throughout the evening. And copying Doubletree, the hotel also provides fresh-baked cookies to check-ins. But this hotel has no peer in this city in the service department: free overnight shoeshine, complimentary morning coffee and newspapers, and even free companionship in the form of pet goldfish guests can take to their rooms. Personal pets are welcome at no additional charge. TVs help take minds off pumping weights in the sumptuous 24-hour exercise room, and personalized spa services relax guests completely. 4000 sq ft of meeting space accommodates up to 200 persons. Guest rooms are furnished in a variety of styles with lots of warm colors, from buttery yellows to regal reds. Custom armoires house TVs and CD players, and desks have dual-line phones with data ports and fax machines that double as printers and copiers. Duvets and pillows cushion the king, queen, or double beds, robes hang in the closets, and the small baths come with hair dryers. Rooms with two queen beds are the largest at 400 sq ft, while deluxe queens are the smallest, at 300 sq ft. Perhaps in a bid for the NBA market, special Tall rooms are available, with nine-foot beds and adjustable showerheads. The Monte Carlo Suites are much larger at 650 sq ft, while the top-dollar Mediterranean Suite adds another 100 sq ft and a two-person jetted tub. This is the most social and light-hearted hotel in Denver's city center, reflecting the exuberance of LoDo's club scene. 189 units
SALLY WATKINS, Certified Travel Counselor sally@century-tvl.com www.sallywatkins.com Italy Specialist Certified Swiss Specialist Certified Aussie Specialist My business depends on referrals - please tell someone today!
QUEEN ANNE INN, 2147 Tremont Pl., in the oldest residential neighborhood in Denver, three blocks NE of the Museum of Western Art, four from downtown, is the closest B&B to city center -- within walking distance, actually -- but the fraying neighborhood does not invite evening strolls. Consisting of two shingled Victorian houses on the National Register of Historic Places, this friendly inn faces Benedict Fountain Park, a barren triangle of grass. The main problem here is parking, for the inn has off-street spaces for only six cars and there is a two-hour parking limit elsewhere. At the entrance to the main house is a foyer and small lounge, and just as cars have a hard time of it outside, so do arrivals inside, for the inn has scant seating. Beyond is the three-table dining area, where a full breakfast is served before an ornamental fireplace. Breakfast can also be brought to guest rooms, which are as spacious as the public areas are compact. In back is a garden patio reminiscent of New Orleans' French Quarter. Chamber music piped into guest rooms can be turned off. Otherwise refined and traditional, the quarters feature Queen Anne pieces, including desks that appeal to business travelers. All rooms have heating and air conditioning, phones, and baths. The four suites each take an artist as a theme: Audubon, Calder, Remington, and Rockwell. Remington is occasionally used as meeting space for up to 12. King or double beds predominate, and Rockwell has a king convertible into two twins. The Fountain Room with its white canopied bed and big black Roman tub often serves as a bridal suite. Besides the suites, the Tower room is largest, with a carved king bed; Columbine has stained-glass windows; and Aspen, set under a turret, is painted to look like an aspen grove. Two other favorites are Rooftop, with a private deck and whirlpool, and Calder, with a fireplace. Smoking is banned. The true value here is in the well-appointed rooms, convenient location, friendly owners, and fair rates. Those looking for more in the way of romance might consider the Castle Marne. 14 units.
SALLY WATKINS, Certified Travel Counselor sally@century-tvl.com www.sallywatkins.com Italy Specialist Certified Swiss Specialist Certified Aussie Specialist My business depends on referrals - please tell someone today!
And one more: I'll be in Denver in mid-August for a board meeting, and we're staying at the Burnsley:
THE BURNSLEY, 1000 Grant St., at 10th Ave., on the semiresidential fringe of Capitol Hill, eight blocks S of the city center, is an anachronism in this area, a hotel offering excellent treatment to business travelers in a neighborhood where apartments usually rent cheaply and by the week. Outside, this building looks like all the rest, a rather plain 17-story apartment block. Inside, though, a chic residential-style atmosphere elevates one's expectations. A modern reception desk commands the brass- and mirror-laden two-story lobby, while the mezzanine above has glass doors to a poolside terrace. A trio or torch singer often entertains evenings in a lounge that has attracted such jazz greats as Ray Baretto and Freddy Cole. (Ella Fitzgerald and Kirk Douglas once owned this hotel.) A harpist plucks at Sunday brunch in the plush, formal restaurant, which features a simple but sophisticated menu (Colorado rack of lamb and cedar-roasted salmon, for example). Up to 80 gather in the larger of the two banquet rooms, and worker bees are on their own in the fully equipped business center. The small seasonal pool outdoors is rarely used, but guests are given free passes and transportation to a nearby health club. Free parking is in a lot next door, but guests should hide the Blaupunkt in this neighborhood. A complimentary van runs guests around the city center. Last remodeled in 1999, guest quarters are in country-English style, with comfortable upholstered chairs, desks, and dining areas in both the studios, euphemistically called Salon Suites, and in the large, bright, genuine one-bedroom suites. With only six units to a floor, quietness is one of the hotel's virtues. Common to all are large walk-in closets with irons and ironing boards, dressing rooms, and spacious combination baths with heat lamps, robes, and imported toiletries. Full-size kitchens have appliances and utensils. Upper suites cost more for their better views and upgraded furniture, with the best commandeering the corners. Room service is provided from 6 am to midnight. Thanks to ongoing renovation and professional management, this hotel has surpassed The Cambridge as the reigning small boutique hotel in downtown Denver. 80 units. www.burnsley.com
SALLY WATKINS, Certified Travel Counselor sally@century-tvl.com www.sallywatkins.com Italy Specialist Certified Swiss Specialist Certified Aussie Specialist My business depends on referrals - please tell someone today!
Sally, thanks SO much for all the info. We are leaning toward the Brown Palace - got a rate of $113 at Expedia. The info about the Queen Anne neighborhood was also appreciated as we would like to be able to walk. Pauline, where and how long is the Sargent exhibit?
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