The 9 best hotels in Denver to sip cocktails, swim in a rooftop pool, or explore the Rocky Mountains
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- Denver is a scenic, year-round getaway, offering world-class restaurants, museums, and more.
- With easy access to nature, it also serves as a launchpad for mountain vacations all over Colorado.
- We found the best Denver hotels for all types of travelers, from $165 to $319 per night.
Colorado’s capital city of Denver has seen dynamic growth in recent years. Whether it’s the consistent increase in population or the revitalization of historic neighborhoods, Denver has been among the country’s most rapidly growing and changing metropolitan areas. This has also led to an expanded hospitality scene that includes the opening or renovation of countless hotels across the city.
And while many travelers might consider Denver simply as a brief stopover to some of the Rockies’ most iconic mountain towns, there’s plenty to do in the city, from world-class art museums and award-winning dining to easy access to wide-open spaces for hiking or bike riding. Plus, Denver receives roughly 300 days of sunshine. All of this has led to Denver seeing greater visitor numbers than ever before.
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While there are plenty of great Denver Airbnbs to consider, the city has seen a plethora of new hotels pop up, as well as numerous older properties undergoing grand renovations, making the hospitality scene more dynamic than ever. I’ve had the chance to check out many of the top offerings while making Denver my home base for the last several months.
The best Denver hotels were chosen with the following criteria in mind:
- The properties here appeal to a wide range of travelers. Whether you’re on a budget, seeking out luxury, or someone who won’t travel without your beloved pet, there’s something for everyone.
- We also kept affordability in mind and hotels average $165 to $319 per night, though prices can jump during peak seasons.
- These hotels come with desirable amenities from impeccable decor and rooftop pools to top-notch on-site restaurants.
- The hotels were also selected for their prime location in some of Denver’s most exciting districts, from the shopping-friendly streets of Cherry Creek to the central neighborhood of LoDo.
- In addition to my own experiences, I also ensured all hotels have excellent recent reviews and high ratings on trusted sites like Trip Advisor, and Booking.com.
- In Denver, it’s important to note that many hotels feature resort fees to cover the cost of various amenities, from Wi-Fi to complimentary happy hours and even discounts at neighborhood businesses. We’ve outline additional fees to consider below.
- All hotels have strict new COVID-19 policies in place so you can rest easy.
The best hotels in Denver, sorted by price from low to high
The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton
Book The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton
Typical starting/peak prices: $165/$255
Neighborhood: Golden Triangle
Best for: Couples, solo travelers, business travelers
On-site amenities: Pet-friendly rooms, on-site restaurant, meeting and conference rooms, fitness center, free shuttle
Resort fee: $20 (plus tax) covers a $20 credit to the on-site restaurant, premium Wi-Fi, and a selection of complimentary drinks and snacks
Pros: Bring your pet; there’s no fee and amenities like a bed and a bowl are available.
Cons: If you’re not into art, the hotel’s location may not be as desirable, because there really isn’t much around it otherwise.
Located in Denver’s Golden Triangle, known for its countless art destinations, this aptly named hotel is a prime choice for travelers who are interested in exploring the city’s robust art scene. The hotel is steps away from the Denver Art Museum, which regularly hosts fantastic exhibits. In keeping with this theme, the hotel is brightly decorated with striking paintings and sculptures from one of the owner’s private collection.
The sculptural, glass building is a great complement to the architectural landscape of the neighborhood. And while the rest of the hotel has been dynamically brought to life with this art theme, the rooms are more subdued, with soft woods and subtly bright accents. The furnishings have been scaled down to minimize high-touch surfaces, but the comfy bedding, LCD TVs, and luxurious bath products from Gilchrist and Soames all remain.
COVID-19 status and policies can be found here.
Moxy Denver Cherry Creek
Book Moxy Denver Cherry Creek
Typical starting/peak prices: $179/$229
Neighborhood: Cherry Creek
Best for: Solo travelers, business travelers
On-site amenities: Beer garden, bar, restaurant pick-up service, bikes, small gym
Resort fee: None
Pros: While the property has a more streamlined list of amenities, its enviable location in Cherry Creek means tons of places to visit are within easy reach.
Cons: The hotel charges a $100 fee to guests who bring their pet. Considering other hotels with similar overnight rates don’t charge for pets at all, this could be a prohibitive expense.
This playful, colorful micro-hotel in Cherry Creek is geared towards hip, millennial travelers. Checking in, for example, happens at the hotel bar and your room key comes with a complimentary drink. The modernly designed rooms are on the smaller side, but feature clever storage solutions as well as wall fixtures for hanging clothing and other personal items. The bathrooms come with walk-in showers but no tubs.
If the more modest guest rooms might seem pared down, the public-facing amenities and social spaces are certainly more exciting. There are complimentary bikes for guests to use during their stay, the bar has a shuffleboard setup, there’s a separate ironing room, the gym is full of top-of-the-line equipment, and the adjacent outdoor beer garden is frequented by both locals and guests of the hotel.
COVID-19 status and policies can be found here.
Kimpton Hotel Born
Book the Kimpton Hotel Born
Typical starting/peak prices: $189/$229
Neighborhood: Union Station
Best for: Couples, families
On-site amenities: Two restaurants, terrace with views, bikes, great fitness center, bar
Resort fee: $23 (plus tax) fee covers a $10 credit to Citizen Rail and complimentary access to the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Colorado Athletic Club Union Station
Pros: The location is great, especially during ski season as it offers an easy connection to the rest of Colorado via Union Station.
Cons: Some guests have complained that they found the rooms to be too small.
Kimpton’s design-forward hotel located just steps away from Union Station pays homage to the Rockies with a mountain-inspired interior aesthetic. Pinewood surfaces, including beautiful wraparound headboards, and flannel-like upholstery deliver a wintertime vibe no matter when you visit. Every room boasts soaring, floor-to-ceiling windows and artworks by Denver artists can be found throughout this posh hotel. Pricier room categories come with massive soaking tubs, and depending on which floor you end up on, you could get mountain views.
There are two restaurants in the building: Citizen Rail, which focuses on wood-fire-prepared meals, and Tavernetta, considered one of Denver’s best Italian dining rooms. There are also outdoor dining options available. Some of Kimpton’s signature brand benchmarks have changed. Unfortunately, complimentary coffee in the lobby has been suspended. Its social hour concept is still going on, but instead of gathering at the lobby for a couple of hours over drinks and snacks, guests of the hotel can grab a glass of wine from Citizen Rail that they can then enjoy in their rooms.
COVID-19 status and policies can be found here.
Life House, Lower Highlands
Book Life House, Lower Highlands
Typical starting/peak prices: $212/$351
Neighborhood: Lower Highlands
Best for: Couples, groups of friends
On-site amenities: On-site restaurant, cocktail bar, coffee and tea lounge, in-room wellness programming
Resort fee: None
Pros: For traveling groups, the hotel’s bunk-bed rooms are fantastic. And these are not hostel-like setups; the stacked beds are quite spacious.
Cons: The walls of the hotel are thin and noise can waft in from just about anywhere.
The Denver location of the Life House hotel brand is one of the newest hotels in town; it opened in November 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. Still, this design-forward property features a ton of cool elements that are quite unique to the local market, including a wine program that’s entirely natural.
Tucked away in the Lower Highlands (or LoHi), a hip residential neighborhood with buzzy restaurants, bars, and shops, the hotel is not very close to the main tourist sights of Denver, but it is just on the other side of Union Station.
Inside, the interior decor, inspired by Victorian Industrialism, is all about Victorian-era meets Wild West drama. The medley of floral upholstery and heavy plush drapes mixes with lots of leather (of course), potted cacti, and mountainscape murals, presenting an intriguing visual narrative. Guestrooms are split between bunk-bed rooms and more spacious suites, but both come with Le Labo bath amenities, rain showers, and wellness programming on the TVs. (The hotel even filmed the yoga classes in the actual guestrooms to ensure that you have enough space to comfortably follow along.)
While there are many local-approved restaurants near the hotel, Life House’s on-property dining concept Wildflower has been a hit, thanks to potent cocktails and a vegetable-driven food menu of shared plates.
COVID-19 status and policies can be found here.
The Ramble
Book The Ramble
Typical starting/peak prices: $229/$289
Neighborhood: RiNo
Best for: Couples, friends
On-site amenities: Continental breakfast, restaurant, exceptional cocktail bar, fitness center
Resort fee: None
Pros: There are a lot of creative COVID pivots at the hotel, including the new walk-up window that you can order food and coffee from until noon. This is to limit the amount of people that would otherwise need to enter the hotel lobby.
Cons: There’s more of a nightlife vibe here that’s not for everyone.
Located in the heart of River North Art District, Denver’s hippest enclave, The Ramble is a cocktail-obsessed hotel that calls Death & Co, the iconic NYC drinking den, its dining partner. Mixologists actually managed many of the property’s food and beverage offerings, from the various dining venues around the hotel as well as the contents of the minibar. The Ramble’s cocktail bonafides has made it a local hangout, too.
But this 50-room boutique hotel is more than just a bar with bedrooms. The interior narrative was modeled after the intrigue of centuries-old French salons. Guest rooms were brought to life with a moody but sexy aesthetic with its velvet headboards, dramatic crystal chandeliers, whimsical wallpaper, and, in some rooms, soaking, clawfoot tubs. For friends who don’t mind sharing space, Bunkhouse rooms offer a nice value.
Its location in one of Denver’s thriving new neighborhoods is a particularly big draw for traveling creatives who want to be near new restaurants, buzzing food markets, local distilleries, and indie boutiques.
COVID-19 status and policies can be found here.
The Maven at Dairy Block
Book The Maven at Dairy Block
Typical starting/peak prices: $229/$249
Neighborhood: LoDo
Best for: Families, couples, solo travelers
On-site amenities: Pet-friendly rooms, on-site restaurant, meeting and conference rooms, fitness center, free shuttle
Resort fee: $20 (plus tax) daily resort fee covers discounted treats from the various businesses around the hotel, such as a free cup of coffee at Huckleberry before noon, a free taco with the purchase of a margarita at trendy restaurant Bruto, and more
Pros: There’s a generous cancellation policy at the hotel, where a full refund is available to guests who cancel their reservations with at least a 24-hour notice.
Cons: While there are dog treats available to guests traveling with their pets, there is also a $50 fee for having them stay with you.
One of Denver’s hippest new hotels, The Maven mixes an industrial-chic aesthetic with hundreds of Instagram-ready art pieces. Case in point, the first thing you might notice upon arrival is the giant hand suspended from the lobby ceiling. Or the airstream coffee/bar. The vibe in the guestrooms is very similar, where concrete walls and steel furniture are punched up with colorful murals, floor-to-ceiling windows, and spacious bathrooms. For fitness enthusiasts, the hotel has a fully equipped 4,500-square-foot gym that is currently restricting capacity to eight people at a time.
Its location in the Dairy Block, an artsy micro-neighborhood that was completed in 2018, is a fantastic way to experience the recent revitalization of the LoDo neighborhood.
COVID-19 status and policies can be found here.
The Crawford Hotel
Book The Crawford Hotel
Typical starting/peak prices: $247/$394
Neighborhood: Union Station
Best for: Couples, families
On-site amenities: Four restaurants and two bars, ski storage in the winter, spa, fitness center, computer stations, free infant cribs
Resort fee: $20 daily (plus tax) fee covers a free scoop of ice cream at Milkbox Ice Creamery, a cup of coffee from Pigtrain Coffee Company, car service within two miles of the hotel, free gym access, classes at The Oxford Club, and discounts to various businesses within Union Station
Pros: The hotel’s location can’t be beat for those who want to be close to the action. Inside Union Station, there are shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants that add to the convenience of staying at The Crawford.
Cons: Its location inside Union Station can be a negative for some people as well because there is no private lobby that’s reserved for hotel guests. You share the public seating in the station that is also used by commuters, travelers, and sightseers.
Located inside the historic Union Station terminal just steps away from the train platforms, The Crawford Hotel could not be more accessible via all forms of transportation. The transformation of Union Station, which included the opening of this 112-room hotel in 2014, is part of the revitalization of Denver’s LoDo neighborhood.
The hotel combines old-world elements with modern perks that come with the district’s recent growth. For instance, many of The Crawford’s guestrooms feature historic architectural details like exposed bricks, wood beams, and elaborate crown moldings that date back to the 19th century, but guests are also in smack in the middle of a fast-changing neighborhood in the heart of the city with bars, restaurants, and cultural attractions right at their fingertips. While pets are allowed, there is a steep $50 per night fee.
COVID-19 status and policies can be found here.
The Jacquard, Autograph Collection
Book The Jacquard, Autograph Collection
Typical starting/peak prices: $269/$322
Neighborhood: Cherry Creek
Best for: Business travelers, couples
On-site amenities: Two restaurants, bar, rooftop pool, fitness center, meetings and event space
Resort fee: None
Pros: For those who remain wary of dining with strangers, the hotel’s grab-and-go market is stocked with a variety of food and drinks and is open 24 hours a day.
Cons: According to some reviewers, noise can be an issue in some guestrooms.
Located in Denver’s ritzy Cherry Creek neighborhood, The Jacquard projects both an upscale and boutique vibe, though it’s actually under the Marriott umbrella. The hotel’s 201 rooms are known for their spacious blueprints, as well as glistening custom furniture and stunning mountain and sunset views. Design-wise, there’s a modern though minimalist style to the interiors, with warm wooden headboards and desk areas that may appeal to business travelers.
Being located in Cherry Creek, one of the city’s most walkable neighborhoods, means there’s plenty to do just outside the hotel’s doors, whether it’s shopping, dining, art-hopping, or biking along a river trail. But guests should make sure to make it up to The Jacquard’s rooftop pool and bar. It boasts sprawling vistas of Denver. Similarly, the on-property restaurant Narrative from award-winning chef Paul Nagan is one of Denver’s best. Its wine menu is over 750-label strong.
COVID-19 status and policies can be found here.
Halcyon, A hotel in Cherry Creek
Book the Halcyon
Typical starting/peak prices: $319/$445
Neighborhood: Cherry Creek
Best for: Couples, families, friends
On-site amenities: Two restaurants, bar, outdoor pool, rooftop terrace, coffee/tea lounge, gear garage, access to local fitness studios, on-site gym, spa, bike share program, meeting and event space
Resort fee: $30 per night covers coffee, snacks, wine happy hour, Wi-Fi, and more
Pros: The hotel’s Gear Garage, stocked with everything from tennis racquets to mountain bikes for guests to borrow, is one of the most unique offerings in Denver’s hospitality scene.
Cons: The Halcyon offers a massive list of wonderful perks but also one of the priciest resort fees.
This good-looking, 154-room hotel in Cherry Creek offers up a contemporary take on the luxury experience. The check-in desk is called the Kitchen Counter, where guests might be offered a CBD drip coffee upon arrival. Rooms are spacious and bright featuring high ceilings, minimalist decor, like shiny subway tiles in the bathroom mixed with gilded fixtures, a yoga mat, and Jonathan Adler bath amenities.
The public venues are worth getting reservations for ahead of your trip, too, especially because they are often booked out by Denver tastemakers. Local Jones is a great restaurant serving elevated comfort dishes and the basement-level speakeasy whips up some of the best cocktails in town. The rooftop pool scene is also quite a draw. In the winter, the space is transformed into a wonderland with a curling floor and telescopes for sky viewing.
COVID-19 status and policies can be found here.
FAQs
When is the best time to visit Denver?
Denver is a year-round destination thanks to roughly 300 days of sunshine, plus being an excellent home base for enjoying all the nearby Rocky Mountains have to offer.
Thanks to its high elevation and semi-arid climate, even in the summer Denver offers enjoyable weather, with highs in the low 90s and lows in the 60s at night. April, May, September, and October offer some of the best weather and fewer crowds. Of course, many like to explore Denver during the winter months and use it as a jumping-off point for Colorado’s best ski resorts.
Keep in mind that prices tend to jump during popular summer weekends in July and August, as well as the during the peak ski season.
What are the best areas to stay in Denver?
Some of the most central neighborhoods are the Union Station area, LoDo, and RiNo. Cherry Creek is also a popular and upscale area many visitors enjoy. Art lover’s will also surely enjoy the Golden Triangle.
What are the best activities in Denver?
From hiking Mountain Evans to strolling the Botanic Gardens, there’s no shortage of great outdoor options in Denver. Sports fans may want to catch a baseball game at Coors Field when the season is right.
There are also numerous museums and cultural attractions to consider, including the Denver Art Museum, Molly Brown House Museum, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Be on the lookout for the trippy and interactive exhibits that will soon debut at Meow Wolf Denver, too.
There’s also plenty of top-notch restaurants, breweries, local coffee shops to keep foodies happy. You can also opt for a tour and tasting at Stranahan’s Whiskey Distillery.
Are hotels safe?
The CDC said that fully vaccinated people can safely travel domestically.
Most hotels have also implemented new COVID-19 safety procedures. While you’re more likely to encounter other people than in a private vacation rental, experts say that with added caution, hotels are safe.
More great vacation options
- The best Denver Airbnbs
- The best Phoenix Airbnbs
- The best US mountain resorts for all seasons
- The ski resorts in Colorado and where to stay
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