8 Best Hotels in Central Business District, Denver

This grande dame of Colorado lodging has hosted public figures from President Eisenhower to the Beatles since it first opened its doors in 1892, and the details are exquisite: a dramatic nine-story lobby is topped with a glorious stained-glass ceiling, and the Victorian rooms have sophisticated wainscoting and art deco fixtures. The hotel pays equal attention to some modern necessities, such as high-speed Wi-Fi. The formal Palace Arms ($$$$) is the in-house restaurant; the Churchill cigar bar sells rare cigars and single-malt scotches. The addition of a coffee-and-tea shop added a much-needed casual option for a quick snack or light breakfast. A full-service spa has Swiss showers and a natural-rock waterfall that draws from the hotel's artesian well.

Each floor here has a pop-culture theme, from classic cars to TV to science fiction, and the rooms are spacious and groovy, with speakers for your music and comfy, mod furnishings. There are also "hyperthemed" rooms, including themes such as comic books, Barbie, and disco, along with suites featuring art and decor devoted to the Rolling Stones and Kiss. The eclectic art collection displayed around the hotel has received national attention. A robot roams the hallways and bubbly music plays in the background. The Corner Office Restaurant + Martini Bar is a retro eatery and popular local happy-hour joint that serves comfort food with a twist such as lobster mac and cheese.

Celebrities and business travelers check into this hip property, which occupies the historic 1917 Railway Exchange Building and the 1937 art moderne Title Building, for the modern perks and art deco–meets–classic-French style. A remodel brought rich blue and brown hues to the inviting rooms, accented by metallic decor details and warm leather upholstery. The service is similarly a cut above: room service is available around the clock; guests can use complimentary bicycles; yoga mats are placed in each room; and pets are welcome and pampered, down to delivered water bowls and access to a dog-walking service. Elegant Panzano, which serves creative Northern Italian cuisine, has long been one of the best restaurants in the city.

With an eye-popping exterior design (its jagged collection of slit-shaped windows on an all-white 13-story building is meant to evoke the Colorado state tree, the aspen), this boutique hotel goes all in on the environment: everything about its thoughtfully curated design is nature-focused, from the natural textiles to the forest sounds on the elevator speakers, while its biggest flex is that it aims to be the first carbon-positive hotel in the country. Public spaces are meant to mirror a forest floor, with the lobby and second-floor gathering spaces composed of varying wood shades and earthy art installations like a draped mycelium fabric above the first-floor bar. Upon exiting the elevator to the guest floors, visitors meet a darkened hallway meant to mimic the inner workings of a tree canopy, but the guest rooms themselves are all light thanks to the aforementioned geometric windows. Much of the furniture is upcycled and/or locally sourced, and the rooms are decked out in calming muted tones and pressed local wildflower art prints; beds are comfortable, toiletries are luxe, and about a third of the rooms have built in hammock-like benches to enjoy the windows and views. The ground-floor restaurant and bar, Pasque, serves elevated American cuisine with strong Colorado flavors for all three meals and the lobby coffee bar, Little Owl, offers pastries and locally roasted coffee. The culinary highlight is the rooftop bar and restaurant, Stellar Jay, which offers a similar menu to Pasque but with a wood-fired twist, along with creative cocktails and unbeatable views of the State Capital and surrounding neighborhood. All of this would be impressive on its own, but Populus takes it a step further with its focus on sustainability. Nearly all the disposable material in public spaces and guest rooms is compostable, there’s an on-site biodigester designed to ensure all food waste created is composted, and the hotel promises to plant a tree for every night every guest stays (achieving the coveted goal of becoming carbon positive).

Definitely geared toward the business traveler, the Hilton Denver is a three-block walk from the Denver Convention Complex and has 50,000 square feet of meeting space of its own. Rooms feature light colors and maple woods, and ergonomic desks and chairs. The casually elegant Prospect's Urban Kitchen and Bar is worthwhile whether you have an expense account or not, and there's a Starbucks on-site. The heated indoor pool is nice, and the fitness center contains enough equipment to provide a well-rounded workout.

Black-and-white photographs, costumes, and scenery from plays that were staged in the Denver Performing Arts Complex across the street decorate the grand public areas of this hotel. With 12-foot ceilings, the earth-toned rooms are sleek and stylish, featuring Frette linens, the latest technology, and spacious bathrooms with soaking tubs and rainforest showers, as well as televisions. The ninth-floor rooms have balconies. The restaurant, the Nickel, is a sophisticated space filled with natural light that serves three modern American meals daily in the renovated ground-floor space, while next to it, The Study provides a cozy, library-style space for coffee and breakfast.

Often confused with the Grand Hyatt, this property, which is near the Convention Center, has rooms with expanded workstations, LCD-screen TVs, and a relaxing palette (slate, beige, pine); the hotel caters to business-focused guests. The friendly staff, reasonable price, and savvy service amenities---check-in (and -out) kiosks in the lobby, an expansive fitness center with lap pool, and hard-to-beat views on the 27th floor at Peaks Lounge, which also offers snacks and a nice happy hour---appeal to everyone. The craft-brew-oriented Former Saint Craft Kitchen and Taps serves a breakfast buffet and lunch daily, while the Assembly Hall Bar and Market offers pre-made sandwiches and snacks, cocktails, and coffee. There are electric-car recharging stations in the garage, too.

Situated just a few feet from the Colorado Convention Center in the building that once housed the Emily Griffith Opportunity School, the Slate pays homage to the technical college's history through decor and name references that are classy and avoid cheesiness. Vintage photos of the original rooms and classes complement the prep school atmosphere, with its plaid upholstered chairs, navy-and-gray color scheme, and tiled stairwells. Rooms are quiet and offer walk-in rain-forest showers, blackout curtains, and minifridges. The on-site Teacher's Lounge Food + Drink serves three meals daily with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients (the Colorado lamb hand pies are delicious), and the spacious bar is a nice spot for a cocktail.