6 Best Hotels in Colorado, USA

Right in the heart of Golden, this hotel is a comfortable place to stay midway between downtown Denver and the mountains, where the rooms have beds covered by high-quality bedding with triple sheeting, backed by a faux-leather chocolate-colored headboard. Expect flat-screen TVs, free local calls, Wi-Fi, and bottled water in the rooms. Request a room overlooking Clear Creek. If you're traveling alone, have a drink at the community table at the inside bar, or choose the outdoor bar, with heaters for cold days. The snazzy restaurant, Bridgewater Grill, sports muted greys and browns, has a contemporary feel.

Close to Larimer Square, the theaters, the 16th Street Mall, and the Colorado Convention Center, and with unpretentious, comfortable rooms—downtown hotels don't get much better than this. Rooms sport Colorado details, such as bison prints and aspen-gold and sky-blue tones, and the lobby features a bar scene backdropped by stacked fireplaces in the walls and granite communal tables. It's worth the $75-per-night upgrade for the Grand Club–level concierge floor for evening snacks and beverages and an elaborate breakfast spread. The newsroom-themed Courier. Bar and Courier. Kitchen ($$) both serve small plates and craft cocktails, while Courier. Market offers fresh sandwiches and other pre-made snacks. The well-equipped fitness center overlooks a small pool, which opens onto a sundeck with city views, and the roof is configured for tennis and running.

The Denver outpost of this Texas-based chain has remarkably spacious, elegant rooms with sophisticated furnishings—some with fireplaces—and warm colors, all built within the confines of the 1906 former American Bank Building. The rooms are business traveler–friendly, with oversized desks and plenty of outlets and lighting. Breakfast is included, as is an evening guest reception, constantly replenished water flavored with fresh fruit in the lobby, and late-night cookies and milk. One block off the 16th Street Mall, the Magnolia is convenient to downtown and LoDo, and the jazzy, retro-hip Harry's Bar is often a locals' stop. There's also an on-site Starbucks.

Guest rooms at the ever-bustling Sheraton are roomy and streamlined, with unfussy furniture and nice workstations that appeal primarily to the business traveler. An ongoing, $80 million remodel has spruced up the lobby, which has been opened up dramatically yet still retains a cheerful vibe, with an oversized fireplace and cozy sitting area. The beer-oriented Yard House ($$) offers a staggeringly varied menu of pub grub and upscale comfort foods and there's also a coffee shop with wine and beer for takeout in the lobby. Both the fitness center and heated outdoor pool are inviting.

This stylish midsize business- and family-friendly hotel is ideally located on the edge of downtown, and the spacious rooms have been updated with comfortable beds and the latest in high-tech perks to complement the brass and mahogany furnishings and roomy marble bathrooms. All rooms contain wet bars and private terraces with exceptional city views. The restaurant, Gattara ($$), sends out Italian cuisine for all three meals daily—including pizzas from the wood-fired oven—and features a reasonably priced and well-chosen wine list (not surprisingly, Italian-heavy), as well.

This sleek, luxurious high-rise with oversized rooms opens right onto the 16th Street Mall and all the downtown action. Rooms are done in grays and taupes, with white duvets, piles of cushy pillows, and contemporary prints on the walls. The fourth-floor pool has one of the best views of the Rockies in all of downtown. The hotel buys blocks of tickets for weekend shows at the Denver Performing Arts Complex for guests' exclusive use. There are several dining options on-site: the upscale Mexican eatery Blue Agave Grill ($$$); the casual lunch and dinner spot Corner Bakery Cafe ($); a quick-serve coffee kiosk in the lobby; the sleek V's Lounge for late-night cocktails; and for a la carte breakfast, the snazzy Augusta ($$).