Where to Stay in Denver: The Best Neighborhoods and Hotels for Every Type of Traveler

Denver’s diverse neighborhoods feature walkable, pedestrian-friendly areas that allow visitors to dig into their specific sightseeing and activity interests — whether that’s learning about Old West rail history at 19th-century Union Station, browsing the galleries and museums in the Golden Triangle Creative District, or hitting the plethora of late-night cocktail bars in RiNo.

To help you determine where to stay during your next trip to Colorado’s capital, we’ve compiled the best Denver hotels in a variety of neighborhoods. For serious shoppers, we’re highlighting the Halcyon hotel in Cherry Creek, which not only puts you close to popular local boutiques but also gives you easy access to a rooftop bar with stunning views of the city skyline and the Rocky Mountains. Those with tickets to the Colorado Ballet or a touring Broadway show should make their way to Hotel Teatro, which is right next door to the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

No matter what your reason for visiting Denver is, we’ve got you covered with our list of top hotels for a memorable stay in the Mile High City.

Where to Stay in Denver for Sightseeing and Sports: LoDo

Historic LoDo (Lower Downtown) makes a great home base for exploring some of Denver’s key attractions, such as Larimer Square lined with restaurants and locally owned shops, and Confluence Park with its riverside trails for jogging and biking. Beer aficionados might hop on a walking tour of LoDo’s craft breweries and tasting rooms, while baseball fans can cheer on the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. And If you’re traveling with kids in tow, the Downtown Aquarium, Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park, and the Children’s Museum of Denver are nearby.

The Maven

Why We Chose It

The Maven is a funky boutique property in the micro-district Dairy Block — so named for early-20th-century Windsor Dairy that once did business there — where hotel guests have easy access to the Denver Milk Market food hall, cocktail bars, restaurants, and shops.

Key Specs

• Free Wi-Fi: Yes
• Resort fee: $25 plus tax per day
• Room rate: $$–$$$$

Notable Amenities

House margarita, craft beer, or local wine daily from 4-7 p.m. from the lobby Airstream, complimentary SUV transportation within two miles

Hotel Description

Entering The Maven’s irreverent lobby is equally entertaining and overwhelming with so much to take in, from the full-sized vintage Airstream to a giant suspended wooden hand sculpture. Playful and creative touches continue into the guest rooms where you might find a bright wall mural, hanging chair, or glass jar full of baseballs, a nod to the Major League Baseball stadium Coors Field down the street. Some rooms have bunk beds (a king on the floor with an elevated perpendicular twin), while oversized suites feature large soaking tubs.

The Rally Hotel

Why We Chose It

Located in McGregor Square and across the street from Coors Field, The Rally Hotel introduces guests to an especially lively side of LoDo, starting with a daily afternoon social hour featuring complimentary cocktails, wine, beer, and ice cream.

Key Specs

• Free Wi-Fi: Yes
• Resort fee: $25 plus tax per night
• Room rate: $$$–$$$$

Notable Amenities

Courtesy transportation within a two-mile radius, Beekman 1802 bath products, board game library, s’mores kits

Hotel Description

Earning the top spot on Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards reader survey of Denver hotels, The Rally Hotel impresses with bird’s-eye views of the baseball field, city skyline, and the distant mountains from its rooftop deck complete with plunge pool, bar, and multiple loungers. (Tip: If you don’t have tickets to the Rockies game, head downstairs to McGregor Square, where it’ll likely be streamed on the public 66-by-20-foot LED screen.) Rooms are casual and contemporary, with red and blue plaid carpeting, floor-to-ceiling windows, and rain showerheads in the roomy bathrooms. Corner suites have a king bed and twin bunk beds, making them ideal for families. 

Where to Stay in Denver for Performing Arts Fans: Central Business District

Downtown’s Central Business District is where you’ll find skyscrapers housing company offices, plus streetside restaurants and the Denver Pavilions retail area along the pedestrian-friendly 16th Street Mall. But it’s also home to the four-block Denver Performing Arts Complex (DPAC). Here, the Buell Theatre brings touring Broadway shows to town, and the Ellie Caulkins Opera House hosts performances by Opera Colorado and the Colorado Ballet, while smaller theaters provide space for a variety of productions.

Four Seasons Hotel Denver

Why We Chose It

The Four Seasons delivers top-notch service from its location across from the DPAC, featuring a stellar spa with walkout access to the heated, rooftop pool.

Key Specs

• Free Wi-Fi: Yes
• Resort fee: No
• Room rate: $$$$

Notable Amenities

Complimentary car service within a three-mile radius, in-room play tents for kids, use of spa steam room and whirlpool

Hotel Description

For sophisticated luxury from a brand that goes above and beyond to satisfy guests, make your reservations at the Four Seasons Hotel Denver. Rooms and suites in this 45-story skyscraper are crisp and clean, decorated in light gray and tan hues with pops of cobalt blue. The hotel’s contemporary EDGE restaurant is a streetside steakhouse with a separate raw bar offering seafood favorites, from sushi rolls and tuna poke to Alaskan king crab and West Coast oysters.

Hotel Teatro

Why We Chose It

Next door to the DPAC and two blocks from the Colorado Convention Center’s Bellco Theatre, Hotel Teatro is a AAA Four-Diamond property with a lively restaurant with a menu that features ingredients from Colorado farms and ranches.

Key Specs

• Free Wi-Fi: Yes
• Resort fee: $20 plus tax per night
• Room rate: $$-$$$

Notable Amenities

Complimentary luxury car transportation within 2.5 miles, use of custom vintage cruiser bikes

Hotel Description

Hotel Teatro is one of Denver’s original boutique hotels, opening its doors in 1999. But the building has an even longer history — it was originally built in 1911 for the Denver Tramway Company, which once operated the city’s streetcars. The hotel preserved much of the office tower’s character in its elegant rooms, and The Nickel restaurant is a nod to the five-cent trolley fares of days gone by. At this pet-friendly hotel, dogs always stay free, with no size restrictions.

Where to Stay in Denver for History Buffs: LoDo’s Union Station

This tiny neighborhood within LoDo is named for the venerable Union Station, which has served as a train depot since 1881. Today, the Beaux Arts terminal building is the centerpiece of an eclectic, mixed-use district, featuring hotels, residences, bars, restaurants, shops, outdoor events, and a seasonal farmer’s market. Union Station is also a transportation hub for local buses, Amtrak trains, and the rail line to Denver International Airport. 

The Oxford Hotel

Why We Chose It

The Oxford Hotel was built in 1891 to accommodate Denver’s burgeoning train-travel tourists, and it’s home to the city’s longest-running bar, the Cruise Room, which dates back to 1933.

Key Specs

• Free Wi-Fi: Yes
• Resort fee: $30 plus tax per day
• Room rate: $$$–$$$$

Notable Amenities

Continental breakfast, bourbon bar in the lobby daily 5-7 p.m., courtesy transportation within a two-mile radius, access to The Oxford Club Fitness Center and its exercise classes

Hotel Description

Although The Oxford Hotel has gone through multiple renovations and modernizations in the past 130+ years, you’ll likely feel as if you’ve stepped back in time when you enter under a replica of the property’s original iron doorway arch. Denver’s oldest hotel has an elegant lobby featuring 19th-century floor tiles, historic chandeliers, and Western art. The 80 guest rooms are styled with either Art Deco or Victorian design, with some accommodations featuring classic clawfoot tubs. Guests get a daily $10 credit to spend at the on-site restaurant and bar, and we highly recommend you put it toward a classic martini at the glamorous, Prohibition-era Cruise Room. 

The Crawford Hotel

Why We Chose It

The Crawford Hotel, located in the landmark Union Station terminal building, seamlessly blends modern comforts and 19th-century railroad history, modeling some of its rooms after classic sleeper cars.

Key Specs

• Free Wi-Fi: Yes
• Resort fee: $27 plus tax per day
• Room rate: $$$–$$$$

Notable Amenities

Courtesy Tesla transportation within a two-mile radius, use of e-bikes, afternoon beer at The Terminal Bar

Hotel Description

With a check-in desk located right in Union Station’s Great Hall, you can’t get any closer to Denver’s railroad history than a stay at The Crawford Hotel. Accommodations range from Pullman Guest Rooms with Murphy beds and vintage train advertisements, to LoDo Suites in the terminal building’s former attic space, with exposed brick, dormer windows, and sloped ceilings. Grab a drink at the mezzanine-level Cooper Lounge and enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the bustling Great Hall before a meal of Spanish tapas at Ultreia, the latest concept eatery from the minds behind award-winning Rioja on Larimer Square. 

Kimpton Hotel Born

Why We Chose It

The modern Kimpton Hotel Born shines with a plethora of guest perks, like Peloton bikes in the fitness center and a daily afternoon social hour with wine and Colorado craft beers.

Key Specs

• Free Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is free for IHG Rewards members and $14.99 per 24 hours for non-IHG Rewards members
• Resort fee: $25 plus tax per night
• Room rate: $$$

Notable Amenities

In-room yoga mats, use of custom-designed PUBLIC bikes, Atelier Bloem bath products, entrance to the nearby Museum of Contemporary Art

Hotel Description

Next door to Union Station’s transportation hub, the Kimpton Hotel Born accommodates travelers who appreciate a contemporary aesthetic amid LoDo’s 19th-century buildings. 12 floors house 200 guest rooms and suites with “modern alpine interiors,” featuring custom knotty-pine canopy headboards, leather furniture, and original masterpieces from contemporary Colorado artists. The menu at the classy-but-comfortable Citizen Rail focuses on house-butchered meat and seafood cooked on a wood-fired grill, but has plenty of sides and salads to satisfy veggie lovers, too. 

Where to Stay in Denver for Nightlife: RiNo

Trendy and hip RiNo (River North Art District), located northeast of LoDo, buzzes with jazz and cocktail bars, breweries, craft distilleries, and some of Denver’s most inventive restaurants, many in former warehouses and factory buildings. If you’re looking for late-night revelry, RiNo is the place to be. During the day, tour art galleries and furniture studios, or book the Denver Graffiti Tour to learn about the area’s public murals.

Catbird Hotel

Why We Chose It

The Catbird Hotel, an extended-stay property that made its debut in 2021, offers some especially clever amenities, such as a borrow-a-plant program that turns its guest studios into cheerful, welcoming spaces.

Key Specs

• Free Wi-Fi: Yes
• Resort fee: $30 per night
• Room rate: $$

Notable Amenities

Daily hot breakfast, laundry facilities with complimentary detergent, water dispensers with sparkling and chilled water on each floor

Hotel Description

While the Catbird Hotel is designed for folks who are kicking back in Denver for a long-term stay — each guest room features a full kitchen, cookware, and spices — the contemporary hotel is a great moderately priced spot to hang your hat for a weekend, too. You might feel as if you’ve got your own urban pied-à-terre while overnighting in a cozy studio with a lofted bed, wall coat racks, and yoga mats and free weights. The Playroom is loaded with bikes, scooters, board games, cameras, picnic kits, record players, musical instruments, and kitchen appliances for guests to borrow.

Where to Stay in Denver for Art Lovers: Golden Triangle Creative District

Just south of Denver’s Central Business District, the Golden Triangle neighborhood is ideal for taking in the city’s art galleries and museums, admiring public art, and strolling through Civic Center Park, whose multiple flowerbeds are a sight to see in the spring and summer. Within three blocks are the Denver Art Museum, which features a variety of works in 12 different collections; the Kirkland Museum, which spotlights fine and decorative art; and the Clyfford Still Museum, which focuses on large-scale, abstract expressionist paintings.

The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton

Why We Chose It

Part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, The Art features postmodern works by acclaimed artists throughout the property and is an easy five-minute walk to the Denver Art Museum.

Key Specs

• Free Wi-Fi: Yes
• Resort fee: $20 per day
• Room rate: $$–$$$

Notable Amenities

Self-serve candy bar, car transportation within a two-mile radius, in-room Illy Caffé coffee/espresso bar, Gilchrist & Soames bath amenities

Hotel Description

A museum in itself, this contemporary hotel showcases art curated and commissioned from New York to Vietnam, including light installations, colorful paintings, evocative sculptures, and mixed-media collages. But even guests who aren’t art enthusiasts will likely appreciate the bright guestrooms featuring crisp white bedding with turquoise, orange, and gold accents, plus floor-to-ceiling windows with mountain or city views. Fire Restaurant & Lounge, which opens to a rooftop terrace with firepits, earns accolades for its clever cocktails and friendly bartenders. 

Where to Stay in Denver for Shopping: Cherry Creek North

If you want to give your credit cards a workout, head to upscale Cherry Creek North, a 16-block neighborhood about a 15-minute drive southeast of LoDo. Here you’ll find the city’s highest concentration of locally owned shops and boutiques, as well as the Cherry Creek Shopping Center featuring luxury brands such as Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Coach, and Louis Vuitton.

Halcyon, A Hotel in Cherry Creek

Why We Chose It

Just steps from all the retail action, luxury independent hotel Halcyon wows with its homey vibe and standout in-room amenities, including vinyl record players and yoga mats.

Key Specs

• Free Wi-Fi: Yes
• Resort fee: $35 plus tax per day
• Room rate: $$$–$$$$

Notable Amenities

Use of bikes, scooters, and other seasonal equipment from the Gear Garage, wine and beer every afternoon, day passes to Denver Botanic Gardens

Hotel Description

Eschewing the standard front-desk check-in, Halcyon welcomes guests at the Kitchen Counter, where each morning you can grab a complimentary espresso, fresh fruit, and pastries to fuel your day of shopping or sightseeing. Contemporary rooms and suites at this pet-friendly property are similarly homelike, stocked with coffee-table books and oversized mugs. The hotel’s rooftop deck, featuring a year-round swimming pool, hot tub, and bar, is an ideal spot to take in the Denver skyline and watch the sun sink behind the Rocky Mountains. 

Final Verdict

Whether you’re seeking a relaxed stay at properties like RiNo’s Catbird Hotel and Halcyon in Cherry Creek North, or you’re seeking a posh experience at luxury brands, including downtown’s Four Seasons Hotel Denver and Kimpton Hotel Born Denver, Colorado’s capital has you covered with its wide variety of hotels in its distinct neighborhoods. Though your hotel choice really depends on how you want to spend your time in Denver — shopping, sightseeing, hitting the jazz clubs, or strolling through museums — you can’t go wrong with any of the recommended properties on our list.

Know Before You Go

• Denver sits at 5,280 feet in elevation (thus the Mile High City nickname), and it receives more than 300 days of sunshine a year. Be sure to wear sunscreen, no matter when you’re visiting. You’ll also want to pack layers of clothing. Even in the summer months, days can be toasty, but once the sun sets, evenings are cooler, and you’ll want to be prepared with a sweater or jacket.
• Denver has long been a beer town, so if you’d like to sample local craft brews, there’s no dearth of options with 100 taprooms, breweries, and brewpubs in the metro area. More recently, local craft distillers have cropped up, producing gin, vodka, whisky, and other spirits. Check out the Denver distillers on the Colorado Spirits Trail. 
• Browse our Denver travel guide for more ideas. 

How We Chose These Hotels

We considered over two dozen of the best hotels in Denver before choosing the options on this list. We assessed various elements like the property’s reputation and quality of service, location within the city, and notable amenities (like complimentary transportation, social hours, and gear closets). We also looked at each property’s dining options and what kinds of experiences are available to guests. Finally, we evaluated countless customer reviews to ensure the properties on our list offered only exceptional customer service experiences.