- The Ritz-Carlton, Denver (303.312.3800; www.ritzcarlton.com) will debut in November with 202 guest rooms and a full-scale athletic club that will include an indoor pool and a basketball court. The property will offer 13,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 6,200-square-foot ballroom, as well as a dedicated conference concierge.
- In 2008, Starwood plans to open a 171-room W Hotel (888.625.4988; www.whotels.com) in the LoDo district along the 16th Street corridor.
- The hip Curtis Hotel (303.571.0300; www.thecurtis.com) opened in February with 336 guest rooms and 19,000 square feet of meeting space. The property’s many pop-cultural features are evident in the decoration of its 13th floor, with touches inspired by The Shining. An athletic club will open at the hotel in summer 2008.
- The iconic Brown Palace (303.297.3111; www.brownpalace.com) is undergoing an $8 million renovation that will update 241 guest rooms, installing new bathrooms in 199 of the units. The project is slated for completion in early 2008.
- West of downtown Denver in Wheatridge, the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites (303.424.8300; www.ichotelsgroup.com) opened in late July. The property has 104 guest rooms, a business center and an outdoor pool.
- Last October, the Denver Art Museum (720.865.5000; www.denverartmuseum.org) opened the new Daniel Libeskind-designed Fredric C. Hamilton Building, which includes nearly 50,000 square feet of gallery space and a beautiful four-story atrium. The $110 million wing brings the museum’s total square footage to 350,000, with indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces available for up to 200 people.
- The Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver (303.298.7554; www.mcartdenver.org) will move into its new home Oct. 28. The $11.3 million, David Adjaye-designed building will pursue certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.
Colorado Springs
- The Wyndham Colorado Springs became the Colorado Springs Marriott (719.260.1800; www.marriott.com) in January following an $11 million renovation. The property has more than 24,000 square feet of meeting space.
- The Embassy Suites Hotel Colorado Springs (719.599.9100; www.embassysuites.com) completed an $8 million renovation of its 206 guest rooms in fall 2006. The property offers 7,300 square feet of meeting space.
- In August, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (719.634.5581; www.csfineartscenter.org) opened in its new $28 million home, featuring a two-story, 48,000-square-foot museum building accented by three Dale Chihuly chandeliers. The center was already known for its world-class Southwestern and Native American art, which is now supplemented with a Pop Art collection. The center expects an Egyptian exhibit to arrive in a year, courtesy of the British Museum.
Boulder
- As Boulder’s first zero-waste hotel, the Outlook Hotel & Suites(303.443.3322; www.boulderoutlook.com) received a Sustainable Business Medal of Honor Gold Level Award from the Colorado CleanTech Initiative in February. The 165-room hotel achieved the distinction through comprehensive recycling, water conservation, purchasing of recycled materials, charitable contributions, and the use of renewable energy sources. The hotel features indoor and outdoor meeting space, plus a business center, a climbable boulder, a fitness center, and a pool.