Looking for a place to stay with a healthy dose of artistic flair? Denver is undergoing a renaissance of new hotels that are very purposefully integrating art into their design panache and were inspired by a handful of others that set the stage for a new style of hotel. Denver-based NINE dot ARTS has curated many of the hotel collections mentioned here and beyond the metro area.
DOWNTOWN
If you want to be smack dab in the middle of art attractions, head to the Golden Triangle Creative District and stay at The ART Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton just steps from Denver Art Museum, Clyfford Still Museum and the new location of Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art. The exterior captures the dynamic spirit and look of the district, and guests are wowed the moment they arrive in the Portico Gallery and see Leo Villareal’s undulating and never-repeating art installation created from 22,000 LED lights. Art graces the elevators and public spaces and spills into the hallways and adorns every guestroom. Even the fire pits on the FIRE Terrace are works of art!
The boutique hotel’s collection is a nod to 20th- and 21st-century artists from around the world, with certain works such as the one by Villareal and Larry Bell’s installation of "Light Knots" in the FIRE restaurant, were commissioned especially for the ART. Others were acquired from local artists and those as far-flung as Dusseldorf, London, New York, Vietnam and Los Angeles. Catch a glimpse of how the collection was installed.
Denver’s newest micro-district, the Dairy Block, is situated in the heart of Lower Downtown (LoDo) and features 750 pieces of art created by 31 Denver and Front Range artists. Dairy Block once housed the Windsor Dairy and is anchored by The Maven Hotel, which has 433 works of art in the guest rooms alone but perhaps most notable is “The Quantifiable and The Ineffable” by Andrew Ramiro Tirado, a giant hand sculpture made from reclaimed wood that hangs in lobby and points to Travis Hetman’s 300-plus piece installation “Dark Matter Gathering.” On the lower level, sound works by Jim Green greet visitors as they enter the restrooms while Chris Bagley’s interactive “Disco River” creates a psychedelic experience in the hallway.
The Alley at Dairy Block, a pedestrian alleyway, features 10 major public art pieces, including the massive "Spilt Milk" sculpture by George Peters and Melanie Walker celebrates the block’s history and originates near the top of The Maven’s eighth story. Woven throughout the Alley, the interactive sculptural installation "Musical Churns" by Nikki Pike is synchronized with LED lights and musical compositions from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
Also in LoDo and situated next to Denver Union Station is Kimpton Hotel Born Denver, featuring 700 original and limited edition works by local Denver artists that help impart an elevated, urban vibe that is uniquely Colorado. Adam Lerner, director of the nearby Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver), asked 32 of the most talented artists in the city who represent a diversity of styles to produce bodies of work specifically for the hotel. Approximately 300 works are displayed in the hotel’s public spaces and corridors, while the rest hang in guestrooms. Don’t miss the surprise original mini-murals in guest room closets! Guests also receive free admission to MCA Denver.
The Crawford Hotel, located within the beautifully restored Union Station, features more than 600 pieces of eclectic art. Unique pieces include vintage travel postcards, aluminum prints by Mai Wyn Schantz, paintings by Virginia Maitland, suitcase installations by Phil Bender and the “Station within the Station” photo collage. Plus, access all the locally owned shops, restaurants and bars within Union Station as well as light rail, train and bus transportation within the city and beyond.
Nearby, The Oxford Hotel dates back to 1891 and recently completed a major renovation. The property has an extensive collection of Western art, including a new painting in the lobby “Trouble Checks In – A Night at the Ox” by Denver artist Duke Beardsley, a sixth-generation Coloradan. The painting features a lineup of seven cowboys transposed over a historic Oxford Hotel guest ledger that includes the names of two of Beardsley’s ancestors as well as former Denver Mayor Quigg Newton.
The new Le Méridien Denver Downtown is only a few blocks from the Denver Performing Arts Complex (DPAC), which houses 10 performance spaces on its four-block, 12-acre site. The hotel immediately creates a sense of arrival with one-of-a-kind artwork installations that are constructed with vintage pieces and reimagine the intricate and rhythmic nature of snowflakes. More than 30 pieces of artwork created by local artists convey the property’s European influence and location near the Rocky Mountain foothills.
Denver’s pop culture hotel, The Curtis, a DoubleTree by Hilton, also has an enviable location near DPAC in the Denver Theatre District as well as all sorts of fun art that will have kids and adults checking out all the themed floors. Last year, The Curtis installed a major new parking garage mural and local art in the elevator cabs. The five-story-high, 1,600-square-foot mural by Denver-based artist Forrest J. Morris explores the strata of the environment through art historical, parodical and pop cultural lenses.
Outside the hotel, "All Together Now," is a 42-foot-high sculpture by nationally renowned artists Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt that is a stack of three-dimensional building blocks made from steel and painted in a variety of vibrant colors. Inside, each of the hotel’s guestroom floors offers a hyper-themed suite featuring a custom art installation, including the Jimmy Buffett Suite on the “Mad About Music” floor and the new Marvel Suite on the “Superhero” floor. The Curtis recently rolled out a Denver Center for the Performing Arts package that includes overnight accommodations, a credit for The Corner Office for a pre/post-show snack or cocktail, a theater-themed welcome amenity and parking.
