10600 Westminster Blvd., Westminster 80020, 303-410-5000,
Rates: start at $124 a night for a king. They charge a daily $12 “technology bundle fee” that includes two bottled waters, WiFi, valet parking and local phone calls.
Stay here if you: want to move around easily in the area and relax at a place that manages to be friendly to a variety of traveling types.
It’s close to: Westminster’s City Park, U.S. 36, the Butterfly Pavilion.
The rooms are: a comfortable cross between masculine and feminine, so that business travelers aren’t distracted and families can settle in, but the furnishings are still upscale enough to make it feel like a little bit of a getaway. The famous Heavenly Bed is, of course, the centerpiece and there in all its 10-layer glory, but each room also has a small chair next to the bed as well as a nice office chair at the desk. You get a coffeemaker with Starbucks and a flat-screen TV, and the bathrooms are decent-sized.
They put all of the money into: the art, the lobby, the meeting rooms and other public spaces here that are warm and well maintained. The pool is tiny but gives kids something to do, and the fitness center is reasonably spacious and has plenty of treadmills and other equipment. The elegant O’s Restaurant has something for everyone willing to try their amazing flavor combinations, from a blue cheese and tomato-jam-topped burger to sweet potato-encrusted salmon (the small plates are a great way to sample a bit), and sitting around the firepit on the patio is a fun option for spending some time after dessert on a clear night — especially if you take a s’mores kit from O’s along.
The bottom line: This part of the metro area is overloaded with dull chains, so even though the surrounding landscape isn’t all that inspired, this property is a welcome alternative. Westy the dog, who can be found hanging out in the lobby, is a sweetie, and they allow pets on one of the floors. Kyle Wagner
