Just in time for Valentine’s staycations, the Thompson hotel has opened with its handsome suites, romantic French restaurant and sexy upstairs bar overlooking downtown Denver.
The boutique hotel owned by Hyatt made its entrance into Colorado this week at the corner of Market and 16th streets. If you haven’t seen this LoDo stretch in recent months, it might be time for a revisit. Just across the street, Market Station is also coming online with new shops and a seafood restaurant called Water Grill.
But the Thompson positions itself alongside nearby luxury stays like the Kimpton Hotel Born or Ritz-Carlton. Standard rooms start around $329 and go up to $399 a night. More than 200 midcentury-designed guest bedrooms and 15 suites are spread across 10 floors with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the city.
The leg up for this LoDo lodging will be its brand recognition — Thompsons have become social centers in other cities across Mexico and the U.S. — plus a shiny lobby-side brasserie run by celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre.
Chez Maggy is a nod to L.A.-based Lefebvre’s late mother-in-law, who lived in Denver. The corner restaurant is covered in marble and velvet and fits the bill for a fancy lunch or evening out ordering Denver French omelettes by day or trout almondine by night (wine acceptable for both). See also onion soup, escargot and bison bourguignon among the menu options.
“It’s faster for me to come to Denver in the morning than just to go to my restaurant in L.A.,” Lefebvre joked ahead of the opening. And his attitude toward a Colorado-California commute is exactly what Thompson seems all about — jet-setting with a well appointed room, top restaurant and cool lounge from which to view your surroundings at the end of the day.
For that last part, Reynard Social is Thompson Denver’s sixth-floor bar and lounge “sunroom” that gives off urban mountain-chalet vibes. It’s got wraparound views and skylights, a focal-point fireplace and a game room for rowdier nights. On Valentine’s Day, this would be the spot for an after-dinner cocktail or digestif.
1616 Market St.; 888-591-1234; Chez Maggy open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner; Reynard Social open at 5 p.m. daily; Duel Coffee (lobby) open from 6 a.m.-11 a.m. daily; booking and information at .
