Although I wasn't blown away by my visit, I did enjoy my recent three-night stay at the Courtyard Downtown. The hotel is well kept and nicely decorated, and I even got to enjoy some pretty holiday decor during my December trip. (I paid $129 per night; other hotels in the area were at least $50 more during the time of my stay, but I'm not sure why!) The hotel's location is ideal--it is bounded by the 16th Street Mall, Champa, and Curtis, placing it squarely in the heart of great downtown activities. Because the city blocks are short in this part of Denver, it was very easy for me to walk to the Convention Center and the performing arts district (each less than five minutes away) as well as to the Pepsi Center (about a fifteen-minute walk because of car traffic). There are plenty of nice restaurants and shops in the area, so I never felt unsafe, even though I did all of my walking alone at night in the snow <=) I stayed on the sixth floor facing away from the mall, so my room was quiet and had helpful views of the Convention Center to my left and the Pepsi Center off to the right. When I did visit the mall, the lack of any real distance between the hotel's front door and that area was fantastic!
My queen-bed room had the most vaulted ceilings I've ever experienced in a hotel, and there was plenty of space to move around in (see pix). The bed itself was WAY too soft for my tastes, but many guests probably enjoy that cushy feeling. There were several pillows of different firmness levels to choose from, which was nice. For those who need complete darkness to sleep, be aware that the curtains are not designed to close especially tightly; I used a hairclip to overlap mine enough to keep out the morning sun. I really liked the extremely comfortable little armchair in the corner, and the desk and accompanying suede-upholstered chair were nice. The bathroom was only okay, but it was clean (especially after the maid came and doused it in strong lemon cleaning solution the second morning--that was not fun in such a contained space!).
Two final notes: 1) The business center's Internet service truly is blazingly fast (I didn't bring my laptop, but I'm assuming that the free in-room hookup would also be great), and 2) the vending machines offer Coke on some floors, Pepsi on others, and very little snackage (and what there is requires credit card-only payment).
All in all, my stay at the Courtyard Downtown was pleasant, and I would certainly recommend this hotel for travelers who simply want a well-situated, fairly priced, middle-of-the-road, reliable place to sleep. Happy holidays!










Value
Rooms
Service




