LoDo

Thompson Denver

★★★★★

Thompson Denver is the most fashionable of LoDo's newer hotels and an excellent all-rounder for couples and design-minded travelers. Opened in 2022 as part of Hyatt's Thompson Hotels collection, it rises eleven stories in Lower Downtown, a few blocks from Union Station, Larimer Square, the Dairy Block and Coors Field, with RiNo a short ride north. The design brief was a blend of midcentury modern style and an elevated mountain chalet: wood, stone and copper, warm lighting and a lobby with soaring ceilings, a two-story hearth fireplace and a marble check-in desk that sets a cozy-but-glamorous tone, especially in winter. The 216 rooms and suites carry the cabin-luxe feel through with warm woods and textured fabrics, and the signature suite adds a private terrace with an indoor-outdoor fireplace. Dining is a highlight. Chez Maggy is a French brasserie serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with classic dishes like French onion soup, steak tartare and duck à l'orange given a Colorado accent, and Bar M is the hotel's cocktail bar, a sophisticated spot for a pre-dinner drink. The hotel offers a fitness center, concierge, digital check-in and keys, in-room streaming and room service, and it is pet-friendly. Parking is valet only, at downtown rates, though most guests can walk or take the train from the airport to Union Station and skip the car altogether. The location is ideal for a first visit centered on the city: restaurants, bars and the Union Station hub are minutes away on foot.

Thompson's strength is the combination of style and location without the scale of a big convention hotel. LoDo's restored warehouse blocks are among the most pleasant in Denver to walk at night, and the hotel puts you in the middle of them: dinner at Chez Maggy or one of dozens of nearby restaurants, drinks at Bar M or a historic bar like the Cruise Room in the Oxford, and a short stroll home. Union Station's A Line connects directly to the airport, and the free MallRide reaches the Capitol and museums.

When booking, ask for a higher floor for city or mountain views; rooms are well designed but standard rooms are not huge, so travelers who want more space should look at the larger categories or suites. The fireplace lobby makes this a particularly appealing choice from late autumn through spring, when it becomes a natural meeting place after a day of skiing or sightseeing. Reserve Chez Maggy for weekend dinners, as it draws locals as well as guests.

Compared with the Crawford's railway romance and the Rally's sporty energy nearby, Thompson is the most grown-up and polished of the three, with a quieter, design-forward atmosphere. Families can stay comfortably, but the hotel's personality skews toward couples and friends' getaways. Rates are upper-midrange to high, and Hyatt loyalty members can earn and redeem points here. If you are arriving from the airport, the simplest plan is the A Line to Union Station and a short walk with your bags, which saves both the taxi fare and the nightly valet charge for a car you will barely use downtown.