As a frequent business traveler, I found myself in downtown Denver early in the week. I was able to bring my wife in for a few days, so I decided to move from another business hotel in downtown Denver to the Hotel Monaco, based purely on traveler reviews. I pre-purchased the four (4) night stay a week in advance and received confirmation.

Upon arrival at 10:00pm at the Monaco, we were told that no rooms were available; they had overbooked, "in the same fashion as airlines commonly do." Of the few who actually spoke, the hotel staff were extraordinarily cold and terse. The hotel made no attempts to notify us earlier in the day, although we were in town and fully accessible. The hotel staff offered no further explanations nor compensation.

We were told to travel through the snowshowers to a nearby hotel (the Magnolia), where we would have comparable accommodations. The Monaco offered no compensation outside of fulfilling their obligation to put us up, since we had already pre-purchased. Our stay at the Magnolia, although only one night, was far more enjoyable, as were the welcoming and empathetic staff.

After returning to the Monaco the next day, we found ourselves ignored by the hotel staff for the simplest of elements. Three (3) calls to the service desk (over a 95 minute period) finally resulted in our receipt of non-allergenic pillows, as none were provided in the room. The turn down service (a nice idea) provided one (1) mint total for two (2) guests for three (3) nights. We interpreted that as an unspoken insult, as the other cleaning details were well-attended. No recommendations for local restaurants or entertainment were offered upon request; the staff seemed to be too busy attending to other guests' needs or on the phone any time we approached the front desk. Our neighboring rooms housed very noisy guests, whose doors slammed many times through the nights. As expected, the hotel staff did not offer to move us or our neighbors.

Our concerns seemed to fall upon apathetic ears.

Perhaps the fact that we purchased our stay online caused the hotel staff to consider us outsiders. Perhaps the fact that we were first-time guests caused the staff to consider us with less importance. Perhaps the fact that we had pre-purchased caused the staff to consider us locked in and without negotiating room.

Whatever the reason, my wife and I (who were on a house-hunting trip in Denver) were extremely disappointed in the Monaco's service. I would expect any charter hotel to take advantage of a service-centric opportunity (such as overbooking) to exhibit superior service and remind clients why they should return in the future and recommend to others.

Although the Monaco is a hotel in a smaller town, the staff should exhibit the professionalism expected from all larger-city hotels.

First off the staff was great! That can always make or break your influence on staying at a particular hotel again! This is one of Denver's first boutique hotels with an amazing decor. Some may say the decor is a bit on the circus side, it is and it isnt-its more of a French European. You have to be a fan of the non-traditional typical hotel room to like this hotel, because this is not a plain hotel (I do not care for plain hotel rooms)! The colors are bold. They do offer a pet gold fish, you have to request it though. The roomservice and restaurant is different. Its northern Italian, NOT typical Italian! Remember that! It is a block from 16th street mall with a lot of restaurants and shopping, but sometimes you do not want to go out-you just want to order in. The bathrooms are a bit on the plain side, I expected nicer. They are nicer than the "typical" hotel bathrooms, but nothing fancy, especially for the price. Maybe that is why they do not show any pictures of their bathrooms.
The rooms are a bit pricy, that is why I am staying at other hotels now that have a great decor, but have a larger more comfortable place to stay with full suites (living and dining, fireplace, separate bedrooms and full kitchens, and places with free breakfast. My top picks are; Residence Inn Denver Downtown, Magnolia, Timbers, etc., for half the price of this hotel. When you travel often, it adds up.

We have stayed here many times. We come down from Vail and are in the hotel business. This is one of the few properties we will stay at. Our dog is actually, really welcome here. Too bad Bob Trotter, the GM, moved on up to the Marriott in Cherry Creek, we will miss seeing him. We like this downtown location better for sporting events.

I recently stayed at the Monaco for a conference at the convention center. The staff was wonderful and extremely helpful! The decor has a fun whimsy to it and reflects the enthusiasm of the staff. The evening wine and massage was a great treat and helped relieve the tension from a long and delayed flight. The beds are very comfortable and the turn down service threw us for a loop the first night. We thought we had unexpected visitors when we arrived back to our room to music and chocolates on the pillows. The leopard print robes and aveda bath products added to the feeling of luxury.
We were a little apprehensive about the pet friendly atmosphere but the dogs were very well behaved and added to the homey atmosphere of the lobby. We even had a goldfish waiting in our room when we arrived. I would definately recommend this hotel next time you are in Denver and don't want to stay at a sterile chain hotel.