I was in Denver Sept 24-26 for a conference at another hotel, waited too long to book, and lucked into a good rate (~$200/nt) at the Curtis.
A good description of it is a boutique hotel for people who can't afford boutique hotels -- it has the veneer of boutique, with quirky finishes and touches, but scratch the veneer and you get pretty much a 70s-era Sheraton.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't do a great job for where it is. By the time my friend and i had paid the cabbie, the bellhop had unloaded our bags and had them standing by the front desk. The desk staff had looked at the baggage check tags for our last names and had already pulled up our reservations by the time we walked in.
The front desk staff was enormously helpful and friendly. Hip, but not hipper-than-thou, if you know what I mean. The lobby is spacious and pleasant, and you can't beat the location, 2 blocks off the 16th St. Mall.
The hotel has a theme for each floor, with elevator music to match, which was a little precious for me, but whatever. My room was small but had everything I needed -- iron, ironing board, a decent hairdryer (not one of those attached-to-the-wall useless ones), wireless internet, basic cable and Showtime. It also had a flat-screen TV, which was crucial because the room was so tight i wouldn't have been able to squeeze by a bigger one.
The bathroom was sleek, but a bit to the detriment of function. There were no towel racks, only hooks on the back of the door, and the clean towels live in a wire basket beneath the sink (think Pottery Barn). Given the germ possibilities of a hotel bathroom floor, i wasn't in love with my towels nestling into the tile, but at least the towels were fluffy and thick.
The bathrooms have showers, no tubs, and the water pressure was sacrificed in the name of conservation, but the toiletries provided were excellent (Tarocco by Cali Cosmetics).
The mattress was good, the pillows were ok - all fluffy synthetics, I guess I've been spoiled by the many hotels who manage to offer a down, a synthetic, a hard, a soft, etc. on each bed. The alarm clock also holds an ipod (*but does not act as a charger, so be prepared!*).
The room's furniture had the aura of being rescued from the previously mentioned 70s Sheraton and reupholstered, but it was all fine for the short time i was there. The desk chair is a faux-Aeron.
It's a little bit of a party hotel -- there was a fair amount of noise the first night i was there (a Wednesday), and the next morning i heard the front-desk staff talking about complaints and having to move people, but the second night was much quieter.
The housekeeping staff was a little too informal -- i was getting some ice when a maid approached me and asked me to call room service to remove used trays from the hallway; she said she had called several times and they wouldn't listen to her, so maybe a guest calling would do the trick. I -did- call, and the rooms service folks said they'd take care of it right away, but wouldn't you know, the trays were STILL there when i left for dinner a few hours later.
So, aside from that internecine issue, a good stay.








