My husband and I live in Denver, and had the opportunity for 24 hours on our own while family members watched our kids, so we decided to try out the Ritz. Generally speaking, we try to stay at Four Seasons when looking for a luxury experience, but of course that's not an option in Denver.

This Ritz actually surprised us - it's much more Four Seasons-like than the other Ritzes I have been to. Very contemporary and more understated than the typical Ritz.

Valet was friendly and prompt, no problems there. Valet was $25 overnight, but it's a Ritz and it's downtown, what do you expect? (As a side note, if you go there to use the spa, valet parking is free.) We were offered bell services but didn't need any assistance since we had one tiny suitcase between the two of us.
Front desk staff were very professional and friendly, very easy check-in process.

The rooms are huge with unique and beautiful hardwood entry. Beds were comfortable with very nice linens. Flat screen HDTV I think was 32". There was an espresso maker in the room - we didn't use it but what a nice touch! The view was of another building - the location of the hotel isn't great for mountain views and I was told that the only rooms with mountain views are the suites. I see the mountains every day so I didn't care much, but it's too bad that out of town visitors won't get a nice Colorado view.

Bathroom was very nice, separate shower and large tub, double sinks and separate water closet. Shaving mirror in the shower was nice for my husband, and water pressure was fine. Frette towels were terrific and the toiletries smelled great. I loved that they had a full sized Ionic hairdryer in the room.

I have to admit I am a bit perplexed by the location. The hotel used to be an Embassy Suites so I can see the appeal of renovating an existing building, but I can't say I'd expect to see a Ritz directly across the street from the Greyhound station. While the location is pretty good in terms of being a short walk to many attractions, restaurants, etc., you're still stepping over a lot of homeless people and the bus station and immediate area is a bit sketchy, particularly at night.

We ate both dinner and breakfast at Elway's - the only restaurant on site. (Though there are many others close by.) We weren't terribly impressed with the dinner. The food all seemed to be overseasoned and the tuna appetizer we ordered was just OK - lacking in imagination. Our steaks were both overcooked. The manager came over (we didn't really complain, just asked that our steaks be redone) to apologize and comped our entire meal other than drinks. It wasn't awful - I'd give it another try if Denver didn't have so many other choices for a steak dinner - Morton's, Sullivan's and Capital Grille are all superior choices and all reasonably close. We had dessert via room service - a warm brownie with ice cream, and it was delicious. The breakfast, though expensive, was quite good.

We both booked appointments at the spa. I have been waiting for a luxury hotel with spa to open in Denver because the day spas, though plentiful and many upscale, don't give the same relaxation, in my opinion. The Ritz spa has a beautiful locker room and two relaxation rooms - one where the therapist comes to get you for the appointment, and the other where you won't be bothered at all. (Different rooms for men and women.) The locker room has several showers with dual shower heads, a steam room, whirlpool, and plenty of space and products to get showered and dressed. Towels and bathrobes were soft and fluffy as you'd expect. Relaxation room had cozy chaise lounge chairs, magazines of course, fruit water, tea, nuts and fruit. I discovered a few minor problems and all were taken care of immediately by the attentive staff. My massage was wonderful, and I'd highly recommend the lime blossom scalp treatment - smells amazing.

We did not use the gym, though it is a gym that my husband used to belong to before it was renovated and linked to the Ritz. We did take a walk through it. It's a full-service gym, you won't be waiting in line for anything or find that it's lacking in equipment.

Overall, I loved it and would recommend the Ritz Denver to anyone. We were also astonished at the price - $199 a night! The hotel was booked solid when we were there, so I'd be surprised if that price sticks around long. If we have the chance to stay again we definitely will, even if the price does go up.

I spent four nights at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver over Easter in March 2008. The hotel had only been open for a few months and it was a wonderful experience. The property has a fantastic location for business or leisure travelers (just off the main drag); walking distance to anything downtown.

We had a club deluxe room. The guest room was perfect; extremely sophisticated decor, nespresso machines, granite modern bathrooms w/ seperate showers...everything was wonderful.

The club lounge is very large. The attendant even noted that it was the largest club in the Ritz brand. I usually try to book club because it elevates the Ritz experience and because it is convenient for evenings and meals. The club was wonderful--even offering 2 seperate TV lounges perfect for watching the NCAA finals! My only comment is that the food presentations were exactly the same for the 4 days I was there....quite odd. I found myself longing for changes in the food. It tasted wonderful and was appealing, but I cannot figure why it was exactly the same--very fresh so it wasn't a cost issue.

Also, after 4 days, one gets to know the staff somewhat well. The 3 ladies and 1 gentleman I encountered in the Club lounge were spectacular! They were friendly, helpful and personable! They made the trip really relaxing and comfortable---Thank you club staff!

April 22, 2008, one night on business. I found the Ritz to be a relaxing evening between two business days in Denver.

Staff, service and accommadations were everything that I expected and than some. The service was what will bring me back.

Elway's was a great place to relax with co-workers and have a few.

Within walking distance to LODO and Coors Field.

I found the room to be spacious and equiped with everything I needed.

I just returned from a three night business stay at the Ritz Carlton Denver. For the record I prefer Four Seasons hotels over Ritz Carlton’s and it had been a while since I had stayed in a Ritz Carlton but this hotel seemed to come closest to my requirements of the hotels Denver has to offer. This property is less than six months old and from my previous Ritz experience, it seems that they have started developing their new hotels closer to the look of the Four Seasons model.

I was on the club level floor; both eleven and twelve are club floors with a connector stair between with the club on twelve. Drinks of all varieties and some selection of food are available all day long, especially in the morning. I skipped going to the restaurant completely for breakfast each day because of the nice food variety and being able to grab a cup of coffee to go whenever was a good perk. There are coffee making provisions and a mini bar in the room but the club selection and convenience made it a better option for me. The club space also offered a comfortable space to meet with business associates. (Thanks Lindsay and Nate!)

Food quality however seems to be this hotel’s weakest link. “Elways” (one of two in Denver) is the only on-site restaurant option and I ate lunch there one day and ordered room service one night from what essentially is the same menu. The food was undistinguished and in my opinion not up to the standards of the hotel. I was under whelmed.

The room and the bath room were very similar to a Four Seasons in size and character, marble bath with soaking tub, large shower (unfortunately my room had not-so-great water pressure and a poor shower head), good desk space with adequate power and data outlets, LG flat screen but oddly, only one overstuffed chair. The windows have high sills and no Denver views to speak of, my view was characterless. The opposite side of the building, at least from the club space, look towards an adjacent black office building. A bit disappointing when you know there are mountain views out there somewhere.

Service was generally good with very friendly and helpful staff in the club space. Housekeeping I must add was a bit weak with my room twice not being made up until almost four-o-clock and glasses that I had brought down from the club being left uncollected. Valet service was quick and efficient but I got the impression the hotel wasn’t fully occupied and there were no events taking place over the time I was there.

Overall, for me the Ritz Carlton served me well as a single, business traveler. I will consider other Ritz Carlton’s as business options in the future. For any destination travel, I’ll most likely still stick with the Four Seasons.