Colorado Calling

Colorado's got it all: Not only a year-round outdoor lover's paradise, the Centennial State's pedestrian-friendly cities offer award-winning culinary and craft beverage scenes, and hotels from hip to haute. Not to mention plenty of new attractions and infrastructure to enhance meetings.

Take the capital city of Denver. Visitors can skip the rental car on arrival at Denver International Airport and instead use the 22.8-mile commuter rail transit corridor, which opened last April, between the airport and Union Station. For $9, travelers can be in downtown Denver within 40 minutes or less.

Attendees can check out live music venues like the famous Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, or visit the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art, with over 5,000 works by 534 Colorado artists. They can pick up an authentic western shirt at the famous Rockmount Ranch Wear, or saddle up to the bar at one of Denver's many local microbreweries and tap houses. The Colorado Convention Center is conveniently located downtown, within walking distance of more than 10,000 hotel rooms. The center is slated for an expansion and renovation that will add 80,000 square feet of meeting space, plus a 120,000-square-foot outdoor patio in the near future.  

This January, the Indigo Hotel, a LEED-certified space, opened, with 180 guest rooms, plus 1,188 square feet of event space in the popular Union Station neighborhood. The iconic railway station underwent a transformation in 2015 with a renovation and the addition of 10 new restaurants, along with bars -- such as The Terminal Bar, with over 30 Colorado beers on tap. Union Station will also soon be home to a 12-story Hilton Garden Inn with 233 rooms, a rooftop amenity deck, and 5,000 square feet of meeting space. Large groups can also try the new Kimpton hotel, with 199 rooms and 8,300 square feet of meeting space.

Other hotels scheduled for 2017 include The Maven, a 172-room boutique hotel, a $35 million Marriott Moxy in Cherry Creek, and a downtown dual-branded AC Hotels by Marriott and Le Meridien Hotel featuring an 18-story tower. The Source Hotel, a $41 million property, will be the first hotel to open in the River North (RiNo) district.

A partnership with New Belgium Brewing means guests will be able to sip sour beers and enjoy small plates and a variety of dining options on the hotel's first floor.  

The chef-driven restaurants, farm-to-table dining gastropubs, and brewhouses dotting Denver's diverse neighborhoods earned the city a notable "Hottest Food City" of 2016 by renowned culinary guide Zagat. Just a few of the new restaurants slated to open soon are Quality Italia -- an Italian-style steak house, The Post Chicken & Beer (a local chain with down-home Southern food), and Ultreia -- a tapas restaurant in Union Station.

"One of the more interesting culinary trends today is the modern-day food hall -- and Denver is really leading the charge with several of these concepts all around the city," says Rachel Benedick, vice president of sales and services for Visit Denver. "The Source in RiNo (River North) Arts District is home to one of Denver's top restaurants, Acorn, as well as a baker, art gallery, brewery tasting room, and more."

She adds that Avanti F&B, in Denver's LoHi (Lower Highlands) neighborhood, offers seven different international cuisine options -- all housed in shipping containers. The newly opened Denver Central Market is a fusion of new and established local vendors selling fare from fresh fish and meat to pizza to ice cream. The food halls are a bonus for groups seeking innovative ways to gather. "These spaces provide unique settings for group dinners, off-site meetings, and more," Benedick suggests.

Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, an hour south of Denver, is home to Pikes Peak, the newly renovated U.S. Olympic Training Center, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and a bounty of first-class hotels and resorts. The Great Wolf Lodge opened its doors in early 2017, making it the first hotel in Colorado to feature an indoor water park. The family-friendly property has 311 rooms and over 65,000 square feet of indoor water park fun. The Lodge isn't just for kids -- there is a 20,000-square-foot meeting center there, too, plus a variety of restaurants from sit-down to grab-and-go. New construction is also under way in the city's historic neighborhood of Ivywild. A 10-story Hilton Garden Inn with 165 rooms is going up soon, as is a 136-room Homes2 Suites by Hilton. When finished, the property will have five penthouses, meeting space, and spa amenities, plus indoor and outdoor pools. Also in the works, an 87-room Holiday Inn Express and 120-room hotel by Chartwell Hospitality near the Broadmoor World Arena.  

Groups seeking a high-end luxury experience should check out The Broadmoor, a legendary AAA Five-Diamond hotel and resort. The Broadmoor has 185,000 square feet of event space and outdoor venues, and full-service event activities. Add teamwork into the meeting by booking time at the Broadmoor Soaring Adventure at Seven Falls' zip-line course, or unwind together at the wellness spa.  

Colorado Springs is home to more than 20 craft breweries and Kathy Reak, the CVB's senior director of convention sales, suggests that planners schedule a "taste of" tour for their group. "It's simple. You just hop on a private bus and visit several breweries to sample excellent craft beers," she says. The local food movement is alive in Colorado Springs, and visitors can download an app that provides them with a lengthy list of restaurants whose chefs locally source ingredients.

"We are proud of our first-tier amenities at second-tier pricing, along with our beautiful backdrop and the many activities we have available for attendees and their families to enjoy," says Reak. "People often extend their trip to add a mini-vacation."  

Questions or comments? Email [email protected]

This article appears in the March 2017 issue of Successful Meetings.