A place for you and your dog, too
Hotel has its kinks, but locale and amenities make it worth the stay
Basics
Hotels that pretend to be dogfriendly yet charge extortionate fees are my literal pet peeve. Not so Kimpton, which is perhaps the paw-friendliest chain. Downtown Denver’s 200-room Kimpton Hotel Born opened in August 2017, with a Wild Westgoes-modern esthetic, and when we checked in with our papillon, Huckleberry, we were greeted with peanut butter and molasses treats. That was nearly where our pampering ended, though, as some amenities the hotel’s website promised — including Tesla rides within a three-kilometre radius and an art tour of the hotel’s collection curated by the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver — were not available (both are there now). hotelborndenver.com
Location
Unbeatable. The hotel sits adjacent to Denver’s dazzlingly revamped 1914 Union Station, so guests are within walking distance of Tattered Cover Book Store; the Cruise Room, a 1933 art deco time warp of a bar modelled after the Queen Mary; and Sassafras American Eatery in the Highlands neighbourhood, which serves the best southern breakfast I’ve had west of Dollywood.
The Room
Designed by Semple Brown Design, based in Colorado, our king deluxe room felt large at around 350 square feet, with Frette linens, down bedding, and a wood and steel barn door sliding over the closet; blond walnut and pine wood walls and ceiling added necessary visual warmth against the exposed concrete columns. Our floorto-ceiling windows overlooked the beaux-arts roofline of Union Station and whisperquiet Wewatta Street; rooms with views of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains are available upon request. Not long after check-in, a hotel staffer brought up a faux-furtopped dog bed and lion’s head bowls for Huckleberry, which he promptly ignored.
The Bathroom
The most timelessly beautiful part of the room by far, our bathroom had a backlit LED mirror, quartz stone countertops and gleaming fixtures by Waterworks. Toiletries were in eco-friendly full bottles by Atelier Bloem — a brand created for Kimpton by Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz. My two complaints: The shower’s water pressure was abysmal, and there was no bathtub.
Amenities
Guests pay just a penny to visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. There’s a gym, a fleet of loaner bikes and yoga mats in each room. Boulderroasted Ozo Coffee awaits in the lobby every morning; a complimentary evening wine hour includes beer and appetizers. Our in-room mini bar held Coloradan items, such as Avery Brewing Co. beer and Rocky Mountain Sunscreen. Sign up for the free IHG Rewards Club for free high-speed Wi-Fi.
Dining
The hotel’s first-floor restaurant, Citizen Rail, is nearly as sceney as Denver gets, with an open kitchen where much of the menu is cooked on a woodfired grill. We ordered room service, and while the woman who delivered our dinner was an absolute delight, a couple of the items the kitchen sent up were not. I suppose there’s a reason the expression is “now you’re cooking with gas” — the “ember-melted” apples in my apple crumble were still crunchy. My Nightmoves cocktail — with rum, Cynar, vermouth and black walnut bitters — tasted like acetone smells (not great). But the bone-in smoked short rib with tempura fried green beans was excellent, and my french fries arrived hot.
The Bottom Line
Despite its kinks, Kimpton Hotel Born is a worthy stay in downtown Denver, thanks to its locale, Instagrammable collection of local art and inventive amenities for human and hound alike.