My wife and I spent a weekend at the Ritz during our vacation in Colorado. We stayed on the Club Level. Our stay couln't have been better. The decor of the hotel is beautiful without being overdone. The service at the hotel was impeccable. We even got a ride in the Rolls Royce that the hotel provides for local transportation. We got a couples massage at the Spa and the Spa was outstanding.

A couple of recommendations:

- The room rates on weekends are about half the rates for weekdays, so stay on a weekend if the weekday rates are above your budget.

- Stay on the Club Level if possible. The extra charge for the club level is well worth it. Breakfast, lunch, dinner hors d'oeuvres, and late night desserts plus drinks any time. The Club Lounge is large and the staff is the best.

The new Ritz-Carlton in Denver combines good service with a nice modern décor. Right from the start, the front desk staff was very friendly and welcoming. The attractive lobby of the hotel is pretty small with few areas for sitting. This helped create a nice quiet atmosphere and always made us feel that we were staying at a small boutique hotel that was not overrun by groups.

Our room was very nice and seemed a little larger then most standard five star rooms. Features included an iPod docking station, flat screen TV, good lighting, and nice artwork, in addition to comfortable furniture and bedding. The bathroom was also large with white marble, two sinks, a big tub, very nice separate shower, and separate water closet. Our only complaint about the room was that the windows are tinted black and do not allow much sunlight to get in.

If you like to workout then this is the hotel for you. A very large separately run gym with very good hours is connected to the hotel and available complimentary to hotel guests. In addition to workout and exercise class rooms, this gym has a basketball court, as well as a large indoor lap pool in the basement. The gym is not on par with the atmosphere at the Ritz, but it is still a very nice place. We did not use the spa that is a part of the hotel. It looks nice but currently costs $35 dollars to use if you are not getting a treatment.

We had breakfast twice at the stylish Elways. The food was good, as was the service. The location of the hotel is on the fringe of downtown. It is a little quiet at night, but it only takes walking a couple of blocks to find some restaurants and night life. The Ritz seems to be a great new addition to downtown Denver and a stay here should be an enjoyable one for most visitors.

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!