I did not stay as a guest at The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton during the recent event for the press in Denver to highlight the new Hilton For Business program that was sponsored by Hilton; but we did tour what is literally an old school hotel — complete with old school charm at what was the original location of the Emily Griffith Opportunity School, which has been a trailblazing secondary school and technical college.
Literally an Old School Hotel: The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton
The original name of the building — Emily Griffith Opportunity School — is imprinted on a leaning giant pencil with an eraser at the main entrance to the hotel property.
Be sure to take notes as you read this article. You could be tested on the subject matter later with a surprise quiz.
An emulation of a blackboard — or chalkboard or slate — hangs on the wall behind three repurposed vintage restored wooden file cabinets or card catalogues for the Dewey Decimal System in a library that serves as the front desk near the entrance of the hotel property; and consists of small drawers.
The Lounge Area is an ideal place to cut class, be a truant, play hooky, score an absence, get out of taking that test — or simply comfortably relaxing by the fire. The glass doors of the entrance to the hotel property is seen in the background of the center of the photograph above; and the front desk appears behind the fireplace.
If you need a quick bite or a drink at any time of day, The Market is open 24 hours with food and beverages for sale at any time.
These staircases are part of a testament to greater than 100 years of educational history. Not imagining hearing the school bell ringing at the mere sight of these stairs and railings is very difficult to do.
What would be the fun of taking an elevator when one can use these vintage original staircases, which have been lovingly preserved?
I was reminded of the staircases of Public School 115 in Brooklyn, which was one of the elementary schools that I attended as a student. I believe that school was built in 1923. Emily Griffith Opportunity School opened on Saturday, September 9, 1916.
Nine old school clocks on the ceramic block wall are integrated into the theme of the hotel property — but they are not functional as a matter of principal.
The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton is comprised of 251 rooms on four floors with one restaurant. The corridors are twelve feet wide — just as they were during the days when the building served as a school.
Despite the detention — er…retention — of the consistently similar look of each hallway, they do have subtle differences.
Each room is identified by a light above the door — similarly to how classrooms were identified — as well as a plaque on the side of the doorway.
The Rooms.
The original idea was slated to have the flat screen television embedded within a real chalkboard with an eraser instead of merely simulating a blackboard — but that idea led to a host of potential issues, which included chalk dust polluting the room; so the idea was scrapped.
The television did greet us as we entered the room.
The bed looked like it was comfortable. Note that the art work incorporates elements of design that emulate learning — such as numbers — and the pattern of plus signs on the carpet.
On one side of the bed was an alarm clock, an electrical outlet, and two Universal Serial Bus ports — of which one was USB-A and the other was USB-C.
Some of the rooms fully utilize the large windows of the building, which allow for plenty of natural light to bathe the room during the day. The guest rooms are thoughtfully designed to reflect the academic legacy of the building with modern touches.
I might calculate that the luggage rack in the closet in the photograph on the right was purposely shaped like a multiplication symbol in keeping with the theme of an old school — but I do not believe that can be verified.
As a design element for the room, I would have thought of using lockers as the closets, with padlocks instead of safes to protect personal belongings.
Some guests — such as those who have earned elite status in the Hilton Honors membership program — may have Pellegrino sparkling natural mineral water with peach and vanilla syrup, grapefruit and pink peppercorn syrup, honey and chamomile syrup, and slices of orange, lemon, and lime; or some other amenity awaiting them on a table in the room.
Eating was likely not permitted in the classrooms while this building was a school; but Hilton changed that policy.
The bathroom was equipped with a long vanity and a large mirror.
The shower stall has both a rain shower head and a hand held wand.
The motif of the wallpaper in the bathroom combined elements of both content from textbooks and a blackboard.
The Food.
Teachers’ Lounge Food + Drink is the restaurant at The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton. Note that the textured glass panels at the top of the above photograph are some of the many elements that have been preserved and restored from the old school and is one of the many thoughtful nods to the legacy of the landmark building.
This restaurant is most certainly not your typical school cafeteria with the inedibly disgusting mystery food that you remember — and likely unfortunately experienced — from childhood; nor are any trays available to carry your meal to the table.
Rather, you get to dine on locally inspired upscale cuisine in the Teachers’ Lounge that consists of crafted delicacies, creative cocktails from a curated cocktail program, and savory dishes that are served to you.
The restaurant offers plenty of space for dining. Patio seating — which I did not see — and private dining options are available as well.
Speaking of the private dining options, we were escorted to a private area across the hallway from the restaurant to dine. The table was decorated with text books. After Kirby Kiner welcomed us to the The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton, a member of the staff dressed in period costume portrayed Emily Griffith and presented her story in first person as to how the school was founded and operated — as the school was intended “for all who wish to learn” — as well as what were her thoughts and beliefs pertaining to education.
Tom Prescott — who is the current executive sous chef at The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton — welcomed us to lunch.
The courses were served family style.
To start off the meal, the Goat Cheese Ball consisted of honey goat cheese, almond + apricot crust, crackers, and crostini.
Bison Meatloaf Bites were then served with dijonnaise, tomato relish, and candied jalapeno.
Farmers Market Hummus was next, which was accompanied by marinated cherry tomatoes, grilled pita, cucumber, carrot, and celery.
The ingredients for the Altius Greens Salad were altius brassica greens, shaved fennel, cherry tomatoes, roasted corn, and tortilla strips; and finished with a cilantro lime vinaigrette. This salad was one of a choice of three salads for the entrée for lunch.
The Colorado Caesar salad was comprised of little gem lettuce, cotija cheese, green chile breadcrumbs, and caesar dressing. The cotija cheese was a surprisingly good substitute for parmesan cheese.
The Burrata + Basil Salad contained altius arugula, frisee, burrata, snap peas, cherry tomatoes, fava beans, and parmesan frico; and dressed with a basil vinaigrette.
Grilled Flatiron Steak was one of the four proteins that were served to elevate the choice of three salads to a main course.
Other choices were strips of Grilled Chicken Breast, which was prepared absolutely perfectly, in my opinion…
…Seared Salmon, which I also enjoyed — and the skin was very easy to peel off…
…and Tempeh Chorizo, on which I passed.
I chose the Colorado Caesar salad and added the beef, chicken, and the salmon, which I enjoyed.
The Tempura PB+J was topped with toasted marshmallow creme. Although it looked delicious and fits well with the old school theme of the hotel property, this dessert did not appeal to me…
…so I was instead served a small bowl of fresh fruit, which included sliced strawberries, raspberries, and peaches with sprigs of mint. I really enjoyed this refreshing dessert.
Somehow, I had neglected to photograph the Elote Fries with roasted corn, sriracha crema, queso fresco, cotija, and cilantro that was served with the meal.
Meeting Space.
The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton features greater than 4,500 square feet of meeting spaces; and provides catering services for meetings.
The meeting spaces can be customized to what is necessary for a successful meeting — including movable walls to configure the amount of space that is needed; providing the latest in hybrid technology; and a dedicated event team to support all different types of gatherings.
Many of the meeting spaces are illuminated naturally with large windows so that attendees are not cooped up in some dark, drab, boring room with blank walls…
…although some of the walls in the meeting rooms are decorated with wallpaper that emulates graph paper. How cool is that?!?
In addition to the meeting spaces that are inside of The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton, the hotel property also offers the new outdoor social space called Emily’s Alley.
Final Boarding Call
Although I did not stay as a guest at The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton, the hotel property exudes class — yes, I had to say that — by dismissing the stuffiness with a fun theme: the old school…
…but with a unique blend of modern comfort and academic charm. The hotel property takes up an entire city block and honors “the legacy of Emily Griffith and her revolutionary school by offering our guests the opportunity to discover a Denver that no other hotel can offer them. A Denver that is proud of its past, excited about its future, and anxious to share the best part of itself with its visitors.”
The rich educational history of the building is integrated into every detail — from design elements that are inspired by traditional classrooms to repurposed original materials and artwork throughout the hotel property; and typewriter artwork adorns the walls, which harken back to the early offerings of Emily Griffith.
Whether visiting for business or leisure — or bleisure with your frolleague to combine both business and leisure — The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton offers a distinctive and connected Denver experience.
If you are attending an event at the Colorado Convention Center, you should especially consider staying at this hotel property, as it is conveniently only steps away just across Welton Street.
The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton
1250 Welton Street
Denver, Colorado 80204
United States of America
+1-303-292-5000
DENVR_GM@hilton.com
Room rates for the remainder of 2025 range from $102.00 per night to $633.00 per night at the time this article was written. Taxes are not included.
No mandatory fee is charged to stay at this hotel property.
Teachers’ Lounge Food + Drink:
- Monday through Friday from:
- Breakfast: 6:00 in the morning through 11:00 in the morning
- Lunch: 11:00 in the morning through 3:00 in the afternoon
- Dinner: 4:00 in the afternoon through 11:00 in the evening
- Saturday through Sunday from:
- Brunch: 7:00 in the morning through 3:00 in the afternoon
- Dinner: 4:00 in the afternoon through 11:00 in the evening
Costs for parking:
- $59.00 for valet parking overnight or for a minimum of eight hours with in and out privileges
- $20.00 for up to a maximum of four hours
- $28.00 for a minimum of four hours and a maximum of eight hours
- Self parking is not available
Pets are welcomed at this hotel property for a non-refundable fee of $75.00 per animal of medium size that does not weigh greater than 80 pounds.
Quiz Time
The time for you to take the following quiz is now; so sharpen your pencils, close your books, deactivate your electronic devices, and answer the following ten questions:
- How many rooms does The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton have?
- What oversized version of a common object that is typically used in school is featured at the entrance of the hotel property?
- What is the name of the restaurant in this hotel property?
- Name the four proteins that were served with lunch as photographed in this article.
- What are the times that dinner menu is available at the restaurant, every day of the week?
- What was the official name of the school which preceded The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton?
- On what date did that school open?
- What mathematical symbol was used in the pattern of the carpet in at least one of the guest rooms?
- Which one of the following flavors was not shown or offered in the guest room in a photograph in this article?
- Peach and vanilla
- Grapefruit and pink peppercorn
- Chocolate and maple
- Honey and chamomile
- What month and year did The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton open?
If you do not know the answer to the last question, that is because I did not include it in the article — until now: The Slate Hotel Denver Downtown, Tapestry by Hilton opened in May of 2022.
What — did you think taking this quiz was going to be easy?!?
If you answered every question correctly, congratulations: you passed with Honors…
…Hilton Honors, that is…
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
