I stayed for two nights at the chic The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton hotel property as a guest of Hilton during a recent event for the press to highlight the new Hilton For Business program. The hotel property recently celebrated its tenth anniversary.
The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton. Like Staying in an Art Museum.
Guests, visitors, and employees are already introduced to art in the portico before even entering the hotel property: greater than 22,000 white light emitting diode nodes are embedded into the ceiling of the porte cochère of the hotel property, where everyone is welcomed with an ever-changing light display of abstract patterns controlled by the computer programming of artist Leo Villareal that regulates their opacity, speed, and scale.
I personally thought that the yellow benches — on which people could sit and wait for their rides — could be functional as well as aesthetic if a motor vehicle ever needed repairs, as they would seem to be perfectly suited as ramps.
The ground floor inside reminded me more of a museum with its postmodern works of art and sparse furniture than of a hotel property. The three works of art on the left in the photograph above are acrylic on canvas called Expand Flashpoint, Windows by Odili Donald Odita from 2014. Hanging on the wall on the right are metallic leather pieces called Molten Meteorites by Mary Ehrin from 2014.
Wall Drawing #397 — which was conceived in 1983 by Sol Lewitt — is on the wall to the left in the above photograph; while on the right is Guyotat’s Cross by Sam Francis, which was painted in 1988 with acrylic on canvas. If the work of Sam Francis seems familiar to you as a traveler, that may be because the abstract expressionist is much admired for his very large paintings at San Francisco International Airport.
A sculpture called Big Sweep by the husband and wife team of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in 2006 is a miniature version of the 40-foot full sized sculpture of the same name that is found outside on the grounds of the Denver Art Museum nearby. Hanging on the wall to the right is the conceptual drawing that was presented to the Denver Art Museum in 1997.
One must get to the fourth floor to access the lobby and the restaurant of the hotel property. Another work of art is the neon piece called I Can Feel Your Smile by Tracey Emin from 2005. Note that the doors of each elevator adorn a mural commemorating the tenth anniversary of The Art Hotel Denver.
The Fourth Floor and The Lobby.
A bronze sculpture with paper flowers called Singer by Kiki Smith from 2009 greets guests upon leaving the elevator into the lobby, which is bathed with natural light thanks to the plethora of windows — each stretching from the floor to the ceiling.
Out on the terrace behind and just to the right of Singer is another sculpture.
These photographs show closer detail of both Singer and the bronze sculpture that is located on the terrace, which is called Legends Begin by Allan Capron Houser in 1990.
The front desk is located on the left upon stepping out of the elevators. The illuminated logo that was displayed on the wall also commemorates ten years of The Art Hotel Denver. On the wall behind the front desk is Collage by Nancy Rubens from 2006.
Otter is a unique sculpture by Deborah Butterfield from 2014 in that it was originally fashioned from sunbleached wood that the artist found on the riverbanks near her home; and then cast as a unique sculpture by burning away the wood with molten bronze. Her expert application of a coating of patina made the raw bronze look exactly like driftwood.
Various notable works of art hang on the wall down the Grand Colonnade to the meeting rooms. The oil on canvas painting called PH-351 on the left in the above photograph was created by none other than Clyfford Still in 1940.
If this color lithograph from 1997 by Luis Jimenez called Mustang looks familiar to you as a traveler, that may be because it was the inspiration for the 32-foot cast-fiberglass sculpture by the same artist that is seen along Peña Boulevard as vehicles approach Denver International Airport.
This conference room for meetings is nice…
…but it could use some more art work on the walls, in my opinion.
Merino wool, cotton, and Trevira CS tapestry comprises Industrial Strength Sleep by Edward Ruscha from 2007, which hangs on the wall in the lobby.
Getting to the Suite.
I almost forgot — this is an article about my stay at The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton, right?
We are not done with the art work yet. How about a different video in each elevator to watch while you go from one floor to another?
A video plays on a loop that one can watch while inside each of the elevators. In one elevator is a video of white balls barreling down rough terrain; while in the other elevator is a video of two dogs — actually, two versions of the same dog — looking in all different ways.
Can you interpret the meaning behind each video before looking here to find out more information?
Believe it or not, people have been known to actually steal the small flash drives that are located behind the monitors on which the videos are saved. Why would someone do that?!?
I rode the elevator to the ninth floor, which is the top floor of the hotel property. Each floor has its own work of art when stepping out of the elevator. This work of art by Rob Reynolds from 2014 is called Continental Divide. The theme of the art in the hallway is loosely replicated in each room.
Even the hallway was stylish and not of a typical design. The hallway is one of several area areas of the hotel property where I am surprised that not more art work was hanging on the walls.
The Suite.
Upon entering the suite, I was greeted with a small table and four chairs — along with a lithograph called PH-1034 by Clyfford Still from 1973 that was hanging on the wall above a small wooden bench. Flanking this area were two large windows that face south and west.
On the table was a set of goodies with which Hilton was kind enough to surprise me. On the left is a large flat screen television that was mounted on the wall above a long dark table.
As usual at most hotel and resort properties within the brand portfolio of Hilton, I was personally greeted by the large flat screen television.
On the wall on the left of the table and chairs is a long vertical mirror, three drawers, shelves with pieces of art placed on them, and art that hung on the wall — such as a lithograph of Entwurf Eines Kiosk by Herbert Bayer from 1924. Each room has different works of art. As an artist, I was impressed by this fun fact.
In the reflection of the long mirror…
…is a long desk with a sleek lamp. On the wall next to the door is a light switch with two buttons with which you can either illuminate the entry or the master. Underneath the long desk is a convenient shorter desk that can easily be moved. The smaller desk can help to create a large desk in the shape of an L — or it could be moved anywhere else in the room…
…even to the toilet — if you are so inclined. I am not so inclined.
This is another area that should have had another work of art hanging on the otherwise blank wall.
For some reason, I liked the wooden pen that was on the notepad which was on the desk.
Strangely — although an electrical outlet was available — no Universal Serial Bus port of any type was available near the desk.
Awaiting me on the desk were two resealable bags of snacks: the bag on the left contained shortbread cookies; while the bag on the right contained what is called a Spuntino snack mix from Torn Ranch, which is a savory mix of miniature pretzels, rye crisps, and seasoned sourdough sticks — among other items.
Each side of the bed had a sparse nightstand with no drawers — although luggage can be stored out of the way under them. The window in this part of the suite faces east — which means that the windows in this suite face three different directions. A sticker on one of the nightstands had a quick-response — or QR — code to access more information about the hotel property and its services with its Digital Guest Services directory.
I found the bed to be quite comfortable. The bedroom part of the suite was very cozy and quiet.
Despite two electrical outlets and two Universal Serial Bus — or USB — ports in the wall on either side of the bed, I could not find any USB-C ports in the entire suite. Even the alarm clock had two electrical outlets and two USB-A ports for a total of six of each within reach of the bed, which is very convenient. I asked the director of sales and marketing about it; and he assured me that he would look into it.
In the meantime: if your devices use either Thunderbolt versions 3, 4, or 5 or USB-C connections, bring an adapter of some sort if you are staying at this hotel property.
Be aware that even though this is a very nice suite in which I stayed, no actual privacy mechanism — such as a door or a curtain — is provided between the bedroom and the remainder of the suite; so it may not be suitable if you require complete privacy in the bedroom area.
Notice that the art hanging on the wall near the bed is a smaller version of Continental Divide that is in the hallway opposite the elevators. The caption for this work of art is as follows: “As seen floating over 39°15’04” N, 106°17’25” W in Leadville ‘Cloud City’ Colorado at around noon on June 21st, where previously, while visiting a saloon in 1882, Oscar Wilde noted: ‘Over the piano was printed a notice: Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best.’”
Around the corner from the aforementioned wall with the works of art and the long vertical mirror was an area where a coffee machine with Illy coffee was available with condiments — as well as bottles of water and cans of soda in the miniature refrigerator that are included in the Daily Mandatory Urban Destination Charge of $20.00.
Opposite the minibar and coffee area were two sets of doors which are featured in the photograph shown above on the left: the doors on the left open to the closet that is shown in the photograph on the right. Inside of the fairly spacious closet is a terry cloth robe; a pair of slippers, an ironing board, an iron, a safe, six wooden hangers, and a hook on each side.
The door on the right is a sliding door that leads to the bathroom, which is featured next in this article.
The Bathroom.
On the left is the vanity with two modern sinks and faucets. A large horizontal mirror ensures that two people can easily share it.
On the vanity are two washcloths that were rolled up, as well as paper cups wrapped in plastic and amenities by Modern Apothecary, which include:
- Bamboo lemongrass hand wash
- Lavender lime moisturizer
- White grapefruit cleansing cloth
- Vanity kit
Opposite the vanity is the bath tub with a bar of soap and a bath mat. Another lithograph of Entwurf Eines Kiosk by Herbert Bayer is replicated in the bathroom for some reason as it hung above the bath tub. The toilet area is opposite the shower stall in the rear of the bathroom; and an extra roll of toilet paper is wrapped in a black cloth bag on top of the tank to the toilet.
A second robe hung conveniently next to the entrance to the shower stall, which has both an overhead rain shower head and a hand-held shower wand. I liked the areas where toiletries can be stored during the shower. A built in bench is available for sitting while showering; or for reaching the lower legs and feet to clean. The overhead light in the shower stall in the photograph on the left was intentionally inactivated due to glare; but it illuminated the shower stall in the photograph on the right.
Mounted on the wall in the shower stall are amenities by Modern Apothecary, which include:
- Mint thyme hair wash
- Bamboo lemongrass body wash
- Yuzu bergamot crème rinse
The Views From The Suite.
As was alluded earlier in this article, the windows in this suite face three different directions, which I thought was…well…cool. Despite the exposure to the noise outside on three sides, the suite was quiet thanks to the windows which are constructed from triple pane glass. The curtains helped to further dampen any noise in the suite.
We start first with the view facing west northwest from the suite, which is on the ninth and top floor of the hotel property.
The angled rooftop is that of the Denver Art Museum, which is a short walk from the hotel property.
This view is of West 12 Avenue facing west southwest. Note the murals and sculptures that are displayed in the above photograph.
This broader view within the Golden Triangle of Denver faces more towards the southwest. West 12 Avenue is in the lower corner of the above photograph.
Speaking of art, the works of art even extend to outside of the hotel property. The problem was that the hotel property offered views of the city and views of the Rocky Mountains in the distance; and all that was missing was a view of an ocean — so Rob Reynolds created this dye sublimation ink image on a synthetic polymer canvas in 2017 that is 40 feet tall and 80 feet wide and called it…
…what else — Ocean View For Denver, which is part of the collection of The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton…
…so my suite had a city view, a mountain view…and an ocean view as I faced south. Broadway is the street on the left in the photograph above, which faces almost due south.
The corner of Broadway and 12 Avenue is southeast of the hotel property in the Golden Triangle of Denver.
In the above photograph, East 12 Avenue is at the bottom; the corner of the lower part of the hotel property is shown in the lower left corner; and 12 Avenue is on the left east of Broadway. Or, you could just read the street signs.
History Colorado Center dominates much of the view facing east and slightly northeast along 12 Avenue.
Broadway is illuminated at night when viewed facing southeast from the suite.
The Food.
Turn right from the elevators in the lobby and one can see the restaurant at The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton which is called FIRE Restaurant and Lounge. On the left is the actual restaurant; walk straight ahead to the two private dining areas; and what is known as the Living Room is on the left.
Choose from an assortment of seven different types of candies at the Living Room; and you can have as much candy as you like. The jars can be seen in the center of the photograph prior to the photograph above. I did not try any of the candy.
Hanging from the ceiling near the full-service bar in the restaurant is a mylar, metals, and quartz creation called Light Knots by Larry Bell from 2015, with the artist exploring how light interacts with surfaces.
The evening started off with a selection of three types of appetizers.
The appetizers ranged from lamb lollipops to smoked Alamosa Bass Rillete with fresh baked focaccia to green chili rellenos. My favorite appetizer was the smoked bass, which was quite tasty.
Part of the restaurant was closed off for our dinner that evening with a long table that was beautifully set.
Tharon Weighill, Jr. is the current executive chef of FIRE. Standing with him is Mark Shine, who is the director of sales and marketing at the hotel property. We are about to dine on one of his creations as he introduced himself to us. He does not simply cook. Rather, he brings bold flavor, fearless creativity, and serious fire to every dish that is served at FIRE through experimentation, innovation, and reinvention.
The starter course comprised of southwestern kale with pickled red onion, fire roasted corn, cotija, green chile caesar, and cilantro.
To drink, I ordered a Fresh Start Mule, which contained Sendip greve 42, lemon, lime, and ginger beer. The rim of the glass was sprinkled with Tajin. This beverage contains no alcohol. It was quite refreshing.
I did not try it; but this non-alcoholic beverage is called a Cucumber Cooler, which contained Seedlip spice 94, lemon, star anise cucumber, and soda water. It appeared to be refreshing as well.
The entrée that was served to us was a sliced 45 day dry aged ribeye steak with wild mushrooms, spring peas, leeks, risotto, and wild ramp béchamel.
Desserts of two different types of cookies, brownies, and s’mores kits with everything needed to create the confection were available outside on the terrace of the restaurant, with music from live entertainment.
A bartender provided beverages on the outdoor terrace.
The weather was initially comfortable outside on the angled terrace, on which plenty of seating was available. Broadway can be seen below from the glass and metal railing. Towards the rear of the terrace is a red ceramic sculpture with colored dots by Jun Kanko from 2012 called Untitled, Dango.
We toasted our marshmallows with telescoping metal skewers over the fire in the fire pit on the terrace on what temporarily turned out to be a windy and briefly rainy evening. Despite the strong gusts of wind, this kid from Brooklyn showed everybody how to toast a marshmallow to a perfect golden brown without burning it.
I still got it.
FIRE lives up to its name at night out on the terrace, as this short video shows.
At breakfast the next morning, we were treated to a small buffet, which consisted of…
…waffles with a sweet thick dulce de leche icing, squares of classic hash browns with herbs, chicken apple sausages…
…what I believe was some type of eggs Benedict, as no small sign was available to identify it, thick sliced bacon, boiled cold shrimp, smoked salmon…
…and fresh seasonal sliced fruit, which consisted of watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.
Breakfast occurred in the Bear Den, which is one of two private rooms of FIRE. Note the work of art that is hanging on the wall by Sean Landers from 2013 called Some Choose To Believe It, which is one of two oil on linen works of art of bears whose fur resembles tartan flannel pajamas…
…and the other work is on the opposite wall next to the area where coffee, decaffeinated coffee, assorted tea, hot water, milk, orange juice, cranberry juice, and cups, napkins, and condiments were all located.
Breakfast on the second morning was limited to grabbing a quick bacon and sausage green chili breakfast burrito as we were leaving for Aspen early that morning. I skipped on the breakfast burrito, as they do not appeal to me. I did have some orange juice, which was provided with other beverages adjacent to the lobby…
…in what is called the Living Room of FIRE, which has comfortable seating, two large flat screen televisions, and an exhibit of eight works of art by John Baldessari from 2012 called Eight Soups, with each multi-color silkscreen print depicting a different flavor of soup.
The Fitness Center.
Guests who are looking to work out and exercise can find the fitness center on the first floor of The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton.
The fitness center is never closed to guests of the hotel property, as it is open 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
In addition to plenty of clean towels, this fitness center also has a small refrigerator that contains cold bottles of water. Remember that you can usually get cold drinking water in the fitness centers of many hotel properties.
Final Boarding Call
As an artist who earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Parsons School of Design in New York, I certainly appreciated all of the original works of art — both inside and outside of the hotel property, which is located in an eclectic district that includes at least six museums within a walk of ten minutes.
The ART Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton hotel property is a modern architectural gem that is nestled within the Golden Triangle Museum District in downtown Denver and celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2025. The hotel property is a proud partner of the Golden Triangle District; and the official Internet web site of the Golden Triangle now features an art map, which highlights The ART Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton as a destination for off-street public art.
Within the boundaries of the Golden Triangle are Civic Center Park, the City of Denver office, the County of Denver office, the Colorado State Capitol, History Colorado Center, the Denver Art Museum, the United States Mint Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, and the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art.
The ART Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton was voted the number one hotel property in Colorado in 2021.
With 165 stylish guestrooms and 20 spacious suites, each floor showcases curated original artwork inspired by iconic artists from the 20th century and the 21st century, with an in-house art collection of greater than 40 works. Guests can enjoy contemporary American cuisine at FIRE Restaurant and Lounge; stay active in the fitness center which is open 24 hours, and host gatherings in greater than 7,500 square feet of flexible meeting and event space. In fact, Denver was named a top 10 meeting destination in North America in May of 2025.
No, I did not pay for my stay of two days at The ART Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton in full disclosure; but based on what I experienced, I highly recommend staying here — especially if you appreciate works of art. The experience was just luxurious enough to still be comfortable and relaxing without becoming obnoxiously stodgy and rigid. Members of the staff were friendly and very accommodating. One could spend at least a couple of hours simply reviewing the collection of works of art at this hotel property.
The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton
1201 Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80203
United States of America
+1-303-572-8000
DENRT_GM@hilton.com
Room rates for the remainder of 2025 range from $207.00 per night to $601.00 per night at the time this article was written. Taxes are not included.
The Daily Mandatory Urban Destination Charge of $20.00 — which is already included in the room rate — includes:
- Premium WiFi access
- A food and beverage credit of $20.00 for use in all outlets of the hotel property, which I believe is in addition to the food and beverage credit that elite members of Hilton Honors receive
- In room selection of the aforementioned two savory and sweet snacks
- Bottled water and cans of soda
- Unlimited transportation within a radius of two miles in any direction of the hotel property
- Printing and copying of up to ten pages
- Unlimited use of the fitness center
- Breakfast is available from 6:30 in the morning through 10:30 in the morning Monday through Friday
- Brunch is available from 7:00 in the morning through 2:00 in the afternoon Saturday through Sunday
- Lunch is available from 10:30 in the morning through 2:00 in the afternoon Monday through Friday
- Bites Menu is available from 2:00 in the afternoon through 5:00 in the afternoon seven days per week
- Happy Hour is available from 2:00 in the afternoon through 5:00 in the afternoon and 4:00 in the afternoon until close on Sunday
Costs for parking:
- $54.00 for valet parking overnight with in and out privileges
- $25.00 for up to a maximum of four hours
- $35.00 for a minimum of four hours and a maximum of eight hours
- $8.00 for FIRE Restaurant and Lounge for up to 3 hours with validation
Pets are welcomed at this hotel property for a non-refundable fee of $50.00 per animal.
All photographs and videos ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
