Why Colorado for Your Next Meeting or Event?
The Centennial State has a wealth of outdoor event and adventure space, and more indoor meeting space is on the way. Denver is in the process of expanding the Colorado Convention Center, and in Colorado Springs, The Broadmoor hopes to add more square feet for exhibits by spring 2020.
Denver
Event Venues, Additions & Renovations
Winter or summer, groups can head out for hikes from
Snowmass Village guided by a naturalist from the
Aspen Center for Environment Studies to explore forest health, civic leadership and more. Try the 3.5-mile Snowmass Wildflower Walk through lush alpine meadows.
• While construction has not yet begun on the expansion of the Colorado Convention Center, a project approved by Denver voters in 2015, there has been some related activity. The original developer was fired in December 2018; this past July, the Denver City Council hired Rider Levett Bucknall to manage the work for $8 million. The plan is to add 80,000 square feet of meeting space and 100,000 square feet of prefunction space, which will include a 50,000-square-foot rooftop terrace with mountain views. The center’s technology and networking spaces also will be enhanced.
• The 1,231-room Sheraton Denver Downtown, has begun an $80 million project that will touch on all aspects, including its 133,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel, Denver’s largest, also will get a new lobby and entryway, revamped restaurants and a new lobby bar. All guest rooms will be redone, as will the Plaza Ballroom and foyer. Completion is set for April 2020
• Hyatt Hotels has broken ground on the 216-room Thompson Denver, the first Thompson hotel in Colorado, which is expected to open in 2021. The property will be on Market Street in LoDo (Lower Downtown), around the corner from Union Station. The design aims for a modern-day chalet vibe, evidenced in the oversized fireplace that will extend from the lowerlevel meeting space through to the lobby floor. Amenities will include a grab-and-go café that will become a bar in the evening. The brand’s signature Thompson Suite will be one of 15 luxury suites offered by the hotel.
• A music venue for up to 3,950 people, the Mission Ballroom, opens this fall. Plans call for a flexible stage, great sight lines and an advanced sound system.
• The 201-room Jacquard Hotel & Rooftop, an Autograph Collection property from Marriott, has debuted with 6,900 square feet of event space and a 75-foot rooftop pool that can be covered for events.
• A new restaurant, Gattara (referencing the kittenish décor), has debuted at the 216-room Warwick Denver. The eatery seats guests indoors and outdoors, serving classic Italian cuisine with modern influences as created by executive chef Thomas Newsted. A cat-themed cocktail menu features such specialties as the Sphynx (Leopold’s gin, Courvoisier and the local Stranahan’s single-malt Colorado whiskey).
• The 400-room Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel, built in 1986, has completed a $15 million renovation. The guest rooms and approximately 40,000 square feet of meeting space were redone, as were the lobby and the hotel’s dining options. A new American regional eatery, Fifty300, has a ski-lift motif. bit.ly/2DBeekz
• Built in the 1920s as a movie palace (the marquis still lights up the block), the Gothic Theatre was repurposed in the 1990s as an event venue, with all the art deco details refreshed. Holding up to 1,100, the facility hosts concerts and more.
Next Door to Denver
Raw Space With Promise
At the
People’s Building in Aurora, the Gallery has floor-to-ceiling windows and a bar, while the Flex features an LED wall and retractable seating.
The city of Aurora has instituted a $2 destination marketing improvement fee per room night, hoping to bring in an extra $3 million per year to promote the city. The charge is in addition to the city’s 13 percent total tax on hotel rooms. Meeting hotels in Aurora include the 249-room Hyatt Regency Aurora Denver and the brand-new 1,501- room Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center.
Meeting Hotels
More than 8,600 guestrooms are within walking distance of the Colorado Convention Center. To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit Northstar Meetings Group’s new venue finder.
Colorado Convention Center
Colorado Convention Center; exhibit space, 584,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 63.
Transportation
Denver International Airport, about 30 miles from downtown. Transfer cost to downtown:
- By taxi, $68
- By Lyft and Uber, about $40
- By Super Shuttle, $31
Taxes
- Room tax, 10.75%
- Sales tax, 4%
- Tax on hotels with 50 or more rooms, 1%
- Total tax on hotel rooms, 14.75% (15.75% in larger hotels)
CONTACT: Visit Denver
Colorado Springs
Event Venues, Additions & Renovations
• The 784-room Broadmoor, which already sports 185,000 square feet of meeting space, is building an additional 110,000-square-foot exhibit hall with 32 breakout rooms, which is expected to be completed by April 2020 for the property’s largest event, the Space Symposium. The hall, being built next to Broadmoor Hall, will be available exclusively to multipurpose exhibitions and events held in conjunction with the property for multiday conferences. The Broadmoor has plenty of great space for smaller events, as well, including three offcampus spots for retreats: Cloud Camp on top of Cheyenne Mountain; the Ranch at Emerald Valley, a forested getaway; and the Fly Fishing Camp. Two new sports venues, one indoor and one outdoor, are being built in the city for $60 million. Opening in 2021, both Weidner Stadium and the Robson Arena will host professional, Olympic and amateur sports events, as well as concerts, corporate events and other gatherings.
• Perfect for an eco-conscious crowd is the 174-room SCP Hotel, which opened last January. (SCP stands for “soul, community, planet.”) A 2,500-square-foot communal space can be used for gatherings, and the Provisions Market sells nutritious “vegan-forward” items. The SCP Fit workout rooms offer state-of-the-art equipment and dedicated yoga and meditation rooms.
• The city plans to build the $60 million Colorado Sports and Event Center, featuring two multipurpose venues for professional, Olympic and amateur sporting contests, as well as entertainment and cultural events.
10 Awesome Attractions in the Mile High State
- Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver - nature
- Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs - nature
- Rocky Mountains - nature
- Main Street, Breckenridge - landmark
- Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, Estes Park - scenic drive
- Colorado Chautauqua: Park, Boulder - nature
- Maroon Bells, Aspen - nature
- Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum, Durango - scenic railroad
- Boreas Pass Road, Breckenridge - scenic drive
- Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs - nature