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. Improvements continue at Denver International Airport. Recently, a request for proposals went out for dining and retail spots in the airport's Great Hall. The facility is looking to bring in a travel/convenience marketplace, a grab-and-go café, a fast-casual restaurant, a casual dining/bar establishment and a food hall. At the Colorado Springs Airport, a three-year, $36 million improvement project scheduled to finish up next May. The project is making the airport more sustainable and accessible.
Colorado Springs
Event Venues, Additions & Renovations
A three-year, $36 million project to improve the Colorado Springs Airport is scheduled to finish up next May. Updates to gates 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 are complete, as are some bathroom upgrades. Also in the plan are new gate desks, more charging stations and new food and retail options. Called ElevateCOS, the project will make the airport more sustainable and accessible by putting in water-efficient plumbing and LED lighting, bringing restrooms up to current ADA standards, and installing better windows to help conserve HVAC energy.
The airport now can be called “international”: Southwest Airlines ran seasonal, weekly service this past summer from Colorado Springs to Cancún. The flight is scheduled to return in March for its second season.
Ground is expected to be broken soon on the 180-room Catbird Hotel, the second in a new extended-stay brand. Early reports say the property, which is scheduled to open in 2027, will have a rooftop restaurant and bar, and some event space; details to come.
Meeting Hotels
About 5,000 guest rooms are available for groups, including the 784-room Broadmoor,
375-room Hotel Polaris,
313-room Cheyenne Mountain Resort and 303-room Colorado Springs Marriott.
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit Northstar Meetings Group’s venue finder.
Transportation
Colorado Springs Airport, about 13 miles from downtown. Transfer cost:
- By taxi, $36
- By Uber and Lyft, $30
- Most area hotels offer shuttle service
Taxes
- Room tax, 7.35%
- Sales tax, 2.9%
- Total tax on hotel rooms, 10.25%
Group Venues
Whether it’s Halloween time or not, head into the dark at Cave of the Winds Park for a Haunted Lantern tour. From 15 to 45 people are welcome; each participant gets their own lantern for heading deep in the cave with a guide who shares legends from the area and scary tales of ghosts.
Head to the hangars of the National Museum of WWII Aviation to host a reception for up to 1,000 guests. Exhibits explore the role of aviation in the conflict through restored planes from the era. Among the numerous aircraft are a North American B-25 Mitchell, a Grumman TBM Avenger, an SBD Dauntless, a Douglas AD-5 Skyraider and an SB2C Helldiver.
While it looks like it should be full of students and teachers, the Ivywild School holds a marketplace of eateries (Ivywild Kitchen, Bristol’s Spark Beer & BBQ), a bar (the Principal’s Office) a brewery (the Bristol Brewing Co.) and a whiskey-tasting room (Axe and the Oak Whiskey House). Event spaces are sprinkled throughout, including the Gymnasium, which can host up to 250 people for a reception.
Golfers in your group will love how far the ball flies in Colorado Springs’ 6,000-foot altitude. Among the main layouts are the two top-notch courses at the Broadmoor — the East Course will host the 2031 and 2037 U.S. Senior Open Championships — and the Country Club of Colorado Golf Course at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort. There’s also the Kissing Camels Golf Course at the Garden of the Gods Resort & Club, and two championship courses at the Flying Horse Resort & Club.
Attendees at Northstar’s 2025 Destination West event at the Hotel Polaris in April were treated to a session about pressure (accompanied by a cooking demonstration using a pressure cooker) from local chef, Brother Luck. His nearby restaurant, Four, features Southwestern-style dishes that can be paired with creative cocktails or the craft beer on tap. The chef’s table holds 10 in the private wine room.
It would be a shame to come to Colorado, a mecca for lovers of the great outdoors, only to stay inside the whole time. Opportunities to slip outside abound at the Garden of the Gods Park. Vehicle tours, Segway tours, bike tours (for the very hardy), horseback-riding and even rock-climbing can be arranged.
The historical Penrose Room, closed since 2019, has reopened at the 784-room Broadmoor following a $15 million renovation. The property’s elegant fine-dining establishment — which requires gentlemen to wear a jacket and slacks, and women to wear cocktail attire — has a high-end menu that includes beef Wellington and sushi options. The resort has more than 315,000 square feet of event space.
Elephants, giraffes, otters, penguins and more will be on hand for the 100th anniversary of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in 2026. Evening buyouts are available for up to 1,500 people.
Contact
Visit Colorado Springs
Denver
Event Venues, Additions & Renovations
In March, the Hyatt Regency Denver will celebrate its 20th anniversary by unveiling a transformation of all 1,100 guest rooms and suites. The redesign features residential-inspired layouts, as well as upgraded technology, enhanced connectivity and eco-conscious design elements.
More than 30 Denver restaurants were recognized in the third year of the Michelin Guide Colorado. New this year: the state’s first ever two-starred establishment, the Wolf’s Tailor; new one-starred restaurants include Kizaki, Margot and Mezcaleria Alma.
Home to six professional teams, Denver has multiple downtown stadiums and arenas that are available to host events of all sizes. The 20,000-seat Ball Arena, home to the Denver Nuggets
(NBA), Colorado Avalanche (NHL) and Colorado Mammoth (professional lacrosse), has 15 meeting rooms. The NFL’s Broncos play at Empower Stadium at Mile High,
which also welcomes groups of all sizes in its 200,000 square feet of event space. The Colorado Rockies’s Coors Field is one of the most popular stadiums in major league baseball.
Special event spaces throughout the facility include the warning track, the Rooftop and the Sandlot Club. Finally, the 18,000-seat Dick’s Sporting Goods Park hosts Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids. Among the private event spaces are the 100-seat Summit Club, and the concourses, which hold up to 2,000.
Meeting Hotels
More than 51,000 rooms are available in the metro area, and about 9,000 guest rooms are within walking distance of the Colorado Convention Center. To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit Northstar Meetings Group’s venue finder.
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, $75 to $95
- By Lyft and Uber, starts around $45
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
Best Convention Center (regional, standalone facility), Southwest, Colorado Convention Center, Denver (Silver)
Best CVB/DMO, Southwest, Visit Denver (Silver)
Best Decor/Design, Southwest, Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center (Gold)
Best Decor/Design, Southwest, Hotel Polaris (Silver)
2024 Stella Awards Winners
Best Convention Center (regional, standalone facility), Southwest, Colorado Convention Center, Denver (Silver)
2023 Stella Awards Winners
Best Convention Center, Southwest, Colorado Convention Center (Gold)
Best Golf Resort, Southwest, Garden of the Gods Resort and Club (Finalist)
Best Renovation (within the past year), Southwest, Viewline Resort Snowmass,
(Finalist)
Best CVB/DMO, Southwest, Visit Denver (Silver)
2022 Stella Awards Winners
Best Golf Resort, Southwest, The Broadmoor, Colorado
Springs (Silver)
Best Golf Resort, Southwest, Garden of the Gods Resort and Club, Colorado Springs (Bronze)
Best Hotel/Resort Renovation, Southwest, Sheraton Denver Downtown (Silver)
Best Hotel/Resort Event Space, Southwest, Hilton Garden Inn Denver Union Station (Bronze)
Best On-Site Support Staff, Southwest, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs (Bronze)
Best Boutique Property, Southwest, The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton (Silver)
Best Boutique Property, Southwest, Halcyon Hotel, Cherry Creek, Denver
(Bronze)
10 Awesome Attractions in the Centennial 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