For our first night in Denver, I chose to stay at the Hilton Denver City Center. Cash rates were reasonable compared to other chain hotels in the city, and it had a great location.
Booking the Hilton Denver City Center
If you ask me, we got a great deal on our booking. The total cost was over $50 less than the nearby Holiday Inn Express cost, so I was satisfied. We had booked a standard 2 Queen Room, and were able to pre-assign ourselves a room on the 20th (highest) floor using the mobile app a day before our stay.
Hilton Denver Location
The Hilton Denver is located at the intersection of California & 18th Street, just off of 16th Street Mall. This turned out to be a great location – close enough to the main sights, but away from the late night noise.
Hilton Denver Check-In
We checked in around 10:20pm, following our eventful MallRide. As we have Gold status with Hilton, we inquired about the possibility of an upgrade, but were met with a relatively strong no. The person checking us in was friendly, but insisted it was too late at night for an upgrade. Yet according to the website, there were still junior suites available for sale. Typical Hilton.
Hilton Denver 2 Queen Room
The room was more or less the same as any standard Hilton property, but nevertheless I liked the style. The two queen beds were to one side of the room, with the bedside table in the middle.
Unfortunately the alarm clock decided to go off at 6am, marking the 2nd time that’s happened this year. It shouldn’t be that difficult for housekeeping to make sure the alarm is off.
Other than that, the pillows were great and the bed was comfortable, so I slept well.
In the corner of the room was a chair and small table. They seemed like an afterthought, judging by their placement.
Opposite the beds were the desk, TV, and cabinets. Both the (largeish) fridge and coffee machine were stored inside one of the cabinets.
There was also a large mirror next to the TV, which I liked. When sharing a room with more than one other person, it’s helpful to have multiple mirrors.
I haven’t got much to say about the closet – it wasn’t anything special. It contained the standard amenities such as an ironing board and hangers. One thing to note is that there was no safe, leaving you with nowhere to store valuables.
In the distance, our room overlooked the North Capitol Hill neighbourhood and City Park. I enjoyed watching the seemingly never-ending sunrise out the window in the morning.
2 Queen Room Bathroom
The bathroom was located down the hallway at the entrance to the room, and was very narrow. It featured a standard sink, toilet, and shower. In fact, the whole bathroom looked very standard and uninspiring. I didn’t love the exposed piping – it reminded me of staying at a Four Points by Sheraton or Holiday Inn Express, and made the space feel cheap.
Toiletries were from Crabtree & Evelyn. I’m not a toiletries connoisseur, so I have no idea whether these were high quality or not, but they smelled and worked fine.
I have to comment on the shower. First of all, the tap was extremely wonky. And more notably, when I turned the handle to start the water in the morning, it came right off!
Overall I liked the design, with separation between all 3 major elements of the bathroom. However, the space was limited, and I wish it was easier to move around.
Hilton Denver Property and Public Areas
The Hilton Denver is very much a business hotel, and the vibe of the property reflected that. Check-in tended to be pretty busy.
The exterior of the property is nicely modern in comparison to the overwhelmingly drab buildings that make up the city skyline (I’m most definitely not referring to the Grand Hyatt).
They provide valet parking, but I think it was something absurd like $40/night.
The lobby was spacious, with multiple places to sit, including a couch by a warm fire.
Additionally there was a slightly elevated area, which had a nice feel to it. I saw multiple people simply sitting there and chatting.
On the 2nd floor was the fitness center, which seemed adequate but ordinary. Here are some pictures so you can judge for yourself:
As a whole, the hotel feels upscale, though very business-focused at the same time. There were lots of subtle touches like the decor surrounding the elevators and the accent wall right near the front desk that added to the character of the hotel.
Hilton Denver Dining
The Hilton Denver has three main dining options: Prospect’s Urban Kitchen, Starbucks, and a small marketplace.
Prospect’s Urban Kitchen & Bar
Prospect’s Urban Kitchen & Bar is the main restaurant open for breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is served between 6:30-10:30 on weekdays, and 7-11 on weekends.
Since this is a full-service hotel, we received a $12 per person credit to use towards dining (Hilton has removed free elite breakfast in the US, replacing it with a new food and beverage credit). Unknown to us at the time, they ended up waiving our entire bill, even though our meal cost more than $24. The few dollars wouldn’t have mattered that much, but it was a pleasant surprise.
The full breakfast menu is as seen below – for some reason it doesn’t quite match the one provided on the website.
I ordered the golden waffle, side of toast, and we split an orange juice. My dad doesn’t usually eat breakfast, so this was plenty for us, but $12 per person is really not enough to cover a breakfast. Here, it would get you just a drink and a side.
The waffle was hot and tasted good, albeit very sweet (and I ate it with no toppings, only a drizzle of honey). The toast was simply toast, and the same goes for the orange juice.
The service was friendly and efficient, so I largely enjoyed the breakfast.
Dinner is served from 4-10/11pm on weekends, and the menu is as follows. We didn’t eat there, but it must be decent, as it was rather busy the night we arrived. The restaurant also doubles as a bar at night.
Other Dining
As well as Prospect’s, there’s a Starbucks open in the lobby from 6am to mid afternoon. You could also apply your F&B credit here.
Finally, there’s a small marketplace in the lobby. It wasn’t super well stocked.
Hilton Denver Service
The service was mixed at this hotel. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, but there were a few minor mishaps. For example, when checking in, we were told “we don’t have a lounge and we don’t have a pool”. In reality, they were just closed. Some clearer terminology would have been preferable. I know that 99.99% of their guests are not going to run around the hotel fact-checking everything, but I’d still prefer honesty to a lie.
The housekeeping/cleaning services also weren’t up to par, as there was a coffee stain that remained in the elevator for at least an hour.
And multiple floors had empty bottles of hand sanitizer outside the elevators. I’m willing to bet they haven’t been refilled in months.
Final Thoughts
The Hilton Denver City Center was well-suited to our one night stay. The rooms were comfortable, the breakfast was satisfactory, and the location was great. I was disappointed in some elements of the service, but others were great, like the friendly waitress at breakfast. If the price was right, I would choose to stay here again.
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I like the attention to details. Nice write up.