Downtown Denver - Resorting - Hotel Teatro - Brief Article

Travel America, March-April, 2003

Hotel Teatro, housed in the landmark 1911 Tramway Tower building, is a smart boutique property appealing to culture-minded guests. Its name ("theater" in Italian) was inspired by its proximity to the Denver Performing Arts Complex, just across the street. Theater costumes, props, and sepia-toned photos and playbills decorate the public areas. Special packages include theater tickets. (With nine theaters offering everything from ballet and opera to symphony concerts and Broadway shows, the complex is the world's largest performing arts center under one roof.)

The eight-story, red-brick hotel, with exterior accents of marble and glazed, cream-colored terra cotta, has preserved its marble floors, wainscoting, and lobby fireplace. By the elevator landings are the original doors of walk-in vaults where the Denver Tramway Co. kept its tokens and daily receipts. Hotel Teatro houses the Parisian-style Restaurant Kevin Taylor, one of Denver's most celebrated temples of fine dining. Star chef Taylor also operates the hotel's informal bistro.

The 111-room hotel, opened in 1999, offers a 24-hour fitness center, Range Rover courtesy car for downtown trips, and in-room amenities like Frette towels and robes, a selection of specialty pillows, and bottled water from Fiji.

Contact: Hotel Teatro, 1100 14th St., Denver, CO 80202; (888) 727-1200; www.hotelteatro.com.