DOING BUSINESS IN
DENVER
What
you need to know about the Mile-High City
by Lawrence Ferber
Denver, with its
majestic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, is a pretty
spectacular business destination. One can easily fill
an afternoon, or a few days, with culture, art, activities,
and fine dining in between (and during) professional engagements.
Despite the November 2006 election’s defeat of Referendum
I—which would have allowed Colorado same-sex couples
to register as domestic partners—and success of a
state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage,
Denver itself is a liberal city. Its progressive mayor,
John W. Hinkenlooper, openly backed Referendum I.
Commercial development is occurring rapidly, with lots
of gorgeous new housing to go along with it. Lower Downtown,
“LoDo” for short, and posh Cherry Creek, are
two such areas bubbling with action. IT, finance, and
tourism represent the city’s major industries, while
active pursuits from skiing to hiking to biking are helping
sporting and outdoors companies thrive (REI has a flagship
store here, boasting a giant indoor climbing wall). As
for the people, they possess a gusto and passion for whatever
they do and always seem open to new endeavors.
A hub for United Airlines, Frontier, and Southwest Airlines,
The Denver International Airport—covering 53 square
miles—is the largest in the USA. Broken into several
terminals linked by a convenient railway, a few of its
unique attractions include an art gallery, a sprawling
main terminal with tented, 127-foot high ceilings, and
for last minute souvenirs, a large stand selling Boulder
produced Crocs Shoes. When leaving the airport, you
may notice a separate baggage claim section for skis
as well: this assemblage of revolving, upright, ski-shaped
compartments is the first of its kind in the country.
Taxis aren’t easy to find in Denver
unless you call for one, so a rental car is a good idea
if you’re planning to travel outside the downtown
area. Public transportation-wise, there’s a convenient,
free, shuttle bus system that runs through LoDo’s
16th Street Mall, a main shopping strip, but its range
is limited. That said, many hotels are situated smack
dab in places where you may not need to venture too
far.
LoDo is where most business travelers
set up shop. The spectacular, glass-enclosed, 584,000
square foot Colorado Convention Center is here, as well
as most of the city’s best hotels and attractions.
Adjacent to the Center, The Hyatt Regency Denver is
both luxurious and practical. It also offers the singular
best view of the city (and surrounding mountains) from
the 27th floor’s Peaks Lounge, where floor-to-ceiling
windows provide an unobstructed, scenic setting for
drinks and conversation. Fabulous creative touches are
everywhere. Widescreen monitors in the elevators display
footage of babbling brooks, a rustic shack on a stark
countryside, and other ambient sights sounds. There’s
an in-house 24-hour FedEx/Kinko’s business center,
a spa, and exceptional check-out conveniences including
pre-airport bag check and boarding pass printouts. The
1,100 guestrooms are fantastic as well, with business-friendly
amenities including ergonomic chairs, wired/wireless
high speed internet, three telephones, computer dataport,
and flat screen TVs.
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Although lauded as a best business hotel,
LoDo’s The Hotel Monaco Denver exudes a playful
air. The lobby is decked out in designer Cynthia Rowley’s
carnival-like stripes and checker patterns, and hotel
mascot Lily Sopris—a Jack Russell terrier whose
collar reads “Bitch”—freely wanders,
but Monaco is no child’s circus. The rooms, amenities,
and services are strictly adult: a 24-hour fitness center,
small-scale meeting spaces, all-hour room service, an
Aveda Renaissance Spa, in-room complimentary wireless
and Ethernet internet access, coffeemakers with Starbucks
and Tazo coffee/tea, two-line speakerphones with dataports,
down comforters and pillows, L’Occitane toiletries,
and complimentary yoga accessories. Some rooms are even
specially tailored to taller guests, with longer beds
and higher showerhead placement. There are a number
of larger, deluxe suites and a trio of rooms named after
high-profile guests and decked-out with their artwork
and memorabilia: John Lennon, Miles Davis, and Grace
Slick (who still frequents the hotel). If you’ve
left an essential travel item at home, the Monaco’s
“Forgot It? We’ve Got It!” program will
see that you have a swift replacement.
Located just steps from the Denver
Performing Arts Complex, and the trendy Larimer Square
strip of cool indie, upscale shops and restaurants,
boutique property Hotel Teatro is equally detail-oriented.
When I realized my toothbrush had been left home, within
moments they brought one to my door and offered to,
should the bristles be too soft or hard, fetch another
from a nearby convenience store. The hotel, a 1911 building
whose walls bear photos and costumes from the Denver
Center Theater Company’s productions, offers complimentary
shuttle service to/from anywhere within two miles, and
complimentary daily newspapers. Rooms are comfortable,
with high speed internet (although not wireless), bathrooms
featuring both showers and large bathtubs, and nightly
Belgian chocolates with turndown service. Denver chef/restaurateur
Kevin Taylor’s namesake restaurant is also located
in the hotel, while fellow restaurateur Richard Sandoval’s
fantastic Mexican venue, Tamayo, is a few blocks away
at Larimer Square’s junction. Another Sandoval
establishment, Zengo, serves up outstanding Latin-Japanese
fusion and seriously delicious cocktails.
Just off the 16th Street Mall, and
its triple-decker Denver Pavilions entertainment center
(which features a movie theater, Virgin Megastore, and
Banana Republic) the 241-room Brown Palace Hotel is
an historically important, grand property that’s
played host to a who’s who of visiting dignitaries
over its 114-year existence. Its nine floor, glass canopied
atrium with intricate steel railings brings to mind
Los Angeles’s Bradbury Building (the one from the
film Bladerunner). The hotel even employs a fulltime
historian and archivist who conducts a tour, chockablock
with anecdotes, from Wednesdays–Sundays. The hotel
hosts a hoppin’ high tea daily, and there’s
a fabulous Spa (its grand lobby doorway is the hotel’s
former oversized fireplace!) that offers an extensive
menu of services including a 25-minute massage for those
requiring a quick but satisfying pit stop. A handful
of meeting rooms (one was turned into President Clinton’s
temporary Oval Office during the 1997 Summit of the
Eight) are perfect for business functions as well, and
all rooms are equipped for high-speed internet access.
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Biking
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