Disclosure: This is a blog reviewing my stay at the Sheraton Denver Downtown and my experience there. As such, this post contains links to Sheraton Downtown Denver. These links are not affiliate links and are simply for informative purposes. The following review is a fair and honest assessment of my stay and experience. A huge thank you to Sheraton Denver Downtown for hosting me and Bad Bettie Project! For more sponsored stays, visit this tag.
Built in the 60s, the Sheraton Denver Downtown is Luxury Re-defined
When I was first approached to come check out the Sheraton Denver Downtown I was getting ready for Camp Bae Day with my non-profit, Bad Bettie Project, and couldn’t make it to their fabulous open house. But as the universe would have it, this unfortunate synchronicity would produce an even greater opportunity! I talked with them about how our board was looking for a space for our annual planning retreat and the hotel graciously opened its arms to help us out. You’ll soon ready why, but we couldn’t be more grateful for such a fantastic experience.
If you’ve visited downtown or live in the Denver area, you’re probably familiar with the 850+ room towers that sit against the 16th Street Mall. They’ve been there since the 60s after all. Immaculate and conveniently located, the hotel has served as a landmark of Denver for decades. The recent $80M renovation that took over the hotel has literally transformed this historic spot into a modern, open and inviting spaces that marries the decadence of a luxury hotel with the cool, progressive feel of Downtown Denver.
The lobby itself is like a field day. Everything is spread out in an easy-to-distinguish way that makes it obvious where check-in is, the cafe/bar, meeting space, etc. No need for obnoxious signs, you effortlessly find what you’re looking for by simply stopping and looking. From the moment you step in through the sliding doors, your attention is captured by the Hotel.
A Warm Welcome in a Sweet Suite
Check-in went smoothly, as you can expect. The staff at the Sheraton were not only pleasant, but appeared to take COVID precautions seriously and were eager to help during our entire stay. At this moment, however, I was stoked to get into my suite and change so we could hit the rooftop pool before sundown. After receiving my keys I hopped into the elevator (which are so cool, but I’m a nerd for an ornate elevator) to get situated in my room.
Here’s the deal, I stay at a lot of hotels. All of them are typically decorated on trend and are fun and fresh, but when I say I opened the door to my room and my jaw was on the floor – I mean it. First, I wasn’t expecting the suite to be so large. There was enough space in the living/dining area of the room for us to host our board meeting there if we wanted. Ample seating – comfy seating! The bathroom was beautiful and I could not get over the bar set-up. However, the most iconic part of the suite is likely the near wrap-around windows that give you incredible views of Denver and the front range. Safe to say sunrise was stunning from my bed which faces a large, unobstructed view of those purple mountain majesties to the west. The king size bed was more than comfy and low-key wish I could’ve conducted our meeting from there. Haha!
After being simply floored by how awesome the room was, the board’s vice chair Megan Palffy had arrived which meant it was pool time. The elevators are key activated for safety, so I popped down to grab her. The timing was seemingly perfect, cause right after we got back into our room a gentleman appeared with a tray of goodies for us to enjoy for the weekend. All local items, we were obsessed with the Denver Chip Co. potato chips (and I am not a traditional potato chip fan) and Oogie’s Popcorn. After a quick snack, we changed and made our way up to the heated pool.
Meet Me at the Cabana
The journey to the pool is a bit of an adventure. You’ll take the elevator down to the skybridge (if you’re in the main tower and not the other one already) and cross over where you take another elevator to the pool level. The skybridge is so cool and worth checking out even if you don’t want to visit the pool.
Once you get to the pool level, you’ll walk out to an open air cabana-style set-up with the heated pool right in the center. This isn’t a kiddie pool either, it’s one of the biggest pools I’ve enjoyed in Denver. Surrounded by chaise lounges, there’s plenty of seating. if you’re looking for a more curated experience, you can reserve one of the cabanas which each have two beds. The hotel provides towels which you can grab on your way in and has a convenient drop off spot on your way out, too.
What wasn’t open but I was eager to check out is the rooftop bar, the Spritz, which I’m guessing is more poppin’ during the warmer months. Cause yes, it’s November as we take off our cover ups and head towards the glistening blue pool. With the sun still beating down, it was honestly quite comfortable. We took a quick dip and relaxed knowing that the weekend ahead would be full of work.
Bezel– Sheraton Denver Downtown’s Hidden Gem
Eventually that first night, our board chair Meghan Palmer checked-in and joined us for dinner at Yard House. The restaurant has a convenient lobby entrance or you can enter from 16th Street Mall after a long day of shopping and sight seeing. If you haven’t checked out Yard House, it’s your typical gastropub style restaurant with an endless list of brews and cocktails to choose from. We had a quick bite before we decided it was best to turn in early. 
On our way back through the lobby, we noticed a door open and inside was the most beautiful looking space I’d seen in a while. Controlled by temptation, we wandered in to what I now know is Bezel. This super luxurious cocktail lounge is perfectly designed. I was oo-ing and awing at every turn, from the countertops to the chandeliers. We grabbed a seat and the bar tender promptly gave us a menu, explaining that it’s a soft opening (lucky us!!) and a limited menu. We ordered a couple drinks, The Dapper Dan and the Tally Me Banana. This is where the magic happened. These weren’t just ordinary cocktails but works of art.
And they were delicious.
The night cap was just what we needed– and based on all the fab stories I saw posted from Bezel’s opening night, same goes for the rest of Denver. Whether you’re staying in the hotel or just passing through, I highly recommend making Bezel a stop for cocktails and gourmet dishes.
Breakfast in the Boardroom
The following day, we woke up bright and early to get situated in the board room Sheraton set us up with. If you didn’t know, the hotel isn’t just a sweet spot to stay, it’s also an entire event center. In addition to the booths, studios and meeting rooms in the lobby the hotel has an entire conference and events space available for rent. For us, the boardroom was perfect. They come paired with smart devices to make presenting easy and the Sheraton staff even helped us out with a white board for more visualized planning.
Photo courtesy of Marriott
However, the best part in our opinion was how convenient everything was. By having our annual board meeting at the Sheraton Denver Downtown, we were sitting maybe 20ft from a coffee bar (that also serves margaritas) and the room itself is set up with a QR code to order food directly to you. We utilized the heck out of that for the day and the food that comes out of 16th Street Commons (the bar & bistro) is worth popping into the lobby for on its own.
With such a convenient set up that allowed us to focus on planning for 6-8 hours straight, we got a lot done. We could not be more thankful to the Sheraton staff for taking such great care of us.
Here’s to 2022
As our meeting came to an end, some of our board members made their way home while Palmer and I continued discussing ideas and pain points for the org from the comfort of our suite. Curled on on the couch, we had food delivered while winding down. We had already requested a late check out and planned to get some more work done in the morning before leaving, but for now – we were just gleefully exhausted from a long day of hard, but great work.
The next day, we woke up and grabbed Starbucks coffee & breakfast burritos from 16th Street Commons again and worked in the suite before it was time to venture off. Overall, my major takeaway from the Sheraton Denver Downtown is it’s a great place to get work done and make dreams happen. We had such a wonderful time at the hotel and could not recommend it enough for any events, meetings or otherwise.
We left that weekend with not only our event programming for 2022, but some amazing new initiatives that we plan to execute over the next two years as well. I really don’t think this would have been possible if the Sheraton hadn’t set us up for success, making the atmosphere of the entire meeting upbeat and can-do. It’s just in the air at the Sheraton, I think you’ll feel it too!
Want to learn more about Sheraton Downtown Denver? Be sure to visit their website, here. Want to learn more about my non-profit, Bad Bettie Project? You can visit our website, here! If you’re looking for more incredible stays in Colorado and beyond, check out my Trips & Travels tag.
