The Mile High City features great airlift, world-class venues, top-notch restaurants and a thriving culture, as well as a walkable downtown and beautiful mountain views. Courtesy of Visit Denver

People often think snow, skiing and mountains when they think of Colorado. Of course, the mountains are a major draw for meeting planners and groups, and deservedly so. But Colorado also has compelling urban centers with excellent airlift, easily accessible local transportation and hotels, restaurants and venues to meet every planner’s needs, whether the need is budget or upscale, winter or summer dates, intimate or able to host a large group.

Try the Mile High City

Denver is one of the state’s premier urban centers. The Mile High City long ago shed much of its “cow town” reputation in favor of a sophisticated, contemporary vibe. It still treasures its authentic Western heritage, which can add a memorable element to any meeting, but the city offers planners a rich and diverse urban palette on which to build a successful meeting.

Ari Goldsmith, vice president, marketing and digital media with food distributor KeHE, has a long list of things that make the city of Denver an ideal setting for the company’s meetings. The group of 4,500 has booked February 2026 dates for its KeHE Summer Show. “Denver is a strong fit for our group,” she says. “Its newly renovated convention center provides a flexible, modern venue for our event. The city’s year-round outdoor activities offer endless opportunities for recreation and team building. Denver also has a thriving food scene, with diverse culinary experiences ranging from farm-to-table to craft breweries, which match our foodie attendees’ needs. Additionally, the city has great airlift from across the country and cultural attractions, including museums, art galleries, sports and live music that offer a variety of entertainment options.”

She calls Visit Denver, the city’s convention and visitor bureau (CVB), an invaluable partner. “They’ve been incredibly responsive to our specific needs, particularly in areas like VIP experiences and unique Denver activities. The staff’s deep knowledge of the city and its culinary scene have been instrumental in elevating our event. By providing tailored recommendations and facilitating connections with local vendors, the CVB has significantly streamlined our planning process and ensured a memorable experience for our attendees.”

This group requires more than 300,000 sf of trade show, convention-center space, and Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver is able to meet that need. “It was interesting and helpful that in Denver the CVB manages the convention center,” Goldsmith says. “That made for a seamless site visit and enabled us to easily find space that aligned to our needs during the specific dates we needed. The CVB team helped us overcome hurdles to create an ideal setup.”

A variety of downtown hotels will provide lodging for attendees, but the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center is the base hotel and has the largest room block. “The Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center has our largest hotel block, with 900 rooms on peak, housing our employees and hosting attendees,” she says. “We selected it for its proximity to the convention center, modern amenities, spacious accommodations and onsite dining options. We have a great relationship with Hyatt and our global director partners with us to ensure we have meaningful HQ blocks that can support our experience needs.”

Goldsmith says there’s a lot that stands out about the hotel. “The 27th-floor Peaks Lounge offers stunning city views, making it a memorable spot for our attendees to relax and network, not to mention the high-end, chef-created restaurant. The hotel’s spacious public areas, including the lobby and breakfast space, provide ideal settings for informal meetings and social gatherings. These amenities, combined with the hotel’s convenient location, make it a strong contender for future events.”

It’s still to be decided whether or not the group will use any of the hotel’s function space in addition to what’s available at the convention center.

Goldsmith says that groups considering Denver can fully optimize the success of their event in the city and at venues by engaging with the CVB very early in the selecting and planning process. “Leveraging their expertise and in-depth local knowledge, you can access tailored recommendations, strategic connections and innovative solutions designed to elevate your event. The CVB serves as a valuable resource, helping you create memorable experiences that align with your objectives and deliver lasting value to your attendees.”

What’s New in Denver

New hotels in Denver include the Populus Hotel Denver and Urban Cowboy Denver.

The 265-room Populus is the perfect choice for environmentally conscious planners and groups. It has a focus on sustainability and nature and an ethos the owners call “environmentally forward hospitality.” It features natural, sustainable materials and original art throughout, and offers what may be the best rooftop bar. The hotel’s 13-story exterior is an architectural ode to the aspen forests of Colorado. Inside, food is sourced from regenerative, organic farmers and 100% of food waste is composted. There are four meeting rooms and a total of 5,000 sf of event space.

Urban Cowboy Denver is housed in the historic George Schleier mansion, a quirky Queen Anne beauty complete with gargoyles built in the 1880s. Located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the hotel offers 16 rooms and eight fireplaces, and every room features a hand-hammered copper clawfoot tub. Corporate retreats and functions of all kinds can be booked in the dedicated event space, but there’s also a cozy Parlor Bar and the hotel’s Public House, which is set in an old carriage house adjacent to the mansion. It serves up creative cocktails at a full bar along with Brooklyn’s famous Roberta’s Pizza.

In other Denver news, the transformation of the Born Hotel into the 200-room Limelight Denver is complete. Set on a block close to Union Station, the hotel includes a popular restaurant, formerly Citizen Rail, newly reopened as Ajax Downtown. The names of both the hotel and restaurant are a nod to the company’s roots in Aspen, CO. Parent company Aspen One now has multiple hotels and more on the way, including a new Limelight hotel in Boulder, CO, scheduled to open in 2025.

Built in 1918, the historic Broadmoor in Colorado Springs is the world’s longest-running consecutive Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond resort. Courtesy Photo

Head to the Springs

About an hour south of Denver, Colorado Springs sports its own city vibe created by Cheyenne Mountain, the U.S. Air Force Academy and plenty of unique venues for every kind of meeting, such as the ProRodeo Hall of Fame & Museum of the American Cowboy and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. It’s a smaller city than Denver but still brimming with hotel, restaurant and venue choices. Its proximity to two airports — in Denver and Colorado Springs — make it an ideal destination whether the group is local or attendees are coming from across the country or the world.

Colorado Springs is the city of choice for Future Proof, a B2B media and events company that leverages technology to best serve the modern finance industry. The group held its 2024 Future Proof Retreat at The Broadmoor, which sits at the base of Cheyenne Mountain. The March event drew 500 attendees. One of the state’s definitively upscale hotels, The Broadmoor offers a slew of amenities and venues, impeccable service and a history dating back to 1918.

“We were looking for a venue that wasn’t in a big city but was still well-known, offering plenty of outdoor activities while remaining easily accessible from Denver,” says Lindsey Markewitz, head of operations at Future Proof. “The Broadmoor was a major draw for us, given its iconic status and large number of rooms. In addition, Colorado Springs is a growing city with great restaurants.”

Markewitz says she contacted Visit Colorado Springs, the city’s CVB, for a specific need. “We reached out to the CVB to see if they could recommend any local bands for our reception. The Visit Colorado Springs team got back to me right away and provided a few great options. We ended up booking one of the bands.”

The Broadmoor provided all the space the group required for a successful event. “We chose The Broadmoor because it’s a beautiful property with a large number of rooms. We also selected it for its variety of on-property activities and numerous dining options,” she says. “Additionally, the hotel recently added a new wing to its conference space, Bartolin Hall. While we didn’t use the new space in 2024 due to another group’s booking, we are excited to utilize this modern space in 2025.”

Future Proof intends to return to The Broadmoor, and plans have already been made. Markewitz says that’s in part because the resort’s quality and level of service really stand out. As an example, she notes, her group brought in its own AV company and the hotel collaborated seamlessly with her team. “The staff at The Broadmoor is exceptional and a major reason why we’re excited to return. We will be hosting our group there again in 2025 and 2026. We had an incredible experience at The Broadmoor in 2024. The only adjustment we made was moving our event from March to May to enjoy better weather and take advantage of more outdoor activities.”

New Options in Colorado Springs

One of Colorado’s newest hotels is Hotel Polaris at the U.S. Air Force Academy. It opened in November and planners are already booking it for the months ahead. Ethos Veterinary Health, a network of specialty and emergency vet hospitals across the country, has booked its annual meeting of 350 to 400 attendees at the hotel in May of 2025. “We have attendees coming from across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as Canada,” says Melissa Flygare, brand events manager at Ethos. “Being more centrally located is a key piece for our group. Travel into Colorado Springs is direct for a good number of our attendees, and the fact that the Denver airport is only about an hour away is also important.”

With this particular event, she says: “We try to make it more of a vacation/escape as a large portion of our group is medical directors and DVM specialists. We want to provide them with downtime that they can enjoy in a beautiful location. Hotel Polaris has a great feel about it with its proximity to the Air Force Academy. Being a Colorado native, I’m partial to hosting here. Colorado is a beautiful state and Colorado Springs shows that to the fullest.”

The group has booked all of its needed space in the hotel. “We have a full buyout of Hotel Polaris, and we will utilize all of the event space. We loved the feel of it, and it was large enough for our group. The conference/meeting space is large enough to accommodate our breakouts, general sessions and additional team meetings. We prefer to have a buyout so the event feels more intimate than if we booked at a larger location,” Flygare says.

Additionally, she says: “The mission and values of the Air Force Academy are something that we’re working to cultivate in our organization, as a company that just recently came together as one. This event is a chance to bring the key hospital and national team members together for us to become One Ethos.”

She adds that the group plans to use the in-house AV in conjunction with its own production and AV team. “I will also be working with a DMC to help in sourcing our evening event needs and transportation for our attendees.”

While planning for the 2025 event is just starting, Flygare says the team at Hotel Polaris has been responsive and helpful, and that the transition to the new team from her original contact has been easy. To planners who may be considering Hotel Polaris, she says visiting in person is a must, adding: “There’s a feel and vibe to the hotel that cannot be conveyed through the photos.”

Another option for lodging in Colorado Springs is the newly renovated and upgraded Mining Exchange Hotel. With new owners on board in 2022, the historic building was meticulously renovated to preserve its past and celebrate its deserved place in today’s world. The new hotel officially debuted in June 2024. Changes include 128 newly designed guest rooms, two new food-and-beverage concepts and indoor-outdoor meeting and function space.

Whether you meet in an elevated Rocky Mountain town or in one of the state’s dynamic urban centers, Colorado has a setting to inspire and enhance any meeting. C&IT