The ART Hotel brightens up Broadway

The ART Hotel, Denver’s newest luxury accommodations, opened without fanfare last month just blocks from my Capitol Hill condo.

Friends and I rendezvoused on the indoor-outdoor lounge recently to check out the new digs at 11th and Broadway. The 165-room ART Hotel is a one-of-a-kind hotel experience focused on delivering Denver’s most premier accommodations paired with a world-class art collection, which is woven through the entire space.

The restaurant, FIRE, imitates art through cuisine using locally sourced ingredients. As a member of the prestigious Preferred Hotels & Resorts LVX Collection, the hotel is a part of a refined and globally sophisticated network in coveted locations, vibrant city centers and destination landscapes.

Experiential, intimate and refined, the ART is a modern architectural gem bursting with unique, multi-sensory installations. In-house curator Dianne Vanderlip has assembled a collection of more than 40 pieces that boast the “who’s who” of modern art, including Claus Oldenberg, Tracey Emin, John Baldessari, Ed Rucha, Leo Villareal and Sol LeWitt. Many pieces of original artwork commissioned specifically for the ART have been carefully curated to maximize the guest experience from the moment of arrival.  Each guestroom floor is inspired by an individual artist, whose original artwork is stylistically translated throughout each room and suite.

“The ART is reflective of Denver’s new role as the West’s epicenter for visionary thinking synergistically paired with distinctive and exceptionally effective actions,” said General Manager David Bodette. “The ART contains a collection of modern and contemporary works and expressions of this very same passion, vitality and refusal by these world-class artists to succumb to the mundane. We are proud to represent a new direction for refined experiential living in a city that is re-expressing what it means to be truly alive in our age.”

Upon arrival, the ART’s multi-sensory experience begins with a large-scale light installation by Villareal greeting guests from the streets of downtown. Villareal, the well-known artist behind the San Francisco Bay Bridge’s “Bay Lights,” created a custom installation made of 22,000 LED light bulbs that draws the eye from Broadway into the hotel’s Portico Gallery for a memorable arrival experience.

From the Portico Gallery, guests take an elevator ride adorned with avant-garde video art by Lars Kremer to the fourth floor. The doors open to the Welcome Gallery that will greet guests with large-scale masterpieces by notable artists like Ed Ruscha, Deborah Butterfield and Nancy Rubins.

“With carefully selected works, we’ve truly compiled a collection of the highest caliber of art in any U.S. hotel,” Vanderlip said. “Over a period of two years we selected works and commissioned pieces that will intrigue guests while responding to the hotels surroundings, which happens to be the best architecture in Colorado.”

In the heart of Denver’s thriving cultural scene, the ART is rooted in the epicenter of Denver’s museum district, located just steps from the Colorado History Center and Denver Art Museum.

FIRE, the hotel’s restaurant, lounge and terrace is adding some heat to the growing Denver food scene. Helmed by Chef Chris Jakubiec, FIRE Terrace & Lounge embodies the American art  and  craft of playful yet sincere   hospitality in a  modern contemporary setting that draws on the energy of the city below. With a notable art collection, featuring works by Joel Otterson, Allan Houser, Seam Lauders and Larry Bell, the restaurant exudes creativity through innovative cuisine, inspired libations and avant-garde design.

Chef Jakubiec brings his keen sense of innovation to FIRE Lounge & Terrace with a menu that experiments with the finest ingredients from the region’s top purveyors including local farms, like Millberger Farm, Friends Fields Farms and Fiber of Life.

With 133 kings, 12 doubles and 20 suites, the ART has multiple room options for every type of traveler. Each room is curated with artwork from each floor’s designated artist. Room types and starting rates include:

• Canvas Room starts at $289
• Broadway Room starts at $309
• Mountain View King Room starts at $329
• Atelier Suite starts at $339
• Museum View Suite starts at $359
• Mountain View Suite starts at $379
• Capital Suite starts at $399

An inspirational venue for meetings and groups, the ART boasts 5,000 square feet of group meeting space. Additionally, the new space is ideal for modern elegant weddings and celebrations with this unrivaled Denver venue.

The ART of Travel Package allows guests a two-night stay in an Artist’s Atelier Suite, dinner for two at FIRE, complimentary valet parking and passes to the nearby museums including the Denver Art Museum, Clyfford Still Museum and the Colorado History Center. The two-night package starts at $956, double occupancy.

For more information on the ART Hotel, visit www.thearthotel.com or call 303-572-8000.