Despite traveling to Colorado multiple times over the years, I had never actually stayed in or explored Denver prior to this trip. Confused and with little clue as to where to stay, I threw myself into trying to find some of Denver’s most unique hotels. That’s how I came across The Ramble Hotel in Denver. Located in the hip neighborhood of RiNo, the Ramble’s velvet tufted beds, oriental rugs, and chandeliers give nod to 17th century France, while maintaining a slight modern and trendy feel. The lobby feels like stepping into the chic living room of a style icon from decades past, in the best way possible. Unlike many hotels, this theme didn’t feel forced or manufactured, rather still authentic and down to earth. If you’re booking a hotel in Denver, read this review of The Ramble Hotel in RiNo to see if it’s the place for you!
THE RAMBLE HOTEL LOCATION
1280 25th St, Denver, CO 80205
The hotel is located just over one mile away from Union Station and the 16th Street Mall, in the RiNo {River North} neighborhood. During my time in Denver, I did stay at a hotel downtown just a couple blocks away from Union Station, however I much prefered RiNo and the Ramble’s location overall. RiNo is incredibly walkable and is full of great restaurants, breweries, and boutiques. Comparatively to downtown Denver, I felt more comfortable and safer walking around. The location of the hotel is approximately a 7-15 minute drive to most of the top restaurants and things to do in Denver outside of RiNo.
THE ROOMS
Rooms at the Ramble are the epitome of modern vintage chic. A rich blue coats an accent wall while wood floors and an oriental rug replace the typically distasteful carpet of chain hotels. Nearly floor to ceiling factory steel-pane windows allow light to flood the rooms. Despite it’s 17th century French influence, the technology in the room is anything but. A smart TV with Google Chromecast allows you to stream directly from your devices to the TV. The tried and true hotel directory and corded phone are replaced by a tablet. The WiFi is free and relatively fast for public hotel WiFi.
I was between the King Room and the Juliette Room, and ultimately decided to book the King Room as it was slightly larger. The King Room was described as having a city view, whereas the Juliette King had a view of The Garden {the Ramble’s rooftop bar}, and a Juliette balcony. The King Room view is described as “street scenes framed by the large windows” and “electric RiNo streetscapes below.” Contrary to this description, I found the view to be a bit desolate. Instead, large windows connected me to power lines and garages below. The room was definitely a bit small, especially for the Ramble’s regular price of the room.
The hotel charges approximately $189 on a good day to upwards of $289 during peak season for its best rate room, the Juliette Queen. The King Room I stayed it ranges between $209 to upwards of $309. Although I did still like the room, these issues of space and view did subtract from the experience. The bed was comfortable and there were sufficient outlets in the room which is always big for me because I travel with all {like ALL} the devices. Click here to book and view room rates.
AMENITIES
Unlike many hotels in Denver, the Ramble Hotel does not charge a resort or amenity fee, and the amenities here reflect that. If you’re looking for a hotel with the full amenity and luxury experience, The Ramble is honestly probably not the hotel for you. Calling it a fitness center as they do on their website FAQ is really a bit of a stretch, it’s more of a cardio room at best. The hotel does have valet parking for $30/night as well as a meeting room. WiFi is free throughout the hotel. The toiletries in-room are rosemary and custom blended for the hotel.
Almost all of the surrounding 4-star hotels in Denver I looked at prior to booking offer complimentary cars within a 2-5 mile radius. I would eventually like to see the Ramble do the same as part of their amenity offering. Although the Ramble is incredibly walkable to the surrounding RiNo neighborhood, going elsewhere in Denver does require calling an Uber or having a rental car. Several of the areas I passed walking between The Ramble and 16th Street Mall were not the safest, hence the elevated presence of courtesy cars.
The hotel features a hotel bar, rooftop patio bar, coffee shop, and dim sum style Pan-Latin restaurant of the name “Super Mega Bien.” Guests of the hotel receive priority reservations to all dining on the property. They offer room service between 7:30am-11am and 5pm-10pm.
SERVICE
Overall, service at this hotel was great. The concierge at the front desk was friendly and polite, the bartender at The Garden was personable and fun. I did ask the front desk if they had any standout recommendations for in the area and was met with a response to “walk up Larimer and you’ll find something.” Not quite the response I was expecting. Given that this is a 4-star boutique hotel and situated in a very trendy, up and coming neighborhood, in the future it would be nice if there were at least a couple area recommendations either on the main road or off that the front desk could give. Larimer St is a lot of fun, but it does have so many breweries and cafés that is is a bit overwhelming, which is why some guidance would have been helpful there. I ended up coming across Mister Oso, which was fantastic.
The hotel does not have automatic or rotating doors, and does not have a doorman. The valet ran to get the door for me a few times I was entering, which was kind. I did struggle trying to open the door and get all my luggage through on my way in and out of the hotel. I’m typically not too picky about having hotels having doormen, but The Ramble Hotel probably could’ve used one as those big wood doors are a bit heavy!
DEATH & CO AT THE RAMBLE HOTEL
I was SO excited to find out that one of my Manhattan speakeasy favorites, Death & Co, had an outpost at this hotel. The grandiose hotel bar in the lobby is Death & Co, as well as the bar at The Garden. Both Death & Co in the lobby and The Garden have the same menu. As the bar is the lobby is exposed to the whole lobby, check-in, etc. {a complete opposite of their NYC speakeasy}, I did prefer The Garden. The Garden is a great outdoor dining space and features murals by talented street artist, Ashley Joon, as well as a statement neon piece titled “Wish Your Were Her(e)” by Scott Young. Both artists are clearly talented and make The Garden so fun. While I visited, The Garden was only open to hotel guests, however I do know that it is typically open to the public. If The Garden is on your Denver list, definitely call ahead to make sure its open to the public.
Death & Co additionally curates the mini bar in the room as well as operates the hotel coffee shop, DC/AM. To its credit, the Ramble in-room mini bar is one of the best mini bars I’ve ever seen at a hotel. I didn’t try the coffee shop, however spending an hour working over tea in the beautiful hotel lobby sounds like a perfect way to start the day. I’d definitely much rather be answering my emails that way than in my apartment.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you’re interested in the RiNo neighborhood, The Ramble Hotel is THE place to stay. The location and design simply cannot be beat. Although the hotel does have a couple small areas of opportunity to compete with the offerings of the other {and somewhat more cost effective} nearby 4-star hotels, it is certainly a beautiful unique boutique hotel regardless. Every aspect of the interior design is thought through, and the presence of Death & Co not only pairs perfectly with the decor, but offers fantastic dining experiences to hotel guests. The style of the hotel definitely fits my style, and I loved that. If the service and amenities could match, this property would be a powerhouse. Although I would definitely stay here again, at peak room rate, I’d probably opt for a more amenity-robust property at a similar price, such as The Jacquard, or spend slightly more for the Four Seasons.
My recommendation: Book two nights at The Ramble Hotel to explore and experience RiNo, one of the most interesting neighborhoods in Denver, then head to the mountains.
xx,
E
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