Denver Hotel Makes Time List of World’s Greatest Places

Each year, Time compiles a list of the World's Greatest Places to stay and visit, using both paid submissions and their own editorial picks to come up with the final, unranked list of 100. In 2025, a new Denver hotel made the cut.

The Populus Hotel, located near Civic Center Park on the edge of downtown Denver, was recognized as one of the greatest places to stay by Time.

The Populus opened last fall at 240 14th Street with two fancy new dining options. The hotel calls itself carbon positive, owing to the fact that the ownever planted trees to offset the carbon used to build the unique structure. Plus, the hotel's business model is designed to minimize waste and benefit the planet as much as possible.

The green focus of the hotel is mirrored in its design, with Studio Gang architects creating the exterior of the hotel to look like an Aspen tree while the inside mimics a forest, with the ground floor cozy and woodsy while the top reflects the bright foliage found in the outdoors.

Time focused on the architecture and environmentally friendly design in its writeup.

"The windows have 'lids' that shade the building; an on-site biodigester composts 100 percent of food waste; and reclaimed materials throughout include Beetle killed pine and Wyoming snow fencing," Time writes. "Oh, and your room key? It’s made of wood, and it’s covered by a sleeve containing wildflower seeds that you can soak in water and plant."

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The Populus isn't just environmentally friendly; it's high-end, too. Rooms start at $299 per night and, owing to the building's unusual shape on a triangular lot, the rooms aren't just your basic, square hotel units.

There are 64 furniture arrangements in the 265 rooms. Before the hotel opened, the director of sales told Westword that, just like in nature, there aren't many right angles at the Populus.

The Populus is situated next to plenty of activities, like the nearby Denver Performing Arts Complex, Civic Center Park, the Denver Art Museum, the History Colorado Center and all the great dining options in and around downtown Denver. Each room has a view of either the cityscape or the Rocky Mountains, and the rooftop bar allows guests to take in the Mile High City without leaving the hotel.

Though some Westword readers compared the building to a cheese grater, most appreciated the unique design amid a sea of boring, square buildings in major cities. Time seems to agree.