Best Western Denver Southwest

This Best Western property is housed in a two-story brick building typical of chain hotels, and its unusual dinosaur theme is apparent straightaway. The building has a colorful dinosaur mural painted across one corner, and there's a small sandbox out front, filled with replica fossils and guarded over by a green dinosaur statue. A covered entryway leads to a standard lobby with brown tile floors, large faux dinosaur fossils, and a wood-panel front desk. Coffee and water are available in a study-like area where guests can lounge on a dark leather sofa. There are wood cabinets filled with dinosaur paraphernalia, a cow-skin ottoman, and a fireplace with a faux tyrannosaurus rex fossil decoration. While the theme is somewhat strange unless guests are aware of local pre-history, kids are sure to get a kick out of it, and the setting is quiet enough for families to get some rest after a day out exploring. 

Set on a service road next to Highway 285 in suburban Denver, the hotel offers a peaceful setting but is still relatively convenient to area attractions. Guests can reach Downtown Denver and favorite spots like the 16th Street Mall, Botanical Gardens, and Denver Zoo within about a half-hour. Red Rocks Amphitheater, a frequent host of concerts and live entertainment, can be reached in about 15 minutes. A good variety of parks, including Clear Creek Canyon and Mt. Falcon, are located within about 20 to 30 minutes of the hotel. Denver Airport is about an hour and 10 minutes away. Parking at the hotel is free. 

Guest rooms are equipped with all the requisite conveniences: 40-inch flat-screen TVs with HBO, coffeemakers, microwaves, and mini-fridges, plus free Wi-Fi. Decor is unremarkable and dinosaur-free, with standard chain hotel wood furniture. The walls, drapes, and carpeting come in varying shades of beige, while the beds have touches of red and southwestern-patterned throw pillows. Bathrooms are plain, with white stall showers. Suites with separate sitting areas and shower/tub combos are available. Past guests have occasionally complained about maintenance issues and incomplete housekeeping services. 

The hotel's heated outdoor pool has an interesting curved shape meant to replicate Colorado's Cretaceous Interior Seaway shoreline. There's also a hot tub, and the simple stone deck has several beige lounge chairs. There's an additional patio area with shaded tables where guests can relax. The free buffet breakfast includes an omelette bar and various other hot and cold items, and is served in a breakfast room with corporate-style brown carpeting, glossy wood tables and chairs, and ceramic dinosaur "fossils" on the ceiling. There are flat-screen TVs above the adjacent wood bar, with brown flooring and hanging lightbulb lamps -- light dinner entrees are served in this bar/lounge area in the evenings. There's also a small carpeted fitness center with a few cardio and weight machines and a window for some natural light. A small business center has a computer, and printing and faxing facilities, but guests complain of slow or inconsistent free Wi-Fi here.