Getting a room in downtown Denver for a long time was difficult, so I was bounced around to three different hotels during my stay here. Going to Vernal and Grand Junction didn’t help.

The Comfort Inn in downtown Denver is a nice place to stay but has some strange features due to it being an old building that’s been remodeled. The two cars of the elevator operate on a push-and-lock button system to select floors.

I had to arrive two days later than anticipated because of my last minute trip through the Rockies. I had called to push my reservation, but apparently someone didn’t write it down. They put me down as a no-show and canceled my reservation. After arriving and explaining what went on to the hotel clerk, they were able to restore my reservation until Sunday morning.

I was put into a King nonsmoking room on the southeast corner of the hotel. This gave me a cool view of 17th and Tremont, which was quite handy to watch the parade through the downtown on Saturday. The desk is built into the outer corner of the room, using the view but delivering a sunny roast in the morning. Thick curtains cover the glass to keep the room dark when needed.

The desk, while not movable, was still useful. There are two lamps, but only one was functional. There are two outlets in the one that worked. Ethernet and wireless networking was available. I was just out of range of the floor’s wireless, but the ethernet worked fine. The TV had about 20 channels, with Cartoon Network, SciFi, and HBO.

The bed was very soft, almost too soft. I tried to sit on the bed and use the laptop’s wireless, but the bed hurt my back. The pillow top mattress had another pad over that before the fitted sheet, so I sank a good deal. The fitted sheet never came off, to its credit. The pillows were also very soft.

The small room and large bed left no room for exercise. The hotel has an impressive workout room on the 5th floor, with three treadmills, three ellipticals, three recombinant bikes, two TVs, and about 8 machines that performed nautilus activities. The air conditioning worked very well. The hotel does not sport a pool.

Climate control in my room was handled by two ducts along the sides of the windows controlled by a wall thermostat. The A/C was very quiet and functioned well.

The bathroom was cramped, with a low, small sink and small counter. The toilet was operated with a joystick valve that came out of the wall. The shower had good pressure, but the temperature wouldn’t stay constant.

Room service was pretty cool. It was brought up on a table that was wheeled into the room. The presentation of my omelette and hash browns Saturday morning was impressive. The grapefruit juice and cranberry juice were good. The free breakfast downstairs was a good variety of hot and cold items.

Access to the hotel is tricky. One has to come in from north of the hotel on Tremont. When you come to Tremont between the Comfort Inn and the Brown Palace hotel, make a right into the valet parking. It is the only parking at the Comfort Inn. Parking is $17/night, but Brown Palace customers pay $26/night.

HAL has a corporate rate of $76/night, which is pretty good for downtown. The staff is very friendly, and more than one were actually quite funny. I had to walk seven blocks back and forth to work each day, and thankfully it wasn’t raining any of those times. It’s a pretty good place to stay.