The Ritz-Carlton, Denver

Character and identity

Occupying 14 floors of a 37-storey downtown tower, this is big-city luxury planted firmly in the Mile High City. Recently refreshed guest rooms by Hirsch Bedner trade in airy blues, creams and light beiges, a deliberate echo of Colorado skies and snow-capped peaks. The signature restaurant is Elway's, a high-end steakhouse named for the Broncos quarterback and run by executive chef Michael Poompan, while a 6,000-square-foot spa draws on local botanicals and landscape for its treatments. A new 2,229-square-foot fitness centre and a Club Level lounge round out the package. Service runs polished and attentive in the brand's familiar register.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The draw here is a confident downtown package: refreshed rooms, a genuinely strong steakhouse in Elway's, and a sizeable spa with altitude-aware treatments like the Intraceuticals Oxygen Peptide Lift Facial. Spend up for Club Level if the lounge access and concierge matter to you, and book around a Broncos home game weekend if game-day atmosphere is part of the appeal.