Kimpton Hotel Monaco Denver

Jan 22, 2025

My stay at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Denver was one of the most frustrating and disappointing hotel experiences I've ever had. No matter your income, no one enjoys being blindsided by unexpected fees—and that’s exactly what happened during my visit. I was in Denver for a three-day work event and, to avoid the 170-mile drive back and forth plus it was calling for snow, I decided to book a nearby hotel. After a quick search on Super.com, I found the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, just 0.4 miles from my event. The price seemed reasonable—$59.99 per night plus tax and fees, totaling $140.09 for two nights in a King-sized room with a walk-in shower. The reviews were glowing, praising the stylish rooms, pet-friendly policies (no deposit required), and the convenience of the Panzano restaurant. As someone from Colorado Springs unfamiliar with downtown Denver, this seemed like the perfect choice for me and my two dogs. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. Upon checking in, I was asked to put a $200 "incidental" hold on my card. What I wasn’t told was that a $30 per night gratuity fee would automatically be added to my bill. I only discovered this when I checked my account on the TV in the room. When I contacted the front desk, they explained that the fee is standard for all guests, but somehow wasn’t mentioned during check-in. To make matters worse, I learned that the hotel doesn’t offer its own parking. This left me with two unappealing choices: either search for street parking and lug my luggage and dogs into the hotel or pay $59 per night for valet. I reluctantly opted for valet. I was also told there was no designated dog potty area, but a dog park was three blocks away. This meant bundling up and taking my dogs outside in the snow late at night. During these late-night walks, I was even harassed by homeless individuals several times. Adding to my frustration, while many hotels offer free Wi-Fi, Kimpton charges $12.99 per night for it—another fee I wasn’t informed about. The room itself lacked basic amenities, like a coffee maker and microwave. I had to request a microwave, and when the refrigerator didn’t work, they had to replace it. The “comforter” on the bed was so thin it provided no warmth, and the extra blanket I requested was equally flimsy. While they did offer a complimentary glass of cheap wine in the evening and coffee and hot cocoa in the morning, these weren’t truly free—they were included in the gratuity fees we were charged. For meals, I had little choice but to dine at the hotel’s overpriced restaurant, Panzano, since my car was valet-parked. The hostess recommended a $65 chicken and rice dish, which was bland and tasteless. Worse, no condiments were offered, so I had to endure the flavorless meal until I couldn’t take it anymore and threw it away. On the second night, I ordered a $15 personal pizza, which, though still overpriced, was at least edible—offering a small relief in an otherwise miserable stay. By the end of my trip, I had paid $140 for the room but was also charged an additional $148 for parking and gratuity fees, plus $80 in tips for two meals, bringing my total to $448 for two nights. Fortunately, I noticed the Wi-Fi charge before using it, which saved me an extra $26. I ended up using my phone’s hotspot to avoid that surprise fee. Looking back, I would have been better off staying in an AirBnB, where I would’ve had free parking and could’ve used the $80 for groceries and cooked my own meals, avoiding all these hidden costs. The lack of transparency was the most frustrating part. I understand some fees are necessary, but failing to disclose them upfront feels dishonest. My advice to anyone booking a hotel—whether through Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline, or any other platform—is to carefully check the hotel’s website for hidden charges *before* booking. My stay at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Denver was a nightmare, and I strongly urge others to be cautious about surprise costs and poor service, especially those traveling with pets. Think twice before booking here.

Jan 22, 2025

We are locals in the area and decided to do a 2 night getaway in Denver. The hotel and staff were fantastic. We booked a larger corner room on the 7th floor. It was very spacious as it had 2 rooms and huge bathroom. Easy walking distance to the 16th street Mall all the dining there. We hd a breakfast voucher for the restaurant in the hotel, Panzano. What an amazing treat that was! Food was excellent and we ate there twice. Valet, front desk and house keeping were all amazing. Great boutique hotel. We will be back

Jan 15, 2025

Neither the heat nor the wifi was working during my stay. Yikes!

Jan 15, 2025

No credit for the hours that the WiFi wasn’t working. The fire alarm went off in day time. And one elevator stopped working for a while. I would recommend finding another hotel. Beware there is a $30/ day amenity fee for free wine and a food voucher. Make sure to use it. I had no idea and no one notified of what came with it.

Jan 05, 2025

Annah and Jess are the best ! Give amazing services and are very kind . appreciated their service.

Jan 05, 2025

Had a great overnight stay at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco. The front desk and valet were both wonderful to deal with during our short visit. While some areas of the hotel are due for a refresh, we very much enjoyed our time here. We stayed in one of the corner executive suites, which was spacious and comfortable. The lobby coffee bar in the morning was the best set-up that we've ever seen at any hotel for a caffeine or hot chocolate fix. We'd definitely stay here again.

Jan 05, 2025

Oh my goodness we are at the Denver Christmas parade and my daughter had to use the restroom. We had checked 7 eleven and couldn’t find a restroom anywhere. We walked in and the security guard was so polite when I asked if there was a restroom we could use. After that a very elegant dressed man approached us and told us we were more than welcomed to use the restroom. 5 stars for friendliness and for being so kind and considerate.

Jan 05, 2025

The staff is where this hotel shines!! We checked in super late and the gentleman who checked our large group in was amazing! Helpful and considerate. Everyone at the front desk throughout our stay was great! The rooms are nice but a bit worn. Paint chipped in the corner, bathroom is pretty but the faucet handles were crooked, just little things like that. Something noisy kept kicking on and off all night. Maybe it was the air register or hot water heater. I don’t know what it was but if you were a light sleeper you should bring ear plugs. Wished there was hot water available at night without having to bother the front desk staff. I like a cup of tea at bedtime and there was not a coffee pot in the room to heat water up in.

Jan 05, 2025

Wow this place has an old school art deco feel and class to match we enjoyed their complimentary wine service and steler service definitely coming back

Dec 05, 2024

Nice hotel with character and excellent customer service. Location is great with lots of bars and restaurants nearby. Bed and pillows are very comfortable. Bar and front desk staff were very friendly and helpful. Would recommend and will stay here again.

Dec 05, 2024

Really nice hotel. Staff was friendly and helpful. Room was good: decent tv, nice shower, and comfortable temperature that was accurate to thermostat. Some complaints: I haaaaate barn doors for a bathroom and the HVAC was pretty loud, enough to affect sleep.

Dec 05, 2024

This is the worst Kimpton I have ever stayed. Service was poor! Hardly anyone (staff) initiates a hello/greeting when you enter the hotel. They seem to be extremely understaffed. For instance, a bag of trash in the elevator hall was left there for at least 3 days! When I asked for a room change at 4PM, the font desk told me there were only him, a valet, and a house keeper on site, out of the entire property. So he couldn't show me the room, but finally agreed to ask the valet to show me the room quickly. Why did I want to change the room? Because my original room smells like mold. I later found out it came from the bathroom drains. Annoyed by less concerned by potential health hazard as I am allergic to mold. Anyway, the only 2 rooms left were depressingly looking into a garage wall with no natural lights. So I decided to stay. By the way, the lobby also had a strange smell. In general, this hotel does not meet your normal Kimpton expectation. Breakfast is at the on-site restaurant. And that restaurant was so understaffed I felt bad for the one waiter and one busser. Also it wasn't open for breakfast until 8am! I think this had to be the latest hotel breakfast opening I have ever seen. The mini fridge is completely empty. It really doesn't matter to me because I nearly never reach for the drinks in the fridge, but I have never seen a completely empty fridge in a hotel. Perhaps because it's short staffed also? Finally, I thought it was strange that this Kimpton didn't show up in American Express' fine resorts, because all my previous Kimpton stays had been booked via Amex fine resorts, which give you nice perks, but does require the hotel to be above a certain calibre. It makes sense now. Location - okay if your work is all in downtown, then you can walk to your work/meetings. But downtown Denver is a boring area in general. I wound't choose this area for personal trips.

Dec 05, 2024

We love this hotel !! What an awesome room. Wine happy hour 5:00-6:00. Whiskey & mead shots 8:00-9:00 In the beautiful lobby. The staff is very friendly, & helpful.

Nov 05, 2024

Beautiful hotel in downtown Denver, street parking limited but parking ramps are close. Large rooms, comfortable beds and quiet. No free breakfast but there are many places nearby to check out

Nov 05, 2024

Good hotel - decent location and only 10-15 min walk from Union Station. Fairly small rooms by US standards but it’s an old building. The Italian restaurant on ground floor wasn’t cheap but the food was nice. ||Checkout was 11am - not possibility of an extension which was a shame. The lobby looked good but quite a strong ammonia smell.

Nov 05, 2024

I booked this Kimpton because I have absolutely loved the one in Omaha for years now! The rooms looked super cute, and I will say, that held to be true. But overall, this was not a good experience. 1. The lobby did in fact smell horrible. 2. When I checked in at the proper check-in time, I was put in a queue for 45 minutes because my room wasn't ready. I sat in the lobby with my suitcase and probably 15 other people waiting. 3. The staff was not kind. 4. I did not want to pay $60+ for valet a night (It is in the middle of the city) so the valet guy told me I could park for cheaper in the garage. He didn't tell me that to enter the garage to get your car, and to leave after you park your car, you have to walk around the block. Not ideal if you're a 20-something year old girl alone at night parking like I was (it is very sketchy at night in that area. i was scared). 5. To make matters worse, the nights I did come back, the front doors were locked and my key card would not let me in. The front desk staff was not nice about it either. 6. The amenity fee? For what? There wasn't even coffee in the room. 7. There were holes in my sheets. Save yourself the stress and stay at the Marriott next door that has an accessible elevator inside the garage, the place smells brand new, and the staff is incredibly kind.

Oct 05, 2024

I booked this hotel hoping for a luxury experience for my husband’s birthday weekend but unfortunately it was the opposite and a two star experience or less. ||The Cons:||-entire lobby smelled STRONGLY of sewage |-hotel finishings run down (chipped paint, peeling wallpaper, our sink leaked,/standing water under sink) visible water damage on ceilings)|-they changed their check in/out hours as well as the restaurant hours and told us the old hours (so we could not eat our included breakfast at 11am because Panzano was closed but front desk said it was open til 1pm)|-Valet wasn’t very friendly|||Pros:||-comfortable bed|-room seemed clean||Honestly it was a very disappointing experience for the price point - we stayed in a nicer Monte Carlo King Suite and I had to apologize to my husband for the lackluster amenities. At the price, I’d recommend the Ritz in downtown Denver but honestly I’ve had much better experiences at the Holiday Inn.

Oct 05, 2024

Judith at check-in was amazing. The room was incred

Oct 05, 2024

Judithe at the front desk was wonderful! Room was clean and spacious.||However, several areas where the hotel itself could do better. Lobby smelt like citrus bathroom cleaning product. Maintenance needs to be done - hardware in shower had gaps where huge chunks of caulking was missing, lots of paint scratched of doors etc.

Oct 05, 2024

Not a good experience beginning to end!

Oct 05, 2024

Rooms, Location, Service all 5 stars. However, I could not get past the offensive smell of the lobby here. I know it is a pet friendly hotel, but the seccond you walk in, you are accosted by a very strong pet feces and urine smell. It is truly unbearable. Our local kennel smells better... seriously. Felt like the small was on my clothes after I returned home. It was not just me because we could hear others commenting on how bad it was also. For the price, this placw should be able to afford new carpets or better deodorizing. It is a shame because it is a lovely hotel and the staff were all lovely as well.

Oct 05, 2024

This hotel used to be a regular stay for me but it has gone down hill. The surrounding location has become increasingly sketchier and deserted. The lobby smell is so offensive it’s hard to even walk through. When I checked in I was told the internet was down and it was a city wide Verizon issue, naturally I looked up to see if there was a restoration eta only to find there were no issues on Verizon’s side and other reviews on here going back weeks saying the WiFi doesn’t work. Needless to say I wont being staying or bringing groups to this property in the future and they really should remove the Kimpton name as it is no where near the standards of other Kimpton properties or any 4 star hotel for that matter.

Oct 05, 2024

Two things you need to know before booking! 1. Yes, there is an amenity fee – (my three-day trip cost me $81.00+). What they don’t tell you is that you will be charged $100+ depending on the duration of your stay. So before I got my keys, I was charged $300.00. I was told that it would be returned after I check out, and they do this in case you use their valet service or buy something from their front desk. I was taken aback because I had only saved so much and was not expecting to drop $300 before I got to my room. I understand the amenity fee because the website stated that, but I was not told I would have to spend $100+ anywhere on the site or Expedia. I do, however, appreciate the hotel staff and have no problem with them whatsoever! They were so helpful and very friendly! 2. I’m not sure how long the hotel has been having this “lobby smell” issue, but I have seen reviews that date back a week or two. Yes, there is a very strong smell in the lobby! I would describe it as a public restroom… it hit me as soon as I walked in from the main doors and getting off the elevator. I was not expecting the smell to follow me into the restaurant as well. We sat down for a nice dinner, but the smell was so bad we had to slam our drinks and leave. I will mention that the staff in the restaurant and hotel were very nice and attentive! Other than that… it was a decent stay!👍🏽✨

Oct 05, 2024

We had a short stay, but the experience was great!

Oct 05, 2024

We love the Monaco brand Hotels. The downtown Denver one was pretty awesome! Right in the heart of downtown with plenty of walkable options near by for food, or fun. Our room was great, with a great view of downtown. I will say there was a strange sewer smell in the lobby that was the only bad thing I would say.

Oct 05, 2024

Why does it smell like a public toilet in here? Came for dinner but opened to just have one drink instead. The whole property smells terrible

Sep 05, 2024

Excellent 5 star service!!

Sep 05, 2024

Food and dining options are amazing, and I love the European influenced culture at this hotel. The rooms speak for itself as grand and doesn't need any updates for a couple of years! Every part of the room is spotless and high quality! I recommend Kimpton Hotels.