Denver’s airport is planning a new ‘hotel row’ as part of their 26 acre ‘West Approach’ project. This is going to be about 3 miles from the terminal, near a future Denver rail system stop.
There are already 26 hotels along Tower Road. And of course there’s a Westin connected to the terminal. This new project is expect to launch first with a ground lease for a branded select service property with 200+ rooms, that the airport envisions will offer a rooftop bar and dining with plane spotting opportunities.
They claim 100,000 vehicles per day traveling past the airport. I imagine that includes every hotel and parking shuttle that crosses numerous times each.
Now, it’s hard to see Denver needing more airport hotels. They don’t have much long haul really, though it’s growing. The city is an absolute schlepp from the airport to be sure but if you’re doing it early you won’t face traffic. The Westin makes sense (just keep the window shades closed), of course. I’m also not sure about a project whose off ramp from Pena Boulevard is Gun Club Road.
Of course stranger things have happened at the airport, or so they say: the swastika runway, the time capsule buried under the American flag at the south end of the terminal which mentions the “New World Airport Commission” that… doesn’t exist. The airport tunnels originally meant for the baggage system that are said to lead to future Nazi prisons. Oh, and gargoyles guard baggage claim.
(HT: Joe)
they need to fix the airport 1st before trying to expand with hotels that aren’t really full.
This airport is an absolute joke. It’s horribly designed, inconvenient to get to, and has never ending construction. As a Denver resident that travels frequent for work, this is one of the worst airports to get to and get thru.
The reason they may need more hotels is because people drive very long distances to fly out of the airport, tourists and residents alike. With traffic and weather uncertainty, many prefer to spend the night at the airport, especially when they have an amazing departure.
I hate this airport, its the worst, i would rather camp out at LGA for a week then have spend time in DEN
Denver is one of the most remote big cities in the US and it serves an area MUCH larger than just the Denver metro. DEN airport is unique in a sense that it is a huge hub for the many surrounding communities. People will drive 3+ hours to get to the airport due to their smaller communities having little to no air service and high prices. Not to mention it is a huge tourist destination and one of the largest rental car markets in the country. DEN airport is constantly under construction because it can’t keep up with airline and passenger demand. It’s kind of like the Yogi Berra saying – “No one goes there anymore – it’s too busy”
Denver Airport is now well connected to the downtown area through frequent and reliable train service.
Hopefully the new hotels will have good train connectivity as shuttles are unreliable and defeat the purpose of a close stay to the airport.
Hopefully train frequency can also be increased.
Why the heck don’t they just build more hotels attached to the terminal somehow? There is so much land. I love the Westin for Aprés Ski trips, but its sometimes just out of price or points range.
The Westin is a huge value because when you do an early morning flight coming from afar or going skiing, you can drive your equipment to the hotel, put it in your room, dump your rental car and ride the shuttle with no luggage which is bliss in comparison to trying to ride it with winter sports equipment.
This “3-miles away” thing will just crate more shuttles with undesirable waits. Not much of a gain in an already competitive hotel market there.
I recently stayed at the Westin attqached to the airport with points because the cheapest room was over $510! I had an early am flight so got to TSA at 4:45am and the lines were out the door with people….What a Zoo especially since one side of the security(used to be one for each side ) lines are closed for ???construction?? causing even more a mess than I have ever seen…Of Note the Denver Airport Director?? is now going to be running the FAA hope he does a better job there than at DIA!! scary
The never ending construction at the airport itself make Denver Int’l a true mess, not just yesterday, or today, but for the next decade. And the city keeps giving them more money to build, but not for things like ow do you get to B and C terminals when the trains are not working? Or the non-existent, but on the original plans terminal D and the other runway.
But leave the gargoyle alone. I love speaking to him when I’m waiting 30 to 45 minutes for bags to (maybe) arrive (shades of the original airport baggage system that no one used except for United).