Viewing dinosaur bones at the natural history museum in Denver © Jessica Feis
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Usually when someone says a hotel is a dinosaur, or compares it to a museum, it is not necessarily a compliment, but in the case of the Best Western Denver Southwest, that’s exactly what they were going for.
The vision for the hotel was that it should be like an explorer’s club, combining comfort with decor that inspires intellectual curiosity. Having recently opened in Lakewood, Colorado, Best Western Denver Southwest takes inspiration from the paleontological heritage of the area, one of whose claims to fame is that it is home to the world’s first stegosaurus find.
Wanting the property to resemble a natural history museum, the hotel’s owners hired experts in paleontology to consult on the scientific integrity of everything on display, so that the guest experience is an extension of what they would learn visiting other nearby dinosaur attractions, such as the Morrison Natural History Museum. The dinosaur theme even extends to the hotel’s pool, which is shaped like the Western Interior Cretaceous Seaway.