America's First Carbon Positive Hotel Offers Elevated Dining In A Vibrant Downtown Out West

If you're someone who likes to look for an eco-friendly, sustainable hotel when you travel, you have an excellent option in Denver's Populus. The hotel was designed and purpose-built with sustainability as the focus. The project's developer, Urban Villages, touts the remarkable building as 'the first carbon-positive hotel in the country.'

Populus opened in Downtown Denver – about 25 minutes from one of the nation's largest airports, Denver International – on October 15, 2024. The 13-story building stands out with its rather unique exterior. It was inspired by aspen trees, or Populus Tremuloides, which are an iconic piece of Colorado's forest system. The rounded windows echo the eye-shaped black scars left on aspens after they shed their branches. The windows don't just give a distinctive look to the building. They're also designed to help reduce energy usage.

The windows are just one part of the eco-friendly design, contributing to the hotel's lofty climate goals. "Populus goes beyond net zero to help the planet regenerate and thrive," the developer explained. When possible, Urban Villages used reclaimed, upcycled, and low-carbon materials during construction, while the building's electricity is 100% renewable. Superbloom, a Colorado landscape architecture firm, helped create the hotel's green roof to provide food and shelter for bees, birds, bats, and other local fauna. Even the benches outside are green and made from reclaimed honey locust trees.

The nature-inspired exterior of Populus continues inside with the design of the property's 265 guest rooms. It's all about earthy, elegant minimalism, and as you ride up the elevator to your room, you'll hear birdsong recorded in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The hotel has a range of room options, from cozy queen-size bedrooms to larger suites. Some of the rooms feature photo-ready hammock-style seats set in the building's signature aspen eye windows, and some suites include large soaking tubs and double-headed rain showers. Each room comes with bath products from Grown Alchemist, a beauty brand focused on creating natural products. The property is pet-friendly and features locally sourced snacks in the mini-bars.

Just by staying at Populus, you'll be helping the planet. The hotel partnered with the National Forest Foundation for their "One Night, One Tree" initiative — you stay a night, and a native tree is planted in a Colorado forest.

As cozy and comfy as the rooms are at Populus, you won't want to spend all your time there. Denver is one of the best places to visit in Colorado, and at Populus, you're perfectly situated to see much of what the city has to offer. As Denver is America's craft beer capital, it's not surprising that the hotel is in proximity to some great breweries.

As for attractions, it's right around the corner from the State Capitol (some rooms even have Capitol dome views). Art lovers should definitely consider a stay here, as it's close to the Denver Art Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, and the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art.

Even if you're not staying there, you can (and should) try out Populus' dining options. It has two restaurants that highlight local and seasonal ingredients on the menu, and all food waste is composted. Pasque, on the ground floor, features a reishi mushroom leather art installation and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Stellar Jay is the rooftop restaurant open for dinner, serving creative cocktails and open flame-cooked dishes. There's also a Little Owl Coffee in the lobby, serving up rich cups of coffee.