Columbia Sussex Breaks Into Denver Hotel Market

Columbia Sussex Corporation has entered the Denver area hospitality market with an $133 million transaction.

The Kentucky-based company acquired The Westin Westminster at 10600 Westminster Boulevard in Westminster for $84.5 million, and The Inverness Denver, a Hilton Golf and Spa Resort at 200 Inverness Drive West in Englewood for $48.5 million, the Denver Business Journal reported.

The 14-story Westin Westminster, built in 2000, was sold by Greenwich, Connecticut-based investment firm Wheelock Street Capital. Wheelock purchased the property for $70 million in 2017, per the Business Journal.

The Westin Westminster boasts 370 rooms and suites as well as 76,000 square feet of meeting space, including six outdoor event areas, according to the Business Journal. A full-service restaurant, Kachina Southwestern Grill, is also on site.

Denver-based Silverwest Hotels was the seller of The Inverness Denver. The company purchased the property in 2015 for nearly $58.3 million, the Business Times reported.

The 302-key Inverness Denver was built in 1988 and spans 160 acres and includes amenities like an 18-hole golf course, an onsite spa, six dining options, a large outdoor pool, and indoor and outdoor flexible meeting and event space. Guests can choose a sustainable hotel room without plastic for a higher nightly rate.

At the top of the year, the Thompson Denver hotel at 1616 Market Street in downtown Denver sold for an undisclosed price. Locally based investor McWhinney bought the 216-room boutique hotel from Newport Beach, California-based T2 Hospitality. T2 developed the 11-story, 161,300-square-foot hotel in 2022, complete with a fitness center, Chez Maggy restaurant and bar, and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting and event rooms.

Hotel sales in Denver and across Colorado have made a steady recovery after bottoming out at the beginning of last year. By the end of the first quarter of this year, hotel sales in three Colorado markets topped $162 million across 14 hotel properties, marking a 70 percent increase from the same period the year prior, according to CoStar.

— Chris Malone Méndez