A new boutique hotel, The Benson Hotel and Faculty Club, has officially opened its doors as the hospitality center for the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. The property is adjacent to the Fitzsimmons Innovation Community, a new business and residential district focused on medical and bioscience.
The first two levels of the 106-room property feature The Faculty Club, a 100-seat restaurant, and 8,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The third through seventh floors house a mix of guest rooms, suites, and extended-stay apartments with kitchens.
Places to Gather
Groups can book the 3,800-square-foot ballroom for up to 250 guests, seven boardrooms with windows, and the 4,000-square-foot Rose Garden for outdoor gatherings.
The Faculty Club is a members-only space that serves as an off-campus, private environment for the Anschutz medical community and other leaders to gather socially. Intimate conference rooms, a lounge, and a full-service bar are among the highlights.
For tasty seasonal comfort foods, The Common Good restaurant, led by Executive Chef Donovan Davis, uses locally sourced ingredients. With wall-to-wall windows and a wraparound outdoor terrace, the restaurant is serving as a prime community gathering space as The Benson Hotel and Faculty Club debuts in Aurora.
The Look
There are four different guest-room designs—academic, garden, plains, and mountain themes—so repeat guests don’t have the same experience every time. All celebrate Colorado’s natural beauty, some with warm-wood paneling and others featuring whimsical botanical wallpapers.
Throughout the hotel, a Western art collection features over 100 original works by a selection of contemporary Colorado artists led by William Matthews. Each painting, photograph, sculpture, mural, and mosaic was commissioned for a specific location in the hotel. The collection was assembled by Matthews and longtime art curator John Grant.
Olympia Hotel Management is the operator of The Benson Hotel and Faculty Club, which is a development of Denver-based Aimco. Peter Walterspiel is serving as general manager of the property, which is a Preferred Hotel & Resorts member.
