The Populus Hotel opened its doors to the public last month as the nation’s first carbon-positive hotel, focused on environmental sustainability, 100% renewable electricity and zero-waste restaurants.
With an exterior that has garnered a lot of attention, the Populus Hotel planted itself onto a triangular plot of land at the corner of West Colfax Avenue and 14th Street, near Civic Center Park. Populus, or “Populus Tremuloides,” Latin for quaking aspen tree, is exactly what the architecture and design firm Studio Gang set out to replicate. A design concept that focuses on bringing nature back into the city, the hotel is meant to replicate a natural living organism; the aspen tree. The entire experience, from the ground floor to its rooftop bar, is designed to feel like you’re a part of nature.
Entering through the hotel’s main doors, the “forest floor” greets you with the sounds and senses of nature. Whether you’re enjoying a meal from Pasque’s nature-inspired menu or you’re sipping on a cocktail under the bar’s reishi mushroom leather panels, you’re instantly a part of the conversation.
Take a look around and you’ll notice a modern take on natural tones and tons of natural light spilling in from the large windows, plus beetle-kill pine from Colorado and repurposed wood design elements that do indeed bring nature back into the city.
As you ride the elevator, making your way up to the 265 guest rooms, take a moment to listen to the echos of 1500 hours of nature recording in Estes Park, where you might even pick up the distinct sounds of elk bugling. Stepping off the elevator, the 13 floors darken to reveal what it might be like inside the bark of an aspen tree.
Designed with efficiency and sustainability in mind, the rooms at the Populus Hotel range in size from the Grove and Aspen rooms, which offer a minimalistic yet luxurious retreat, to the spacious and luxurious Pando Suite, perched on the top floor and featuring a dining area, kitchenette, 1.5 baths, a soaking tub and panoramic views.
While you won’t find a lot of extras in the guest rooms, you will find plenty of comfort, subtle and distinguishable artwork, a minibar of local spirits and healthy snacks, plus some of the best views in town.
A distinct feature in each room is of course the Aspen-eye windows, where guests can enjoy unique views of Denver’s downtown and the state capitol building. Some windows extend into a window hammock – a curved, cushioned bench that provides a space for guests to relax and connect with the outdoors, inside.
But one might argue the real star of the show is the stellar view of Denver’s downtown skyline and the distant mountains from the hotel’s rooftop. Reaching the top floor, you’ll find Stellar Jay; the hotel’s rooftop restaurant and bar. The open-air rooftop resembles the top of a tree with its green roof of native plants and bird’s eye views. Whether you’re taking in the views from the outdoor terrace or inside, through the Aspen-eye window, this might be your new favorite spot to grab a crafty cocktail in Denver.
The hotel’s unique design is only half the story. At the heart of its operation, the Populus focuses on being the first “carbon-positive hotel,” and not just carbon neutral or net zero.
Aiming to make a positive impact on the environment and not just offset its own carbon footprint, the team planted nearly 70,000 trees in Gunnison County during construction. Continuing these efforts, the hotel opened with its one-night, one-tree project. Where for every booked reservation, there is a tree planted. An ambitious goal that they plan to see through with 200,000 trees planted in 2025 based on their expected occupancy level.
Populus will also be the first hotel in downtown Denver to use unique “Food Cycling” technology from BioGreen360. Using this technology, the hotel aims to divert 100% of its food waste away from landfills and turn it into all-natural compost that it will give back to local farmers in Colorado—reversing the concept of farm-to-table, to table-back-to-farm.
Even its carefully chosen location at the original site of Colorado’s first gas station is now the site of Colorado’s only hotel without a parking garage—one of the other ways the hotel worked to reduce its carbon footprint.
The Populus Hotel certainly creates an experience of being in nature, while staying in the middle of the city. Reminding us, that we are all a part of this ecosystem and that enjoying the little luxuries in life can also mean caring for the environment simultaneously.