Denver’s Populus hotel named among world’s greatest places by Time

A new Denver hotel is quickly standing out among global travelers, drawing an honor from Time Magazine just months after opening.

Populus, which opened in October 2024, was included on Time’s “World’s Greatest Places 2025” list alongside eight other hotels in the U.S. The visually striking hotel, with an exterior inspired by aspen trees, was designed to be the world’s first carbon-positive hotel.

It took more than just a quirky design to land Populus on a collection of 100 places to stay and places to visit around the globe. Its atmosphere, practices and even the sleeve its room keys come in caught Time’s attention.

Here’s what the magazine said about Populus:

Populus one of ‘World’s Greatest Places 2025’

The design of Populus is, by its nature, the first thing people notice, and Time’s assessment of the building was no different.

It notes the touches ranging “from the biophilic design by Studio Gang to the warm and woodsy hues of the lobby that brighten as you ascend, mirroring light-splintered foliage, and culminating in the rooftop bar Stellar Jay, which flourishes with regional flora.”

Its efforts to be carbon-positive include its lack of a parking garage to encourage people to walk and use mass transit, a biodigester that composts all food waste and its use of reclaimed materials. Room keys are made of wood, and the sleeve contains wildflower seeds you can plant. The eye-shaped windows, inspired by the scars left when branches fall off aspen trees, are functional, with lids that shade the building. Some 70,000 trees were planted when the hotel was built to offset its footprint, and more will be planted every year based on calculations from a third party monitoring the hotel’s carbon footprint.

The magazine also noted the use of bird songs recorded in Rocky Mountain National Park, natural light and pressed-flower artwork that further fuel the connection to the great outdoors.

Rocky Mountain National Park sunrise

Sights from atop Trail Ridge Road in the early morning.

How much does it cost to stay at Populus?

A review of listings and offers on its website showed some rooms on select dates in May for as low as $179 for Colorado residents, who receive a discount of up to 15%. Other dates started north of $400 for the cheapest available rooms in April and May.

More: Is this town really the worst place to live in Colorado? Find out why a study says so

What other US locations made Time’s World’s Best Places 2025 list?

In addition to Populus, eight other hotels in the U.S. made the list of places to stay:

• The Ranch Hudson Valley in Sloatsburg, New York.
• Hôtel Swexan in Dallas.
• Pendry Natirar in Peapack, New Jersey.
• Georgia Safari Conservation Park in Madison, Georgia.
• The Viewpoint Hotel in York, Maine.
• The Radical in Asheville, North Carolina.
• Palm House in Palm Beach, Florida.
• Waldorf Astoria New York in New York City.

Time also named 15 places in the U.S. as among the best to visit, although none were in Colorado. In neighboring states, you can find

• The Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
• Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument at Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico.
• Powder Mountain in Eden, Utah.

How did Time create its list?

Time says the unranked list of “World’s Greatest Places 2025” aimed to identify the 100 “most extraordinary places to explore,” divided into places to stay and places to visit. The list was sourced from applications as well as from Time’s independent reporting. Criteria considered in determining which locations made the list included relevance, impact innovation and success. Time accepted entries between Sept. 28 and Nov. 26, 2024.

Nate Trela covers trending news in Colorado and Utah for the USA TODAY Network.