Homewood Suites By Hilton Broomfield Boulder

An All Suite Base Between Denver and the Flatirons

Flatiron Boulevard runs through the business park country that fills the gap between Denver and Boulder, and the hotel makes no attempt to pretend otherwise. What it offers instead is a hundred or so suites, every one with a full kitchen, a hot breakfast thrown in, an indoor pool, a gym, grills on the terrace and a car park that does not charge. It is the American extended stay formula done competently. For a traveller moving with an animal, that formula turns out to be worth more than a lobby with a fireplace.

Why It Works

We picked this one for the pet terms, which are the most generous we have found in the Denver corridor. Two animals per suite, a ceiling near thirty four kilos each, and cats accepted alongside dogs, which most American chains quietly refuse. The charge is banded by length of stay rather than billed nightly, so a fortnight is not punished. Add the kitchen and the laundry habits of an all suite hotel and you have the rare address that works for a relocation, a long project or a slow drive through Colorado, rather than for one night.

Why This Location

Broomfield is the practical middle. Denver and its airport lie south east, Boulder about fifteen minutes north west, and the Flatirons stand up on the skyline from the car park. Restaurants sit within walking distance along the boulevard, which matters at the end of a driving day. The real reason to be here with a dog is what Boulder County keeps just beyond: open space trails on the plain and in the foothills, reachable before the morning heat, and a city that has organised itself around dogs more seriously than almost any other in the United States.

Fast Facts

• Price: Mid range

• Vibe: practical, roomy, suburban, built for staying put

• Rooms: around a hundred suites, each with a full kitchen and a separate living area

• Best For: long stays with a dog or a cat, families driving Colorado, relocations and work projects

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the outdoor barbecue grills, which turn a suite into a house for a week

• Dining: complimentary hot breakfast daily, kitchens in every suite, casual restaurants within walking distance on the boulevard

• Amenities: indoor pool, fitness centre, business centre, free parking, electric vehicle charging, accessible rooms, two pets per suite including cats

• Attractions: Boulder and the University of Colorado about fifteen minutes away, the Flatirons, Boulder open space trails, Denver to the south east

Two Animals per Suite, Cats Included

The terms deserve setting out, because they are the reason this hotel is on the list. Two pets travel per suite. The weight ceiling sits near thirty four kilos each, which admits a shepherd or a retriever rather than only the small breeds. Dogs and cats are both accepted, and the second half of that sentence is what makes the difference: a household that owns a cat usually finds the American chain answer is no. The fee is charged in bands according to how long you stay, so the longer the stay the less it weighs per night.

Why the Kitchen Changes the Trip

An all suite hotel is not a bigger room, it is a different way of travelling. Every suite here has a full kitchen and a living area separate from the bed, which means a dog has somewhere to lie that is not underfoot, a cat has somewhere to retreat to, and nobody has to leave the animal alone in order to eat. Breakfast is provided hot in the morning. Everything else you can cook, and the grills outside handle the evening when the Colorado light goes long.

Boulder, the Voice and Sight Tag, and How to Get One

Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks lets dogs run off the lead on designated trails, under a scheme called Voice and Sight, and visitors can register for it, not just residents. You take a free online course, hold a current rabies certificate, pay a non resident registration and fix the tag to the collar, which must stay on. The rules are real: immediate recall, no charging, chasing or harassing wildlife, and on some trails the dog stays within about six metres of you. Outside those trails, Boulder is a lead city. It is a fifteen minute drive to find out whether your recall is as good as you think.