Ramada by Wyndham Denver Midtown

Surrounded by concrete and sharing a parking lot with the neighboring Super 8 Motel, this three-floor Ramada is not much to look at from the outside and inside it's a blast back to the 1970s. Although its decor, color scheme, and furniture are all unattractively beige throughout, the lobby area is bright and welcoming with a wall of windows and plants to freshen it up. There are snacks, soda, and ice cream for sale in the lobby. A small outdoor pool that's open in the summer is especially popular with families. The breakfast area doesn't have windows and is decorated with dated, striped wallpaper, so it's a little depressing, but the free breakfast spread includes a waffle making station that kids love.

Situated near Interstate 25 in Denver’s Jefferson Park neighborhood, the Ramada Denver Midtown offers views of the highway across the parking lot, which is shared with a Super 8 Motel. Confluence Park, where many people congregate to bike, skateboard and have picnics, is a 15-minute walk away, but the area immediately around the hotel is run down and unattractive. The Denver Aquarium, Elitch Gardens, and Children’s Museum of Denver are also within a 20-minute walk, or much quicker drive. The popular La Loma restaurant and a few other shops and bars are within a five-minute walk of the hotel. Denver International Airport is a 30-minute drive away.

Decked out in chintz and floral fabrics, the rooms at the Ramada Denver Midtown look like they haven't been updates since the 1970s or '80s, and the carpets only look somewhat more recently cleaned. All rooms are relatively uniform and small, with floral-printed bedspreads, large windows with heavy curtains, and a wooden shelf and desk. However, there is free Wi-Fi access in every room, a mini-fridge, coffeemaker, and flat-screen TV with cable channels. The plain bathrooms have tile floors, long countertops, shower/tub combinations, and rather unattractive white and gold-printed wallpaper. Pasts guests have complained of housekeeping issues and thin walls that allow noise to travel between rooms. The hotel has non-smoking rooms, but many guests report smelling smoke throughout.

Although it is old and dated, this hotel isn’t a bad value, thanks to its free breakfast buffet, Wi-Fi, and parking. There is a seasonal outdoor pool, and there's a soda machine alongside snacks and ice cream, all available to purchase. A free shuttle ferries guests to nearby locations such as the Colorado Convention Center and 16th Street Mall.