Anonymous entries were judged by a committee of professional interior designers from the Arizona North chapter of ASID. Design criteria included innovative design, innovative composition, creative use of space, functionality of space, functionality of design elements and how well the design met the challenges stated in the design concept.

"This award is a great accomplishment, not only on a professional basis but as a personal achievement as well," says Tim O'Byrne, hotel owner and managing partner, Inland Pacific, LLC. "This project is close to my heart as it was a shared vision of mine and my late father."

O'Byrne's idea was to bring the outdoors in and blend Colorado's unique High Plains environment with natural environmental materials.

"Our guests are constantly commenting on the comfort and striking ambiance of our lobby and O's restaurant," says hotel general manger Scott Weber. "You walk into the hotel and you know you're in Colorado."

"I wanted the first sense of the hotel, as you enter the lobby, to be of the light and colors of the High Plains and subtle tall grass textures," adds Andrea Lawrence Wood.

The hotel is equidistant between Downtown Denver and Boulder. It is part of the Westminster Promenade, which also includes a 24-screen AMC theater, the largest amateur ice arena in the country, connects to 45 miles of hiking and biking trails. It also includes restaurants and a two-acre lake.