Hotel Maverick’s website markets its rooms and suites as “your own personal Colorado hideaway.”
But they are not quite as hidden as they used to be.
The 60-room boutique hotel owned by Colorado Mesa University is No. 10 on Travel + Leisure magazine’s list of the “15 Best City Hotels in the U.S.”
The list, which was released Tuesday, included hotels on both coasts and was topped by the Waldorf Astoria in Las Vegas.
Hotel Maverick was the only Colorado hotel on the list, which ranked the hotels through Travel + Leisure’s 2025 World’s Best Awards survey.
More than 180,000 Travel + Leisure readers completed the survey, casting more than 657,000 votes for over 8,700 properties, everything from hotels to cruise lines, according to a story published Tuesday at travelandleisure.com.
For hotels, readers were asked to rate them on the criteria of rooms/facilities, location, service, food and value, the story said.
Hotel Maverick had a reader score of 96, only two points fewer than the 98 the Waldorf Astoria received.
“It’s something that we watch closely and are just incredibly honored and proud to be part of,” said Brian Smith, the general manager for Hotel Maverick, which is managed by Charlestowne Hotels for CMU.
“We’re excited to be on (the list) but didn’t necessarily have expectations. It’s such a select group, 15 hotels out of thousands of hotels across the country,” he said, noting that Travel + Leisure is a source for travelers worldwide.
“We’re encouraged that it sheds light on our property here, but really also on Grand Junction as a whole, and allows people to explore this part of the state and country,” he said.
“I think it’s a testament to the team that we have here. It’s really the service that they provide and the attention that they give to our guests each and every day and the hard work, dedication, loyalty that they have to Hotel Maverick,” Smith said. “I think part of it is Devil’s Kitchen as well. Having such a great restaurant at this property really expands that experience beyond just a hotel stay.”
The entire list of hotels on Travel + Leisure’s list can be found at travelandleisure.com/worlds-best-awards-2025-city-hotels-continental-us-11742096#toc-what-readers-loved.
