When the Maven Hotel in LoDo opened its doors this week, one of the independent hotel's goals was to provide its guests a distinctive sense of place, that holy grail of hoteliers looking to attract Millennials and others wanting something besides standard hotel-ness.

"Design is more powerful when it embraces its context,” said Nicole Nathan, partner at Johnson Nathan Strohe, the Denver-based firm that did the 172-room property's architecture and interior design. The context in this case is the hotel's place within Denver’s newest urban evolution, Dairy Block, between 18th and 19th streets on Wazee.

"The Maven expresses an industrial feel — a nod to the building’s former life as Windsor Dairy — and the stylish, simple design celebrates craftsmanship and the spirit of the maker," Nathan said. "The result is an experience that feels unique to Denver, to Dairy Block and to the LoDo neighborhood.”

The eight-story hotel also features an expanded, experiential lobby designed to capture the resurgence of the hotel as a social gathering space for guests and the broader community, Nathan said. Designed as one continuous first-floor experience, the Maven’s 3,600 SF lobby flows into the 7,200 SF Kachina Southwestern Grill, Poka Lola Social Club and the lobby of the adjacent building.

Also, a 2,300 SF ballroom creates a connection between the hotel and the activated alley just outside the property, while also sharing event space with the Poka Lola Social Club.

Other collaborators on the project included Shears Adkins Rockmore Architects, which designed the adjoining office building and parking, and New York-based Creme, which designed the Maven lobby. Dairy Block project partners include McWhinney, Grand American Inc., Sage Hospitality and Sage Restaurant Group.