For months, a countdown clock and a bed inside the main terminal at Denver International Airport have been reminding travelers that a new Westin hotel was under construction next door.

This Thursday, the 14-story, 519-room Westin Denver International Airport hotel finally opens.

Courtesy Denver Westin International Airport

I’ll be there on Friday for the official ribbon cutting ceremony, but stopped by on Monday for a tour while workers were rushing to ready the hotel for guests.

Signs point to the plaza leading to the hotel and the transit station (which won’t open until April), but the doors don’t yet open.

When the doors do open, travelers will be able to walk directly from the main terminal, across a covered plaza, to the hotel.

Part of the hotel’s commissioned artwork, waving metal blades mimic the grasses of the Colorado plains.

The 6th floor Sky Lobby has a Sky Lounge bar and this open seating area.

The 11th floor pool offers views to downtown Denver – and the mountains beyond.

Stay tuned for more photos later in the week.