IN TRANSIT: DENVER -- The first paragraph in Tuesday's New York Times said it all: "What Starbucks did for coffee and JetBlue did for air travel, a growing number of new hotel brands is trying to do for the overnight stay: create an experience that offers something different from the status quo, then replicate it around the globe."

While Intercontinental and its ilk are busy trying to trick us into believing that their new chains are anything other than Generation Y's answer to the Westin or the Hyatt, there are a few hotels out there trying their best to evolve the concept of the boutique beyond lobby bar, furniture lifted from last season's West Elm catalog, and an iPod playlist cobbled together from chill-out CDs.

One of these burgeoning chains is the Magnolia Hotels, which marry unique, truly urban settings with Midwest charm rather than a strained air of "cool." Owned by the Stevens Holtze Corp., which primarily focuses on redeveloping historic buildings in true downtowns, Magnolia branches have so far opened in Dallas, Houston, Denver, and even Omaha. (The Dallas branch may be the most striking, with a glowing red Pegasus mounted on top.)

I stayed at the Magnolia during my visit to Denver, liberally helping myself to the cold milk and warm cookies at night, free breakfast, free WiFi, and the gym, while stocking the fridge included with my suite with my own stash of beer (and thus avoiding the de riguer lobby scene). The building itself was vintage—brass plaques in the elevator proudly announced they were the restored originals, then apologized for how slowly we crept upstairs. All-in-all, the Magnolia struck me as a welcome antidote to the tired boutique concept—all of the amenities, none of the attitude, and an air of the truly authentic.

Read more of Greg Lindsay's travel blog, IN TRANSIT.