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From neon casinos to Elvis sightings, Reno has a reputation for glitz and glam. But spend any time here as an outdoor adventurer and you quickly realize the city is so much more than that. Whitney Peak Hotel, the first non-casino, non-smoking hotel in the heart of downtown Reno, gets that completely.

Part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection, the property is centrally located, literally steps from the famous Reno Arch, appealing to the climbers, hikers, and adventurers who use the city as a base for the Sierra Nevada rather than the blackjack tables.

On the side of the building, the world’s tallest artificial climbing wall tells you everything you need to know about what this hotel is about before you even walk through the door. I arrived on a warm evening and left two days later already thinking about when I could return.

The distinctively outdoorsy, yet classy and elegant hotel lobby immediately set the tone for my stay. There’s a large granite boulder sitting at the base of the reception desk and behind it, the Whitney Peak name is etched into a backlit wall rendered to mimic weathered stone with a mountain silhouette above.

The rooms at Whitney Peak are large and have real personality. Mine featured a sweeping botanical wallpaper across the full back wall — a detailed line drawing of desert plants, cacti, and succulents. A deep forest green accent wall sits beside it.

The comfortable, king platform bed contains crisp white linens with dark wood nightstands and lamps on each side. There’s a sitting chair, desk area, TV, and a leather desk chair.

The artwork throughout the rooms is created by local artist Scotty Roller, whose work appears across the hotel, and the prints in this room carry that same outdoor, Sierra-inspired look. It is spacious enough to feel genuinely relaxing after a long day on a trail or a climbing wall, which is exactly the kind of guest this hotel is designed for.

Apart from the bedroom, my suite included a separate living room with a sofa and armchair, round coffee table, and a floor lamp for cozier nighttime lighting. I loved the forest green accent wall, hung with round mirrors that gave the hotel a homier feel than your standard, sterile hotel room.

In the corner, an artsy driftwood console table provides extra space for your personal items. During the day, the floor-to-ceiling curtains can be pulled back to reveal a city view that stretches out over downtown Reno and toward the mountains beyond, and at night, they black out the room.

The suite kitchenette area doubles as a bar-style seating area with two industrial stools pulled up to a wood-topped counter beneath a row of cage pendant lights. A full kitchenette sits just behind, with a sink, microwave, coffee station, and mini fridge, making it easy to keep things stocked for an early morning start.

The climbing theme runs throughout the hotel right down to the rooms. On the wall beside the pendant lights, a set of small sculptural figures scale a rope in single file, each one mid-climb, casting its own shadow on the textured wallpaper behind. This small detail is a reminder of the outdoorsy type that the Whitney Peak tends to attract.

The kitchenette itself is compact and practical. A Keurig coffee maker, bottled water, and cups are laid out on the counter, with a microwave and mini fridge built into the cabinetry alongside. For anyone coming in late from a long drive or an early flight before a day in the mountains, having a proper coffee setup and refrigerator in the room makes a big difference.

A desk runs along the wall with a comfortable leather chair, a fantastic touch for anyone needing to get some work done during their trip. The TV credenza has open shelving and an in-room safe built into the lower section, keeping everything accessible and secure.

The bathroom is clean and modern with a long white counter, a square vessel sink, and a large backlit LED mirror. I was impressed with the ample counter space for personal toiletries, magnifying mirror, and amenities that are lined up neatly on the counter.

It’s well-designed, functional, spacious, and easy to share if you are travelling with someone.

From my room, the view over downtown Reno at night was genuinely impressive. Casino signs glow in the distance, city blocks stretch out in every direction, and the dark outline of the mountains sits on the horizon beyond, a reminder that you are right in the centre of things here — and that the Sierra Nevada mountains are closer than the neon makes them feel. 

Downstairs, the Cargo Concert Hall pre-event hallway is one of the more striking spaces in the building. Exposed brick walls are adorned with large-scale painted portraits of music legends, with a pop-inflected style that gives each figure real presence. A warm wood-plank ceiling runs overhead, accented by clusters of crystal chandeliers that add an elegance to the industrial space.

The hotel’s full concert hall can hold up to 800 people and regularly hosts touring artists and local acts. It is a proper music venue, with major names playing shows. But don’t worry — rooms are properly soundproofed in case you’re sensitive to noise.

Basecamp Climbing Gym shares the building with Whitney Peak and is one of the main reasons to stay here if you climb. The indoor bouldering facility is a full-scale gym, with a massive overhanging wall covered in colour-coded holds at every angle, from slab to roof sections, with enough variety to keep serious climbers busy for hours.

Hotel guests receive 50 percent off climbing fees. It also features a MoonBoard, one of only a handful west of the Mississippi. The programmable climbing system is connected to an app that lets you load and practice specific routes, including those set on famous outdoor walls.

The hotel fitness centre sits adjacent to Basecamp, with a window looking directly into the bouldering gym, which is either motivating or mildly intimidating depending on your relationship with climbing. The space itself is well stocked with a full dumbbell rack, cardio machines, benches, and cable equipment. For a rest day or a morning warm-up before heading outside, it covers everything you need.

Step outside and the scale of Basecamp’s outdoor climbing wall becomes clear. Bolted to the building itself, The Big Wall rises 164 feet, making it the world’s tallest artificial climbing wall attached to a building. From the lower ledge, looking up, it is truly mind blowing. 

The wall offers multiple options: Three auto-belay devices on the 35-foot sections, an IFSC-certified 15-metre speed wall, and both top rope and lead climbing on the 70-foot wall.

For those who want to go all the way, the Climb to the Top package takes you up the full two-pitch route in one shot. Hotel guests receive a discount here as well. From the ledge partway up the outdoor wall, the Reno Arch comes into full view, perfectly capturing what makes Whitney Peak’s location so ideal. 

On the ground floor, Café Whitney, the hotel’s restaurant (open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), has a long dark bar that stretches almost the full length of the room. Backlit spirits line the shelves behind it, metal and wood bar stools run the length of the counter, and the open kitchen is visible at the far end, a setup that keeps the feel relaxed and social. It is also the only restaurant in downtown Reno with an outdoor dining terrace, which on a good day, is the obvious place to grab a meal.

The dining room side of Café Whitney has its own distinct personality. A tall feature wall built from stacked timber planks curves through the space, with air plants tucked into the gaps and woven pendant lights hanging in a cluster above. Tables are set simply with black metal chairs, and natural light comes in from the street-facing windows on both sides.

A curtain of fine-linked metal chain drops from the ceiling to divide sections of the dining room, an industrial design detail that works beautifully against the warm wood tones and exposed ceiling beams around it. 

The Whitney Peak Hotel, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton, is located at 255 N Virginia Street in Reno, Nevada.

I was hosted by The Whitney Peak Hotel for the purpose of this feature. Opinions, as always, remain my own. Top two photos courtesy of The Whitney Peak Hotel; all others by Rachel Cavanaugh.