We can argue until we are blue in our faces whether it was a legal search—we don’t know and the article doesn’t tell us. But he committed a misdemeanor, and you can’t tapdance your way around it.
I have been trying to find the relevant law, with no luck. I think that it may be a Denver law. Most states have a luggage, or “cased” exception to “concealed carry”, but I have not been able to find it yet for Denver. It is legal to have pistols in your car, loaded, for defense.
But, apparently, it may be illegal to have them unloaded in luggage outside the car!!!
In a strange twist of the law, I guess you are supposed to leave them in the car to be stolen, rather than lock them up in your hotel room??