Located across from the Capitol Theatre and along the light-rail tracks, this hotel breaks Salt Lake City's traditional mold with its hip, innovative decor and youthful, attentive, service-oriented staff. Harbored in a slender 14-story bank building dating from 1926, this Northwest transplant combines crisp contemporary design with rich traditional elements to create what many consider to be finest hotel in the city. Conservative types may find the hotel's cutting-edge style a little too racy, but few will find fault with its crisp cosmopolitan feel, fine service and well-equipped guest rooms.
Valets sprint to keep pace with constant arrivals, jockeying for cars and ushering guests into the hotel. Arrivals are greeted with a glass of wine. The Kimpton Group's fanciful touch is evident from the moment guests cross the threshold. Updated Regency-style decor with 1940s flair creates a stunning sitting area opposite the front desk, with high ceilings, original art and artfully designed lighting. Tall windows are draped in silk, and newly upholstered seating provides a fresh look in the lobby. Amid bold swaths of richly colored satin, velvet and brocade, guests linger over coffee or cocktails and enjoy free neck massages at the manager's evening reception.
This urban sophistication extends into the award-winning restaurant, which cooks dishes from an innovative menu at all meals on a wood-burning grill. Bombara is widely considered to be the most creative eatery in town. The weekend brunch features salmon hash, crab cakes Benedict and divine desserts. Dinner is expensive, but breakfast and lunch are well-priced. It seats 180 in cozy street-side booths in the original bank amid fanciful lighting and an open kitchen. Two intimate lounges done in jewel tones dispense drinks from full bars, and a spectacular art-deco-inspired lamp and a fireplace create a welcome setting for lingering. The bank vice president's large corner office now serves as a private dining room and still shows the original dark-wood paneling and expansive windows.
On the second floor, the 24-hour mirrored fitness room has a dozen machines, free weights and a TV. In addition, treadmills, yoga gear and a round-the-clock yoga channel allow guests to exercise in their rooms. The staff also arranges an array of ski services.
Tall arched windows allow for plenty of natural lighting in the ballroom and the three intimate, stylish boardrooms. Receptions for up to 200 can be accommodated. The conference space is supplemented by secretarial, business, concierge and even roaming-messenger services. At $16, parking is the most expensive of any hotel in the city. Kimpton's pet-friendly policy is a notable perk for guests traveling with all kinds of pets.
The 12-ft ceilings in many of the guest rooms add to the charm created by rich colors, bright classical stripe and floral patterns, and excellent original and reproduction artwork. Fine furnishings include colorfully dressed armchairs and paneled headboards and new mattresses on king or queen beds, as well as large framed mirrors, desks and armoires. Also new are the ergonomic chairs. Maintenance is excellent. Rooms are equipped with CD players, large TVs, video-game systems, dual-line speakerphones with voice mail and data ports, fax machines, honor bars, coffeemakers and irons. Baths have stone-tile floors and sinks set in granite, and they also supply hair dryers, faux-leopard robes and name-brand toiletries. Rooms with paired queens are more spacious, as are corner premium rooms with sitting areas. The 32 suites, many with connecting standards, offer the expected extras, as well as some unexpected ones, such as two-person jetted tubs. Popular with visiting NBA players, 12 rooms (a mix of deluxe units and suites) were designed for taller guests, offering extra-long beds, taller vanities and showers, and larger baths.
The house-proud staff leaves guests feeling pampered with complimentary newspapers and shoeshine, turndown and 24-hour room service.
With its long list of amenities and fine dining—including 24-hour room service—it's no wonder that this is the first choice of celebrities and finicky travelers looking for something fresh and funky in conservative Salt Lake City. Both the Marriott City Center on State Street and the newer Grand America on Main Street offer stiff, if more formal, competition at a higher price to this boutique property that is bright with character and style.
