Park City, Utah is a popular destination for skiers. During the summertime, prices are lower. This town also hosts the Sundance Film Festival and other conferences. My stay was at the end of June 2018. This hotel used to be the Dakota Mountain Lodge until Hilton bought it in 2009. Hilton decided to use the Waldorf Astoria branding. There are many nice hotels in the area, including the St. Regis Deer Valley. This review is going to focus on the room and benefits of the property. I will also go into detail about how Hilton Diamond status can be used at this property.
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Location
Park City is a 40 minute drive from the airport (SLC). Just drive down I-80 East until you reach the exit for Kimball Junction. This hotel is located right past the Olympic Park. Overall, I was happy with the location. This hotel is one of the closest to the interstate. It is also located before the town, making it less busy. Even though it is less busy, there is no activities within walking distance.
I really love the neighborhood it was located in. Behind, the hotel there were a series of houses being built. The hotel tried to sell this development to guests. In front of the hotel, was a weird roundabout. There was never any traffic to justify the use of a roundabout. There is also a gondola which connects the hotel to some slops. It was June and the gondola was not operational. A Wyndham hotel was located across the street, along with some houses. All the buildings were beautiful. Roads are in great shape; I loved riding my skateboard up and down the hills.
Check-In
We arrived the night before in Salt Lake City and stayed at an onsite airport hotel. The next morning we rented our car and went to the salt lakes. My mom had some conferences starting at noon. Unfortunately, early check in was not possible. In fact, the room was not ready until check in time (4PM). This gave me time to contemplate life in the hotel lobby, for nearly 4 hours. Early check in can be a nice perk, but sadly I did not have a room for all those hours.
Booking
Before we go into detail about the room, I want to explain the booking process. This trip was booked about three weeks before departure; because I did not know it would actually happen. I really did not comprehensively research hotels. Instead, I saw this as an opportunity to try out the new Hilton Aspire Card from American Express. My mom decided she wanted to book to the 1 Bedroom Bi-Level Suite at a rate of $399 per night. This was a last second booking so if it was booked in advance the room would have been nearly $100 cheaper. During the winter, this same room would go for triple the price. There is a resort fee of $80 and Utah state tax rate of 13%. I will go into detail about how I recouped some of the money back in savings, but I want to review the entire property first.
Room
Walking into the room, you will see the dining room table. The kitchen features Viking appliances. Everything one would need to cook can be found in the kitchen.
The living room features a pullout sofa and a fireplace. I could not figure out how to work the TV. The stairs leading up to the bedroom is a really cool feature of this suite and I have not seen this at a hotel before.
The master suite is located on the second floor. Not pictured is the fireplace with a TV, similar to downstairs.
The master bathroom is located on the left. Don’t mind my reflection in the mirror 🙂
Downstairs, when you first walk into the room there is a full restroom on the left. On the right, is a full washer/dryer.
I cannot be complain about a room this spacious. To me, this is the nicest hotel room I have ever stayed in. However, this is a travel blog and I do have to be critical. I slept every night on the pullout sofa. This sofa was a foam mattress and was extremely comfortable. Remember, the large windows in the living room. Well there was a top window that had no curtain or any covering. Early in the morning, the sun shined into the room and it was bright every time I woke up. This helped my laziness, but still annoying. Most of this room type are located on the other side of the hotel. Sun shining would not be a problem. However, on this side of the hotel the hotel overlooked a key detail. This is the window I am referring to.
Views
Outside was a beautiful space to sit. The weather was perfect. A lot of time was spent into on this patio. Another fireplace is outside, for winter use. Electrical outlets are outside. One could work and enjoy the patio.
Dining
This hotel had some very good food! Luckily, because of the Hilton Aspire by American Express I had a dining credit. I will go into more detail at the end of the review. For now, take a look at all the food!
I ate all three meals at this hotel, usually more than once! As my mom was on business, I really had no way to leave the hotel for most meals. My first meal was at the pool. The rest was room service.
Poolside menu is limited. Burger did hit the spot!
I was relieved to see my favorite breakfast item on the menu! I Ordered without hesitation. The fancy bottle of maple syrup was a nice touch.
This sandwich was very delicious. I believe it was turkey. Presentation of the sauces was appreciated.
That night, I ordered a steak. The presentation was poor and the taste was not memorable. My mom ordered grilled chicken and liked it.
The last morning, I ordered an omelette and bagel. Since it was June, the World Cup was on and I was able to watch a lot of matches. This was a better breakfast than the pancakes!
Service
At luxury hotels, service is very important. I have mixed feelings about service. Let me talk about some positive aspects and negative.
- Valet services was excellent and they worked really hard with complimentary shuttles. This helped not only my mom, but other people who needed to go the conference.
- Sadly, the pool was very understaffed. When I sat down, it took twenty minutes for the gentleman working the pool to introduce himself. He was so busy and I felt bad for him.
- Housekeeping was very slow to clean the room. However, they did a great job!
- Room service was great. On one occasion, they randomly showed up with food. Whoever, was in charge messed up the room number.
- Hotel did recognize elite status and this is very appreciated!
I would say service is good, but not polished. They were friendly and always smiled!
Amenties
- Pool: The water was warm, but it was cool outside and I only spent about two hours poolside.
- Wifi: Worked extremely well, was able to stream multiple devices at the same time.
- Complimentary water was available in room.
- No Minibar was in the room.
- Turndown service was offered each night.
Booking Process
Hilton Honors Aspire by American Express
This credit card offers insane benefits for those who stay at Hilton. Maybe in the future I will do a more detailed post. The card was only out for about three months before this stay. There is a $450 annual fee. Paying that fee allows one to get top tier elite status, Diamond. Without the credit card, sixty nights are required to unlock Diamond status. At the time, a 100,000 points sign up bonus was available.
Diamond Status
Free Breakfast
At this hotel, breakfast was free either at the resturant or in room. My mom was unable to take advantage of free breakfast. I value this perk at $30 per person and used it twice.
Room Upgrades
Since we booked one of the best rooms, no upgrade occurred.
Early Check In/Late Check Out
Early check in was not possible. We did not take advantage of late check out on this occasion.
Lounge Access
No lounge was offered at this hotel.
Bonus Points
20 Bonus Points per dollar is offered with Diamond status. The Hilton Aspire offers 14 bonus points per dollar spent on bookings. This means that the Diamond status comes with the card equals 34 points per dollar. In June, Hilton offered double points meaning I earned 68 points per dollar. This stay totaled more than 60,000 points.
Aspire Perks
There are several ways to offset the annual fee of the credit card. First, the credit card offers a $250 resort fee credit, which I used to wave the $80 resort fee.
A $100 dining credit per year is offerred for stays at Waldorf Astoria/Conrad. This meant all the lunch and dinner I ate was free.
For airfare, a $250 credit is offerred. I use these credits to buy gift cards. Technically, buying gift cards will not trigger the credit, but there is a work around.
When using the card at Hilton properties, the card will earn 14 points per dollar. Hilton points can be valuable when used correctly.
Most importantly, it is the cheapest way to get top tier elite status at a hotel. As you can see, the $450 annual fee can quickly be paid back.
Final Thoughts
This was my first time staying in a Waldorf Astoria. I really enjoyed it. Utah was a nice place to visit on a weekend trip! If your into winter sports, visit Park City and ride the slope!
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