New hotels will bring more density to Downtown.
By this time next year there will be 334 more hotel rooms in Downtown Salt Lake City. Construction is underway for two adjacent hotels at 100 South and 300 West, directly across from the Energy Solutions Arena. The hotels will be a Hyatt House and a Courtyard by Marriott.
The hotels were to be originally built in two phases with the 159-room, 6-story Hyatt House and a 349-space parking garage making up phase one. The developers have apparently decided to build the entire project all at once. While construction for the Hyatt House and garage is nearing completion, construction has begun on the 175-room, 6-story Courtyard by Marriott.
The project not only adds more hotel rooms to the area but will bring ground-floor retail to the 100 South 300 West intersection. The ground floor retail and the design of the hotels will help make the area south of the Energy Solutions Arena more walkable. The hotels will be built up to the sidewalk with the parking garage tucked away behind the two buildings.
The hotels will be within walking distance from many of Salt Lake’s major tourist destinations including: the Salt Lake Convention Center, the Energy Solutions Arena, The Gateway, City Creek and Temple Square. The hotels will also be just a block away from the Planetarium Trax Station, making it easier for visitors to explore other parts of the city.
The block the hotels will occupy previously housed a storage warehouse and a parking lot used for Jazz Games, concerts and other events held at the arena.
The new Hyatt House will be an extended-stay facility, while the nearby Hyatt House at the Gateway will be primarily for short-term guests.
The Courtyard at the Marriott will replace the current facility at 130 W. 400 South which will be rebranded as a Fairfield Inn after construction of the new hotel is finished. Construction of the hotels should be finished before the end of the year.
The project’s 334 hotel rooms won’t fully meet the needs of Salt Lake’s growing conventions business, especially the Outdoor Retailers convention that happens every August. But now that funding has become available for a Convention Center Hotel, Salt Lake should be ready to accommodate an increasing number of tourists.
