The Home Comfort of Winter Travel: Experiencing Utahâs New Dual-Branded Hotel

1 year ago 60

Marriott

"The effect is successful the ground.

Now whitethorn we remainder successful hope

While acheronian does its work.”

These 3 lines are the writer Wendell Berry’s, hopeful statement of Winter.

But for galore who question successful Winter, and who mightiness prefer, similar the seeds wrong the ground, to hibernate until Spring, Winter question tin beryllium hard arsenic travelers often hunt for lukewarm places and comfortableness food. Recently, we were reminded of this, when, during Utah’s coldest and snowiest Winter, we experienced and explored Salt Lake City’s caller dual-branded edifice -- Element and Le Méridien. They were 2 successful 1 building, fraternal twins-- some different, yet akin successful ngo and vision.

They besides stock an exceptional downtown determination -- adjacent to City Creek, the Vivant Sports country wherever the Utah Jazz play, adjacent besides to the Planetarium, the Farmer’s Market, Temple Square, the Salt Palace Convention Center, to the University of Utah, adjacent to each the culture, sports, and sparkle of Salt Lake. And yet, arsenic we look from the windows of some hotels, we spot the Wasatch Mountains covered successful snow, reminding america of they excessively are portion of our impermanent experience, providing some opposition and compliment -- quality and culture-- to this caller dual edifice exploration.

As we drove to this caller hotel, our archetypal content was of a beauteous new, yet subtly bifurcated, gathering that caught a glimmer of the mounting sun. Once wrong Element, our archetypal edifice stop, we felt a comfy sustainability arsenic determination were Living Walls successful galore areas, and a edifice dog, Scoop, to greet us. Dogs are not a profoundly sustainable idea, but inactive helium exuded a consciousness of comfortableness and home. He is simply a tiny Golden Retriever who lived down the registration counter.

Susan Kime - Living Wall, Elements.

Our concierge tells america that this Salt Lake City Element is the 100th planetary opening for the Element marque and the archetypal 1 successful Salt Lake. Element is simply a manner marque that allows galore guests to person longer-stay offerings, often to bask Basketball games, oregon Winter sports, arsenic Element is lone 30 miles distant from respective skis destinations: Alta Ski Area, Snowbird, Solitude Mountain Resort, and Brighton Ski and others. We besides learned this dual edifice is successful The West Quarter, portion of a caller mixed-use development, connecting 2 halves of downtown with a mid-block pedestrian roadworthy called Quarter Row.

Our enactment astatine Element, with 126 rooms and suites, floor-to-ceiling windows, afloat equipped kitchens, spa-like bathrooms with eco-conscious amenities with signature Heavenly beds, is complimented by an integrated Daily Rise meal and a Relax evening reception. What’s interesting, successful summation to the integrated fruits and produce, is the brand’s collaboration with Lettuce Grow, a person successful hydroponic gardening. Here, guests person entree to free, farm-fresh nutrient and herbs astatine the on-property Lettuce Grow Farmstand.

But Farmstand is not the lone intuitive wellness constituent included successful some hotels: the signature restaurant, Adelaide, is simply a shared restaurant, arsenic it blends some the sustainability of Element with the Le Méridien French Bistro vibe, connected the main floor. We entree Adelaide from some hotels, antithetic entrances. The Adelaide Menu is simply a large assortment of integrated vegetables, fruits, arsenic good arsenic workplace sourced meats and truffles utilized successful unsocial ways.

Other shared spaces are the Van Ryder rooftop bar, wherever cocktails, mocktails and shareable plates are served, and again, with an expansive presumption of the Wasatch mountains, covered successful snow. There is besides an 8355 sq. ft of shared gathering and lawsuit space, and rooftop fittingness halfway with pool.

Finally, our hosts astatine Element amusement america a fascinating concept, made for families, businesses, and idiosyncratic groups. Called The Studio Commons, the conception connects 4 backstage bedrooms with a communal abstraction that includes a shared room and surviving room. We person a backstage meal successful the Element Studio Commons, wherever we conscionable the Executive Chef astatine Element, Jacqueline Siao. We besides acquisition the Lettuce Grow Farmstand again, arsenic she and her Sous Chef prime caller herbs for the exceptional dishes she and her squad create. We besides illustration libations, either Mocktail oregon Cocktail, with caller flowers and herbs placed connected the broadside of the glasses.

Lobby Library, Le Meridien

Our adjacent stay, close crossed the walkway, is astatine Le Méridien, that diagnostic 144 rooms and suites, floor-to-ceiling windows with metropolis views. There is simply a consciousness of creation and artisanry to this hotel. In each rooms determination is artistry successful the tilework, connected the walls, successful the textured bedrooms and carpets. And successful the Le Méridien lobby area, determination is dazzling archetypal artwork, positive a unsocial lobby library.

What obtains, arsenic we recollect, is some brands, Element and Le Méridien, let emerging fulfillment of the modern impermanent needs and wants. The tendency for wintertime hibernation -- the tendency to spell location and enactment determination successful winter-- is fragmented, arsenic the sustainable, integrated food, surviving walls, large art, exceptional plan flow, the branded Heavenly Beds, each let the wintertime traveler to consciousness astatine home, comfortable, and cared for. In addition, the canine Scoop, the Studio Commons, and the room besides mingle successful memory, to make an situation that allows a remembered location warmth, each wrong a non-home municipality landscape, creating a request for america to return, nary substance the season.