We just wrapped up a trip to Deer Valley, Utah. We traveled with our older son, Miles, as it would be his first time ”skiing,” so we enrolled him in ski school (which… is an adventure when we’re talking about three year olds, but that’s a different story).
Continue reading: Review: Grand Hyatt Deer Valley (Good Value And Has Potential, But…)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
This might be more of a Ford question, but if conditions were better, how complicated/time consuming is it to ski from nearby drop-off point to the heart of the Deer Valley runs? Compared to, say, the effort required to ski from Hyatt Centric in the Canyons to the heart of Park City (which is not hard).
I had looked at the location of this property several months ago before they opened. It looks like the physical property itself is very nice but the location has A LOT to be desired. When I go skiing, if I'm booking a "ski resort" hotel, I want to be able to get out and go without having to rely on a shuttle.
That's just a non starter for me.
Meh, it is not like Utah pretends otherwise on the alcohol situation. If drinking is important to you then yeah not the right state to vacation.
As for me, I gave it up and love traveling to Utah for that reason.
@ BC -- I asked our local friend who skies there all the time. He said the East Village gondolas make it seamless to get to other Deer Valley runs, even more so than from other villages. So I think it should be pretty straightforward, but you do have to take a shuttle to get to the gondola.
Location location location.
Why would anyone pay cash to stay 30-60 min from the heart of park city when you could have ski in/ski out access from the Waldorf, Marriott timeshares (where you don’t need a suite upgrade to get the same space)?
Yes it’s a nice property but time is money when you are skiing and esp with kids. Vail also has many points options that are walk-to-lifts as does Aspen.
If you want to get your kids to learn to ski in a playful way I'd suggest a trip to Europe. All over Austria ski schools have the concept of a 'ski kindergarten', which of course in American terms would be more like a 'ski preschool', where very young kids learn to "ski" while not really being forced too much. One place that excels in that is Serfaus in Tyrol, but there's plenty of others. That would also you do a nice review of the Lounge at Innsbruck, which is phenomenal for an Airport that size 🙂
Our kids learned to ski at DV, and I was very happy with the ski school.
There are *many* places to stay that are walking distance to the lifts at DV. I understand you wanted to review a points hotel, but I’d never choose that hotel if I was skiing at DV.
"1700 residential units, 800 hotels rooms"
In much of the world I could understand that taking decades, but in the USA??
Maybe I'm missing something obvious (in which case, please let me know), but I must say that I don't really get this hotel and its review for that matter... Ben, I really do appreciate that you provide a review rating /5 since it generally gives me a good idea of how good/worth a certain property is and usually I see how it's representative thereof after reading the review. However, having read this review as well as the complementary post from a week or so regarding the room service situation, I just don't get how this hotel presents a hard/soft product or value that warrants such a high rating.
Admittedly, the Hyatt Prive rate you mentioned doesn't seem that bad considering the typical accommodation costs in that region during peak season. But unless you're able to snag a rate like that (or redeem miles at the price of a Cat6 property, which even seems like a very generous categorization to me), you'll find yourself in a hotel that is relatively far away from the ski slopes, next to an ongoing construction sites obstructing the mountain view and with lacking maintenance and housekeeping, all while paying a rate that is more akin to the higher-end boutique hotels (Airelles and the sort) you stayed at in the Alps some past years.
Honestly, after I finished reading the review, the first comparison that came to mind was that Ritz Carlton "factory" (your words not mine) in SoCal(?) that you reviewed a few years back, except this was a watered down and more faulty (albeit staying in a suite) version located further away from its main attraction.
There’s a lot of conference space and it works very well for that, but I struggled with what to eat at night. Weekdays between 11pm and morning, there is not one restaurant open in a 40min drive to order doordash from or to go to. Hotel restaurants are closed and so is room service. The only option was grab and go at the gift shop.
This doesn’t add up… why not use points????
you can expect to pay anywhere from 21,000 to 29,000 points per night, depending on whether pricing is off-peak, standard, or peak. For what it’s worth, I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, so that’s the equivalent of $315-435 worth of points, by my valuation.
In our case, we booked through the Hyatt Privé program, as there was a special rate that was under $500 per night, and that came with additional perks, including a $100 property credit, restaurant breakfast, and more.
Yes, Utah liquor laws are absolutely insane. Everyone go to Colorado instead. Please
@ Stvt -- For our dates it would've been peak pricing, so we would've paid 29K points, which I value at $435. Meanwhile by paying cash, I was earning 10.5x points per dollar spent, which I value at a nearly 16% return, which basically makes cash vs. points breakeven. The benefit of Hyatt Privé was that we'd get a $100 property credit, restaurant breakfast, and a welcome amenity.
@ Ben Holz -- I hear you, and I think the thing I'd emphasize is that the rate was *way* lower than anything comparable that was closer to Snow Park Lodge. The difference between this and a Ritz-Carlton "resort factory" is that Ritz-Carlton properties charge sky high prices while delivering very little, while this was one of the better value properties in the area.
Also, I try to review points hotels. If I just review luxury non-points hotels, people yell at me (okay, that happens no matter what :p), so I try to find a balance. If I didn't partly write about loyalty programs for a living, maybe I wouldn't have stayed here in the first place, since admittedly this is a place you stay at because you're on the Hyatt "hamster wheel."
@ Boraxo -- I agree about the importance of location, but let me emphasize that we're talking 15-45 minutes, and not 30-60 minutes (at least based on anything I experienced). The reason someone would stay here is because it's significantly lower priced than many properties that are closer.
And while Minneapolis burns, Ben complains about petty mediocre things. I just hope that the cotton count on bed sheets was high enough.
Am I the only person who finds new hotels so underwhelming?
The room looks cheap with poor finishes - and having a shower curtain in any 5 star property is indefensible.
Hah Ben, thanks for your response. I read my original post again and maybe I came across a bit harsh, I'd like to clarify that I didn't mean it as a direct critique to you 🙂 I for one understand, respect and am glad you stayed at and reviewed this hotel, because these reviews (be it points or boutique hotels) provide many of us with valuable info.
I'll take your word regarding this being a better value than nearby properties... but (and I am aware this is highly subjective) in my eyes this seems more like comparing low to very low value. I say this as someone who isn't much into skiing, but likes the ski town vibe and keenly books a stay or two every season. I don't want to say points hotels are trash or that US ski hotels are worthless because 1) it's not true and 2) different people value different things at different levels. But objectively speaking, it seems like this hotel (and based on what you are saying, those nearby) just don't seem to justify their product/offerings with their price tag. It may be more convenient for someone in Miami or the Northeast to escape on a "long weekend" ski trip to the Rocky Mountains, but that doesn't take away from the fact that people are being charged exorbitant prices for mediocrity, which to me fully aligns with the principle of "resort factories".
Nonetheless, thanks for the review and please keep them coming! They're always appreciated 🙂
p.s. even though I don't typically book into point hotels since I'm not as engaged with hotel loyalty, the one exception is the eriro in Austria. Hope you can come around to reviewing it 🙂
Nobody stays up late, they’re exhausted from skiing all day and cocktails at sunset.
Perhaps the most ridiculous Utah liquor law is one that prohibits the sale and serving of draught beer that is over 5.0% ABV (4.0% by weight). Even when you visit a brewery or an establishment that has a liquor license, they can't serve a draught beer over 5.0% ABV - they can serve the same beer out of a bottle or can, just not from a keg. The restriction serves no purpose and there is no possible justification for it.
I know Ben isn't a beer drinker, but sometimes you'd like to have a proper IPA.
@Lucky - boy did they miss the mark in the living room... Mount the TV over the fireplace!!!
Yes that part about the shuttle east is a bit confusing. I’m assuming the route most people would take is to use the quick shuttle to Deer Valley East and then ski to the man lodge, town, etc. is there no path via the slopes to the main village? If so why would anyone drive over 30 mins there?
why get political here? this is a travel review site! Complain about waste and fraud somewhere else!
I’m more or less local to PC and ski at DV a lot. I hadn’t been to East Village yet so decided to ski over to the Hyatt for lunch last weekend. I can definitely echo what Ben is saying in his review about it being a massive construction zone. I was expecting easy access from the base of East Village and was surprised I had to take a shuttle to the hotel. The lunch food was fine but definitely not worth the effort it took to get there. This will be a nice area when construction is complete but I think that will be a while.
Holy cow!! You f'ed this up on so many levels. Makes me question your other reviews:
1). DV East Village - pass
This is a minor gripe, but you’ve always prided yourself on transparency and “under $500 a night” doesn’t really disclose what you paid. It was (apparently) a Prive rate, but was it $499 or $401? I understand when you don’t want to disclose the price of travel agent rates but if it wasn’t that, please just say what you paid instead of comparing it to all the prices you didn’t pay.
Luxury alpine village?! It looks like a low-cost chinese development in the suburbs of Ulaanbaatar
Look, I think this place is a great deal and I'd prefer it stays unappreciated, but you're off the mark here about the accessibility to the slopes. The pickup truck pulled shuttle takes you from Double Blacks in front of the hotel to the East Village Gondola in 2 minutes. From there you can get anywhere on the mountain within 10 minutes. There's also the Keetley Lift right next to the Gondola that will take you up the mountain.
The idea that if you stay here you'll be waiting 30 minutes to get to a lift is laughable. All of the idiots commenting on here like they have a clue. I stayed here a week ago and I left my room at 8:45 and was on the Gondola by 9.
By all means, lift your nose at this place. I am happy to reap the benefits. I've stayed at Ski In/Out spots from Alta/Snowbird to Tahoe, breck, vail and Stowe. This place is just fine.
There is some inaccuracy and much information missing in this review. First, the bulk of ongoing EV construction will be complete in the next five years and entirely complete in time for the 2034 Winter Olympics. The East Village's beautiful and massive skier services facility will open next season, completion of The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences the following year, and the adjacent Waldorf Astoria shortly thereafter.
Just as important, the East Village project is not limited to lodging but encompasses an enormous expansion of DV's skiable terrain; increasing the resort's acreage by roughly 200%. Multiple new lifts are now open including the East Village Gondola that not only whisks skiers to higher elevations in enclosed comfort but opens large swaths of top of the mountain beginner terrain. The gondola and Keetley Express chair, with its heated seats and enclosing bubbles, both are within a short walk from the Grand Hyatt using the sheltered walkway between the Four Seasons and Waldorf sites. The free skier shuttle is an option only and will become unnecessary once the skier services building is completed. To place the length of the walk in perspective, only The Four Seasons hotel will stand between the Grand Hyatt and the slopes.
The new terrain is also diverse, introducing a significant number of advanced and glade runs not prevalent elsewhere at DV as well as Utah's longest ski run. Free skier valet and lockers are available at the EV base as are ski lessons with three enclosed magic carpet lifts and Hodoo chair for novices.
Despite installing one of the country's most advanced snowmaking systems, this year's unprecedented warmth and lack of precipitation throughout the mid-Rockies has delayed opening much of the new area, but that should have no bearing on a review.
The East Village is not playing second fiddle Deer Valley's other base at Snow Park (which will undergo an equally ambitious, and disruptive, redevelopment beginning this summer), it is positioning itself at DV's new front entry.
The review also fails to mention the Grand Hyatt's on-site ski and bike rentals through Ski Butters, equipment lockers, a sundry store, Deer Valley store, and Helley Hanson store. Then there is the Nexus Lounge, a wonderfully equipped game room for adults and children alike (no quarters required), and the North Star Lounge for military personnel and retirees. Add in that the Hyatt is dog friendly, including the presence of a canine ambassador, offers free movie nights for the kids, and yoga for the adults and you have a hotel that is doing everything possible to provide a full service, luxury family holiday.
Although the review mentioned dining options for Globalists it failed to note the quality and quantity of the offerings. Breakfast, lunch snacks, dinner, and extravagant evening desserts, Hyatt members need never purchase a meal. Add to that a mobile ice cream stand, pop-up mocktails, afternoon gourmet hot chocolate and sweets, intimate apres ski cocktail lounge, a soon to open sushi dining option, and free s'more makings that may be cooked over the hotel's many fire pits.
Because the Grand Hyatt encloses one of Utah's largest conference centers (and Park City's biggest) many guests are conference attendees. The conference center lies beneath the hotel's main floor and has a separate entry. Thus conference guests are largely out of sight, moving about and dining within the confines of their own venue and not overburdening those facilities utilized by vacationers.
You do not have to take the shuttle (which is a minor and temporary inconvenience at most) but can easily walk through the covered passageway adjacent to the north side of The Four Seasons' site. Also, with the expanded terrain the bulk of Deer Valley's runs will be more easily accessed from the East Village than anywhere else within the resort. Yet those that wish to access legacy terrain can easily do so from the 10 passenger East Village Gondola or the adjacent six passenger, heated and enclosed Keetley Express. In fact, relatively to Deer Valley's fully expanded footprint, the East Village is more centrally located than either Snow Park, Silver Lake, or Empire Pass.
I am seriously confused by your judgment. I remember you giving another hotel a lower rating simply because you didn't quite like the design and found the service mediocre, yet gave a 4* to a Grand Hyatt where the Housekeeping service left clearance stacked up in the room and wash basin stained with hot chocolate traces? Whaaaat?