Hyatt has announced plans to open a new ski resort, and it’ll be an Andaz… surprisingly?
Andaz’s first mountain resort coming to Deer Valley(ish)
Hyatt has signed an agreement to open the Andaz Heber Valley, which will mark the first mountain and ski resort for the Andaz brand. The hotel is supposed to open in January 2029, which seems rather exact, given that properties almost never open on-time (though clearly the goal is for it to open at the beginning of the 2029 ski season).
For context, Heber Valley is located between Sundance Resort and Park City, so it’s easily accessible when flying into Salt Lake City Airport (SLC), as it’s only around a 45-minute drive away. It’s also a five-minute drive from Deer Valley’s East Village development, which currently has a Grand Hyatt, and will soon have a Four Seasons and Waldorf Astoria. So basically think of it as an extension of that, but with its own branding.
The Andaz will be situated within The Slope, a larger mixed-use community masterplan, being developed by Angstrom Development Group. The Andaz will feature 85 guest rooms and suites, plus a collection of private residences, comprised of 62 condos and 140 villas. Those private residences will have their own amenities, along with special privileges at the resort.
Details about the resort otherwise remain fairly limited, other than that the hotel’s signature restaurant “will advance a mountain-to-table culinary philosophy, emphasizing local ingredients, sustainable sourcing and hyperseasonal menus that reflect Heber Valley.”
Here’s how Amar Lalvani, President and Creative Director of The Lifestyle Group at Hyatt (quite a job title!), describes this:
“Heber Valley embodies the spirit of the American West in a perfectly understated way. In keeping with the Andaz brand, the hotel will be firmly rooted in that spirit while bringing a global sensibility inspired by our travels to places like the Dolomites and Niseko, which have very special traditions we have fallen for. We look forward to sharing the first alpine Andaz hotel with guests from around the world, as well as the local community.”
Meanwhile here’s what Neil Goldman, Managing Partner at Angstrom Development Group (the developer behind The Slope) had to say:
“From the beginning, our vision for The Slope was to create a true mountain village–one that feels alive year-round and is deeply connected to its setting. Collaborating with Hyatt allows us to introduce a new kind of alpine hospitality to Heber Valley, one that is design-forward, wellness-driven and rooted in a strong sense of place. Andaz Heber Valley will bring a global perspective while honoring the character of this valley, and it will play a central role in shaping The Slope as a destination where families, travelers and the local community can gather, explore and return to for generations.”
The Deer Valley area sure is growing at a wild pace
The Deer Valley area is seeing a massive amount of hotel growth at the moment, and I’d say that more capacity is a good thing, in terms of hopefully leading to lower hotel rates over time. For that matter, it’s especially great to see more properties belonging to major loyalty programs, where members can earn and redeem points.
I do find it interesting how this property will be branded as an Andaz. The Andaz brand has really lost steam in recent years, and its pipeline outside of Asia has been quite sad (almost non-existent). So this new property seems like a big win for Hyatt’s increasingly forgotten lifestyle brand. I find the branding choice especially surprising, given the huge residences component to this.
Ultimately branding doesn’t mean all that much nowadays, given lack of enforcement of brand standards at the major hotel groups. I’d argue that even more than other hotel groups, Andaz has very much struggled with consistency, and at this point, I’m not sure what exactly the brand’s defining characteristics are. So I’m curious to see what this property (and the overall The Slope development) will be like when it opens.
Bottom line
The Andaz brand is coming to Utah, with the opening of the Andaz Heber Valley planned for early 2029. This is yet another property in the Deer Valley area, around a five-minute drive from Deer Valley East Village. While the hotel will have only 85 rooms and suites, there will be over 200 condos and residences, so the overall development is huge.
What do you make of plans for the Andaz near Deer Valley?
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