Skiing — Park City, Utah — The Hotel — Yarrow Resort Hotel and Conference Centre, Park City, Utah

Our base for the week — Yarrow Resort Hotel and Conference Centre

February 2015

We arrived at the Yarrow Resort Hotel and Conference Centre later than planned because Hertz in Las Vegas took 3 hours to supply the car we had booked.

My first impression of the hotel was that it was a bit of a building site at the front. This turned out to be correct, as it had recently been bought and was undergoing a significant upgrade for the summer.

Check-in was fine, speedy, and with no problems. The hotel staff were friendly and helpful.

Due to faulty electrical equipment across the hall giving off a loud hum, our first room was not suitable. It would have been difficult to sleep with the noise. We raised the issue with the front desk, and they found us a new room. The new room was good. Nice and dark with no noise, apart from my snoring ski buddy (his snoring is worse than last year).

As it was late, we decided to eat in the hotel. The food was OK, but not great.

One thing that impressed me about the hotel was the Wi-Fi. It seemed to be available everywhere (including the room) and was very fast.

One worrying thing about the hotel was that there didn’t seem to be many guests when we stayed. Bad hotel or bad snow?

Well, we spent six nights at The Yarrow.

As hotels go, it is not great, but it wasn’t awful. The room was warm, clean, and comfortable. The only complaint about the room was the noisy heating system that we had to switch off at night. This meant we woke up in a cold room, but at least the heater control was within reach of my bed.

The hotel was an odd design. It felt a bit like a prison with its square blocks. The corridors were also a little strange in that they had kinks in them, which meant they appeared to be shorter than they should be to run the length of the building. I think this was why I often got lost and couldn’t find the room. It is hard to explain, but the design and layout of the hotel gave it an odd feel.

Breakfast in the hotel was an excellent American-style breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns and porridge. There was also a ‘variable’ of pancakes and other ‘American treats’ served on various days. Or, there was a menu from which you could order.

The hotel had a ski room but nowhere to store boots.

One of the best things about the hotel was its location. A Fresh Market (supermarket) was just across the carpark from the hotel, which was very handy for snacks and beer. A bus stop for the free buses to and from town was a few minutes by foot from the hotel. An extra plus was that the Squatters Craft Beer Bar was also an easy walk away.

The hotel is an equal distance between The Canyons and Park City ski areas — a few minutes away by car. It was conveniently located to get on the road for the 45-minute drive to Solitude, Alta, and Snowbird ski areas.

When we stayed, the hotel had recently changed hands and was due to undergo a significant upgrade and improvements in the summer of 2015. Work had already started when we stayed.