Lodging Review: Hyatt Place Salt Lake City Airport

I came to Utah a day ahead of my ski club as I have friends in the area and we met up for dinner. I needed an airport-area hotel with a free shuttle. Since I had several free-night certificates to burn based on the credit cards I hold, I chose the Hyatt Place SLC Airport. I had stayed here once before, though it was over 10 years ago and I didn’t remember much about it.

Location

The hotel is less than a ten-minute shuttle ride from the airport and is located at 52 N, Tommy Thompson Road. The area is home to a few similar hotels and some office/industrial buildings. Staying here you’re not within walking distance of much at all.

Airport Shuttle

The airport shuttle is free and runs every half-hour. The shuttle both picks up and drops off on Level 1 at posts 3B and 4B. Note that this is the first “island” when exiting the terminal. Since baggage claim is on Level 2, you’ll need to go downstairs to meet the ride. Do call the front desk so they can notify the shuttle driver you’re waiting. At the hotel, make a reservation for your departure back to the airport.

Lobby

The lobby is fairly large and has lots of natural light. The front desk is immediately to the right upon entering. To the left are several seating areas. Further to the right is more seating with tables and the area continues on into the breakfast area.

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I was promptly assisted and given a room, even though I arrived at about 11 AM and check-in wasn’t technically until much later in the day. But as I was lugging ski gear around this was greatly appreciated. My Discoverist status (courtesy of the Chase World of Hyatt Visa card) was recognized and I was given two bottles of water at the front desk.

When I had received my pre-arrival email, it had the following text:

BREAKFAST IS GRAB AND GO ONLY. LIMITED SEATING FOR DINNER. BAR CLOSED. HOUSEKEEPING UPON REQUEST. FITNESS CENTER MAX 2 GUESTS. POOL MAX 20 GUESTS. BUSINESS CENTER FULLY OPERATIONAL. SHUTTLE FULLY OPERATIONAL 4AM-1:30AM, COMPLIMENTARY TO AIRPORT. MASKS REQUIRED IN ALL PUBLIC AREAS

Now, I was pretty certain that masks were no longer required. And I was willing to bet that full breakfast was once again being offered. Since there are no restaurants in easy walking distance (where I wouldn’t have to cross a very busy street) I had planned to eat at the small cafe in the hotel. But when I checked in I was informed that it was not open for lunch. I can only assume it is open for dinner as the website has info about the food and there are signs for the cafe in the elevators but it was disappointing.

But, shuttle driver to the rescue! He was super-cool and dropped me right off at the only nearby restaurant. It’s good luck it happens to be right on the way to the other hotels that the shuttle services. And when I was done he stopped by and picked me up again. It was very much appreciated.

Business Center

There are a couple of computers just behind the front desk as you walk toward the elevator.

Elevator Lobbies and Hallways

The ground floor elevator lobby is in nearly a straight line from the front door.  The back entrance is just past the elevators.

Here’s one thing I found odd.  Usually when you’re on the top or bottom floor, the panel to call the elevator is made for a single button.  For whatever reason that was not the case here.  There was space for two buttons though one was a dummy.  However, the dummy button was on the top when the only option was to go up!  This makes no sense to me.  If there’s a dummy button it should be on the Down side!

The elevator lobby on the third floor, where my room was and the hallway were in good shape.  The ice machine was in the room past the elevator and there was a space for a vending machine although one was not present.

Guest Room

I’d just ordered a basic king room and that’s what I got, which was absolutely fine. It was one night, using a certificate and I expected nothing else. It was a very standard Hyatt Place layout so I knew just what to expect. Upon entering there was a desk to one side with the mini-bar area behind the desk chair.

The Mini Bar came with a single-cup coffee maker and a basket with coffee and tea.

The Mini Bar also had Evian water available for a whopping $6 per bottle.  I was glad I got 2 free bottles at check-in!

On the other side was the L-shaped sleeper sofa with the giant ottoman and a side table.

On the wall by the desk was the TV which could be angled to point to either the sofa or the bed.

Straight ahead was the king bed with a night stand on either side.

Multiple outlets were available on each night stand. The side by the window had a clock with a horribly wrong time. I guess housekeeping just can’t be bothered to fix it.

Across from the bed is the sink and a counter along with three drawers.  The hair dryer was stored in the top drawer.

To the right is the closet.

And the bathroom is on the left. While most of the area had good lighting, the light in the bathroom was far too weak. I had no need to close the door but it would have felt positively cave-like had I done that.

The shower stall was nice and large and there was a good-sized shelf in case you bring your own toiletries. This shower has not been updated to include a small footrest in the back corner like at some Hyatt Places I’ve visited. Those come in awfully handy when trying to shave my legs. The spray was pretty good though it did take awhile for the water to heat up.

Toiletries were by Kenet MD and were wall-mounted. This has been the standard Hyatt Place/House toiletry brand for many years.

The room is definitely showing its age. The side table by the couch is quite banged up.

The night stand to the left of the bed also shows wear. The bed itself was pretty soft on the near side as well.

But the worst of it was the sink. I don’t know how well this shows up in the photo but it was quite chipped down to the base layer. It worked fine, which was the main thing, but it was not a good look.

Interrupted

I’d gotten up very early to catch my flight so decided to take a nap while waiting to meet my friends for dinner. I was quasi-awake after about an hour when I heard what sounded like tapping across the hall and didn’t think anything of it. Next thing I know the door to my room is being opened by a hotel worker. Fortunately I’d napped in my clothes but I yelled and he closed the door. I figured he had the wrong room and would go on. But no, he knocked again, twice, despite me asking him to wait a minute. Then he said “I need to test your room”. Now, what would you think if you heard that? I had no idea what he wanted and was still fuzzy-headed from my nap. I couldn’t believe that he had no list of what rooms were being utilized and, had I not been there, would have just entered my room with his card key. This is SO not cool.

Now, I will take some blame in that I should have set the latch so he couldn’t open the door but still. Turned out he needed to “test the wi-fi” although I’d been logged on for hours and told him it worked fine. Fortunately it took less than a minute and he moved on. I was just amazed at how clueless he seemed.

An hour or more later I’m still in my room and the door starts to open again! This poor lady had been given a card key to my room. She even showed me the card sleeve that matched her story. She apologized and went back to the lobby. I didn’t see her again.

When I returned from dinner, my card key no longer worked. I explained to the night clerk what had happened. He asked my room number (xx6) and then looked confused. He said, no, you’re in xx4. I said, no, xx6. I didn’t have my photo ID with me so he made a new key and went up to the room with me. After showing my photo ID I was allowed to stay in the room.

This was the most bizarre set of circumstances I’ve ever encountered at a hotel. I can only guess that my checking in so early was part of the problem.

Common areas

Gym

The hotel has a small gym with two treadmills, two ellipticals, a recumbent bike and a weight bench with lots of hand weights. There are also a couple of yoga mats for use. The room is quite warm and combined with the altitude (depending on what you’re used to!) it can get quite warm in there. There’s a water station as well as hand towels available. The gym is open 24/7 and you must have your card key to enter.  I really liked that the cardio equipment had programs where you could pick where you were running/walking/cycling.  I strolled through the Irish countryside and both passed people going my way and encountered folks walking the other way.

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Pool

I could not find the hours for pool access either at the pool or on the website. It’s not large but it is indoors and has a shower in one corner along with lots of lounge chairs around it. There is a lift for those who are mobility-impaired as well.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in the lobby from 6-9:30 AM weekdays and until 10 AM on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s a typical Hyatt Place buffet and I know lots of folks think it’s awful but it had plenty of things I like and I was more than satisfied with my meal.

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Parking

Unlike many Hyatt Places, the lot around the building is not free. Parking is $10 per day and this hotel also works as a park-n-fly for those who call SLC their home airport.

In the end

Would I stay here again? Sure, especially if I had a free night certificate to burn. But the SpringHill Suites that I reviewed in 2019, Courtyard by Marriott and Homewood Suites are on the other side of the busy Wright Brothers Drive and I could have walked to the restaurant if needed. So the next time I need to do something similar to this, I may stay elsewhere.