Salt Lake City, Utah / SLT airport hotel -- Holiday Inn & Suites West

Status perks

I was upgraded to the Presidential Suite! The sign on the door actually said, "King Executive," although the front desk agent called it the Presidential Suite. I also receive one bottled water and a breakfast coupon.

Room

view from the door

The large room included a fridge, microwave, couch, chair, flat screen TV, desk and chair, and fireplace. The large bathroom had a whirlpool tub, which looked out to the flat screen TV, a walk in tile shower, and separate tile toilet area. The suite was spacious and comfortable. All the photos in this blog are room photos, even though they are not all loaded under this heading. The wireless Internet connection in the evening was quite slow, and I did not see a cable outlet available. The wireless connection speed was satisfactory in the morning.

Food & Beverage

view toward living room and shower

I had food and beverages in the lounge, and I had breakfast in the restaurant the next morning. The food quality of both meals was excellent as was the breakfast service. I had flash fried calamari in the evening, and it was some of the best quality I have had. I was disappointed that it was only served with marinara sauce (which I do not like) and the menu said it would also be served with pesto mayonnaise and lemon (which I wanted).

Fitness center

whirlpool tub

There were four cardio machines and weights in the room, which worked great. Other than the fact that the room temperature was quite warm (it was next to the pool), I was happy with the fitness center. I did not see hours posted, and it was open when I visited at 5:30 am.

Business center

walk in shower across from tub

There were two computers in a small area next to the front desk. I was able to access a computer to print a couple documents at two different times without any trouble.

Overall

I had originally booked a room at the Hilton next door because I found a great AAA rate. In the past, when I have stayed at a Hilton with Gold status, I have either been upgraded to the executive floor, or at least given access to the lounge. I waited 45 minutes at the airport for the Hilton shuttle (it is supposed to arrive every 20 minutes), and then when I got to the hotel, I was given a room on the middle floor, and the agent said I could not have access to the Club room. Since I give up extra Hilton bonus points by choosing the upgrade option, I was not too happy when the agent would not let me have Club access. I sat down in the lobby and called the Holiday Inn & Suites. The employee who answered the telephone said she would match the Hilton rate, give me a suite (I thought regular suite), and breakfast, so I returned my keys to the Hilton front desk and walked next door. One of the best decisions I have made! I heard another guest in the bar that evening say that he'd been upgraded to the King Executive room before also, so it sounds like this hotel has a good track record with upgrades.