skj

What are the "standard" rooms at this property ? Based on hyatt.com, I'd assume they are the "Plaza View" king or queens, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm looking at booking a room on points for next March, and there is no availability any time that month. However, Plaza View rooms are available most nights I checked. Is there a different room type I should looking for ?

4aks

I've not seen any weekend ski season point redemption options , if you search for a weekday , you'll be given a few to select from , and it'll answer your question ,

Also worth noting , the Diamond suite upgrade certificate redemption gets you a One bedroom suite with kitchen which opens to a living area , they have a few of these , the living area has a pullout sofa , and this room doesn't show up if you say you have 4 guests ... So if you book a double double and use a certain upgrade , it will prob create some confusion

SkiUtah

So i have confirmed the restaurant, room service, the bar, and a grab-n-go will be open for ski season.

The restaurant is being finished and all should be up and running the first or second week of December BEFORE Christmas rush and the real ski season rush starts.

I think this property will be very well liked and rise in the point levels. The canyons is an amazing and HUGE ski resort. The ski area is much larger, gets more snow, receives much lighter snow, and is closer to a major hub airport than the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

If you are into food/wine i think its worth the short bus ride or drive to check out the wine cellar at the st regis wine vault is amazing 4,000+ bottles and just a beautiful hotel in every way. There is a waldorf astoria too at the canyons if you want to travel less and get some gourmet dining and theres always main street with many options

spgplat21

I just completed two nights here and had a pretty good experience. The hotel restaurant just opened during our stay and breakfast was good each morning. There was a ton of confusion about the diamond breakfast with the restaurant opening, but it was eventually taken care of and the charges were removed. I was originally told $15/person at the cafe, then told there would be a buffet, then when there wasn't a buffet I was told I could order whatever I wanted off the regular menu. At check-out the FD agent didn't know what to do, but eventually took the charges off after checking with a manager.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Positives:

The location is really good. The ski-in/ski-out lift was closed, but it will be extremely convenient once the mountain gets a little more snow. It was maybe a five minute walk to the main area of the ski village, and the hotel had an Escalade if you don't want to walk. The highlight was definitely the room. I could even see this place being at a Park Hyatt level if they put the resources into it. I stayed in a 2-bedroom suite and was amazed at how nice everything was (Wolf, Sub-Zero, etc.). This was my first time skiing the Canyons and we all left impressed. There was a large variety of terrain and once everything opens I could easily see this being my favorite mountain in the area.

Negatives:

The only negative was the service. Everyone was really nice, but there just weren't enough staff and this was when the hotel was pretty empty. My calls downstairs weren't answered several times, there were no valet attendants once, no front desk agent once, and check-out took almost 30 minutes. Also a large portion of the staff seemed to be new so we were given incorrect information a few times about various things. There also weren't a ton of dinner options within the Canyons and the hotel transportation doesn't go into Park City.



The stay could have been better, but overall it was a good. I would definitely return because of how great the room was, and I'm sure the service issues will improve as the ski season progresses.

missmelon

spgplat:

Thanks for your review. I have a few questions though...

Were you able to get a definitive answer as to what Diamond breakfast would entail? ($15 pp? Breakfast buffet?) And of course, how was the food?


I assume since you were in a 2 BR suite that it was a paid stay, not a points stay. Was that the room you booked or were there any discernible upgrades?

The hotel transportation then only goes as far as the Canyons?

If anyone else can provide any insight on whether room assignment makes much of a difference at Escala, that'd be great.

Thanks

spgplat21

Food was pretty good, and no I did not get a definitive answer. In the end, the front desk guy was telling me $15/person and only removed the charges after I mentioned that I was told I could order anything. I do think this will get resolved quickly and that it was only a problem because the restaurant was 1 day old when I arrived. Plus I was told the buffet would start soon once occupancy was higher so I'm guessing that will be the answer (buffet or $15/person).

I booked a 2 bedroom suite with cash, so not totally sure about upgrades. The 2 bedroom suite was unbelievable and I think it was still an upgrade because it had to be close to 1500 square feet which is bigger than what the website says for a 2 bedroom suite.

We were told that the hotel shuttle was only within the Canyons.

John45NJ

Hi All -- First Ever FT post so I hope i do this right (still confused about icons, navigation etc).
Just returned from both Escala (Canyons) and St. Regis (Deer Valley). Spent two nights at Escala -- overall feedback is very nice, good location, comfortable rooms. Property is owner/investor units managed by Hyatt so it feels MUCH more like a time share than a full service hotel. Resturant just opened 2 weeks ago -- decent food but a little pricey. Platinum guests get a $20 breakfast credit for either resturant (Buffet is $20) or MarketPlace cafe. There are less than 200 units but dozens of floor plans with mostly 2BR/2BA units incl Kit,LR,Dining area. There are 3 primary buildings in a circle around courtyard but only 2 of 3 allow for indoor access to the main lobby/restaurant without having to go outside.

Positives -- Used points but due to pre-holiday was only able to get a single (lock off) room (was offered a Diamond upgrade to a 2BR but they only had 1 night available). Room was comfortable but because it was the studio vs. the 1BR a bit small for 3 of us. All staff were excellent (especially the valet team that ran the shuttles over to the resturants, lifts, village located just 1-2 min away. Service was all day/all night on demand with great response.

Negatives -- Quiet property -- small bar inside restaurant - not much else. Hotel has a lift right next door (50 yards from lobby) but it was not running due to lack of snow. Hotel Valet will store skis but unlike other ski-in/ski-out properties there is no place to put equipment on/off. Resort also does not have a spa on-site since there are 3 others in Canyons located at Waldorf, WestGate and main lodge at Canyons all 1-2 minutes away.

Hope this helps.....

peteropny

Thank you for your review John45NJ and welcome to Flyertalk and our Hyatt forum!!!

flyingMouseMan

I am a Diamond Hyatt member. In November I had a one day meeting in Park City with my publisher. I had planned on staying in Salt Lake City. On the way up to PC I spotted this Hyatt property and stopped by to see if they had room.

The lobby was sparse and the restaurant/bar area was unfinished. I spoke with the front desk and asked about a room. I was told that only suites were available and was quoted a price -- a bit high but OK. While waiting I checked on line and found that there were non suites available and asked... The young lady quickly looked and found that 'oh, you are right, there are several standard rooms available'. I said, Ok.... I will have one of those.

She said fine and started the reservation process. When I asked why I was being charged a resort fee, she said all rooms paid.
I asked what was included..
Ski storage -- I was on a business trip; no skiing
Breakfast -- No restaurant
Free Valet Parking -- I had no car; my publisher's assistant would be driving.
etc...

To make a long story short, when I spoke to the front desk manager I recounted that I did not intend to avail myself of any of the resort facilities -- Just wanted to have a place to sleep. I was told that the fee was not negotiable. And in fact, all the premium properties in Park City area had gotten together and agreed to make the fee non negotiable. -- Hmm.... all got together to establish a pricing policy among competitors

1. I decided to stay elsewhere
2. This really turned me off for anything to do with this property
3. I believe that this agreement is in fact a variety of price fixing and is in restraint of trade.

------
Subsequently, I discovered a seatmate on a flight out of SLC had encountered the same problem at the same property.

SkiUtah

The resort fees are nothing new at ski hotels. Personally i dont like it but i dont know of any that will let you opt out of them. Its just an expense that use frequent skiiers know to ask about and consider when booking.

In vail or the park hyatt beaver creek for example it is the same in colorado. You cannot opt out even if you want to and are not going to use them. The park hyatt beaver creek charges a huge fee even when the ski area is closed and you get almost nothing out of the fee and actually nothing with status. Park City actually is alot better about parking rates, having other places to park, more reasonable resort fees and actually getting more out of what you are paying then in Colorado generally speaking. Towns like Vail are much worse then park city and really nickle and dime you much worse.

This hotel really is not in the same class as the st regis deer valley or hotel park city but i dont think it tries to be. It is a great hotel for what it advertises. The canyons is a great ski resort right there and there are two nearby world class resorts in the same town for variety. I think a rental car is a nice thing to consider here for longer stays but you can take buses for free into main street and deer valley where much more of the stuff is. I have and will stay here again.

koenpeel

We'll be spending a week over springbreak at the Escala Lodge. (family of 4)
Since we're there to ski it seems like a waste of money to rent a car at SLC and let it sit in the parking garage. (I don't mind taking the shuttle to go out for dinners in Park City.)
Wondering if someone knows if it's convenient to get to a grocery store from this property without having a car? We would like to have a few dinners in the room, since we'll have a 1 bedroom suite with kitchen.

As previous people have asked, does anyone know what the breakfast deal is for diamond members now that the restaurant is open?

It's nice to see they are finally getting some snow, hoping it keeps on coming!

John45NJ

There are several shopping centers with a market, Wal-Mart etc about 1-2 miles from the Canyons entrance near the Interstate (I-80). There is also a small market at the Westgate resort property inside the Canyons just 200-300 yards from the Escala. Because it serves that Condo/Timeshare complex it offers a good selection of provisions for breakfast, lunch & dinner. As a Diamond member who stayed there in December, we were offered a $20pp credit for either the Hyatt marketplace or breakfast (which was equal to the cost of the buffet).

missmelon

Can anyone recommend a view? As far as whether I should request a courtyard facing room or mountain view? I have a 3 night stay beginning next Monday, will report back afterwards!

canyonleo

I live very close to the property. Taking the transportation options to a real grocery store is NOT convenient (multiple buses with a transfer in each direction). A taxi is an option, figure about $25 each way.

One option is to use a private SUV type transfer (for family of four, not too much more expensive than per-person shared van option) for airport transfer, and have the driver stop at Smith (large grocery store right on the way) for your only visit to the large store, and for any other items mid-trip use the smaller shops in the village.

drminn

I spend 4 nights at this hotel just before xmas in 2010. One of the most aggravating stays at any Hyatt ever. Hyatt had just taken over management, nobody knew anything, front desk phone was hardly answered, valet parking took forever (we finally just self-parked). It turned out they had flown in a bunch of trainees from other hotels around the country for the transition, it sounds like the current batch of trainees isn't much better.

I was kind of toying with the idea of going back late in the skiing season, reading this thread nipped that idea right in the butt.