The St. Regis is OPEN!
Today's crisp winter temperatures made a perfect backdrop for the warm and welcoming grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony at the St. Regis Deer Crest. For several years now, Park City locals and visitors alike have watched the St. Regis slowly grow before their eyes - skiing by its initial building pad slopeside at Deer Valley Resort, watching the scaffolding and the cranes, and wondering what the heck that thing was growing out of the parking lot next to Snow Park Lodge (a funicular!)
Today was the day we got to take a peek inside and celebrate the fact that the St. Regis is officially open and ready for guests. White gloved butlers attended to guests' every need. A harpist in a red dress serenaded guests in front of the dazzling 6,000-bottle wine vault. The views from the very airy, very open layout of the hotel show off our mountains and trees and sky. Champagne and wine were served with delicious appetizers and pastries from the J&G Grill, Utah's first Jean-Georges restaurant. Jean-Georges himself (who is known mostly for his New York City restaurants, earning an unprecedented 20 stars from The New York Times for his restaurants there, plus six Michelin stars and three major awards from the James Beard Foundation) was happy to speak with guests and excited about his new endeavor here in Utah. "It's the biggest kitchen I've ever worked in!" he exclaimed about the exhibition kitchen that makes the centerpiece of the dining room. Jean-Georges was proud of the fact that local stones and woods were used in the restaurant's design (walls are made of layered gray quartz; bread is served on polished slabs of local wood, for example) and he says that about 30 percent of the menu will derive from local artisan sources. The menu looks like it has something for everyone, from gourmet pizzas to organic salads to meat and fish dishes. If the pear and Camembert, mozzarella and pineapple with basil and ahi tuna appetizers I sampled are any clue as to the delicious factor of Jean-Georges' cuisine, we're in for a treat, people.
Even though the St. Regis is an internationally-lauded "brand" of luxury hotels and even though most Park City locals aren't going to have the budget to stay there, the lovely thing is, the hotel and its amenities are open to the public. We can ski down from Deer Valley and stop on the sunny deck or ski beach at St. Regis, sit by the 40-foot long Fire Garden (like an uber fire pit) and have a drink. We can frequent the restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, or attend high tea in the cozy library (Tea price is about $38 and a kids' tea complete with peanut butter and jelly tea sandwiches is only $15). Riding the funicular (the only entry to the St. Regis from the street) is a fun adventure in itself - just a 90-second ride up a smooth 500 feet, the funicular whisks up to 15 people at a time into the luxurious lap of the hotel.
We live in a town with a lot of beautiful properties. And this year in particular, we've added several internationally-known brands to our local mix. At times, it's hard to keep track of them all. But now the St. Regis is open - you can touch it, feel it, visit it and enjoy it. Developers at the event today all talked about how they wanted to be a true partner in the local community and plan to be involved on many levels. The St. Regis truly is simply lovely and a place lots of us are going to want to frequent, whether for tea with the kids, an après-ski beverage by the fire, or a hot cocoa in the library. Stop by and take a look. Park City is proud to have such a property to call our own.
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Kristen Gould Case is editor of Park City Magazine and a freelance writer who publishes nationally. Weaned on the blue ice slopes of New England, she moved to Park City 25 years ago and hasn't looked back.
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