SLC’s new towering hotel and its restaurants are now open. Take a photo tour.

The new and long-awaited Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City is open for business.

Invited guests gathered Wednesday for an inaugural soiree held at the 700-room convention center hotel at 170 S. West Temple after a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to cap nearly three years of construction.

The luxury hotel and its curvilinear 26-story tower adjacent to the Salt Palace Convention Center offer stylish interior flourishes and attractions, including two massive ballrooms, a grand lobby with Utah-themed art, three restaurants and a sixth-floor terrace.

Here are a few glimpses from inside the hotel:

Main themes of the hotel’s decor are reflected in its lobby, with an open-design concept and earth tones meant to reflect, the designers say, the city’s active and outdoorsy vibe.

This space in the hotel, a lobby cocktail lounge area called Contribution Lounge, highlights its ground-floor windows opening onto 200 South near the Salt Palace and the sense of vibrancy around it.

The hotel’s lobby restaurant, called The Salt Republic, is styled as an American bistro and is one of two dining spaces, along with a rooftop restaurant called Mar | Muntanya, showcasing cuisine from northern Spain.

The hotel also include The Market, a 24-hour spot for coffee, breakfast sandwiches, wines, local cheese and other grab-and-go fare.

The $337 million hotel — built next to the Salt Palace for easy access — is considered central to recruiting more large conventions to Utah’s capital.

The Hyatt Regency blends modern design with tech-enabled conveniences and 31 separate meeting rooms. Thirty-three of its rooms are luxury suites, with 180-degree views and high-tech features.

The lobby bar is meant as “the spot to meet up after a long day of meetings to enjoy cocktails and shareable plates,” according to Ryan Olivas, executive chef for the hotel.

Oregon-based artist Rachel Denny was commissioned to create what she calls “domestic tributes” to populate the lobby, with life-size depictions of animals native to Utah — including rabbits, foxes and stags.