Is Salt Lake City boring? Yes. But the problem isn’t what most people think. The problem is … The Grand America Hotel.
Salt Lake City’s only premier hotel, The Grand America is literally the only place celebrities and athletes stay when they visit the city. It’s been that way since the hotel was built in 2001. Here in Salt Lake City, there’s no Ritz, Four Seasons, Omni or Mandarin. Grand America is the closest thing.
Despite the fancy and frills that Grand America offers, it’s in an absolutely terrible location – six enormous blocks from the heart of downtown. It’s nowhere near any high-end restaurants or clubs that a celebrity could walk to in relative anonymity.
As someone who has been to every NBA city, I can assure you that Salt Lake City has everything that cities like Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, and San Antonio have to offer. There are plenty of premier restaurants and even a fair amount of nightclubs – but they’re spread out across a very unwalkable downtown area.
If you’re a celebrity, stuck in a hotel room on 600 S. West Temple, surrounded by parking lots, and not wanting to be mobbed by people as you wait for a taxi or Uber, Salt Lake City is going to seem very boring!
Brad Ball, Salt Lake City