Ryan F.
Yelp
First a quick overview - The Snowbird Inn is technically a condominium building where owners sublet their units, but you can snag any type of room, ranging from a typical-looking "hotel room" all the way to a three-bedroom apartment. Walking the halls during the morning housekeeping sweep, we scoped out a variety of setups and interior modifications (different wall paint, furniture, stainless appliances, granite counters etc.) The Inn is the only property within the Snowbird resort area with no restaurant or bar, and with a lack of a "town" otherwise, your only food options will have you leaving the building. They have a year-round outdoor pool and hot tub, steam room, sauna, changing facilities, and a ski locker room.
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Comparing to Alta, with its rustic, cozy mountain feel there, I was a bit nervous checking into the Snowbird Inn - one of four hotel/resorts that comprise the Snowbird Resort property. Despite the upscale feel around the property however, Snowbird staff in general are super friendly and accommodating, and the Snowbird Inn was no exception!
We arrived at the Inn early Monday morning, dropped our bags off, changed into our ski gear, and went off to Alta for the day (about a five-minute drive up the road). Although not the norm, they offered us a ride over to Alta in their resort Suburban, dropping us off at the historic Goldminer's Daughter Lodge where we started our ski day.
After skiing and taking the free UTA bus back to Snowbird, we checked in Monday night with Barbara, who was as kind as could be. Barbara whipped out a resort map and showed us the lay of the land, consisting of the "Ski Center" and four different hotels/resorts, all within walking distance. Each hotel offers a restaurant or bar (or in the case of the Cliff Lodge, several) with different-themed cuisines at each. She made food recommendations and happily pointed out the après ski spots, based on the "scene" we were looking for. Come evening, she summoned the shuttle to give us a ride over to the Cliff Lodge, where we grabbed dinner and drinks. The next morning, she was behind the desk (she promised us she got some rest!) greeting both of us by name before offering us a copy of the New York Times.
As mentioned before, the Inn has a year-round outdoor pool and hot tub, which we immediately hit after our first day out! The hot tub is big enough to hold 6-8 comfortably and the pool is perfect for when you're too hot (yes, that can happen even in the dead of winter!) or want to swim some laps to loosen up.
After checking out of the Inn Tuesday morning, staff were happy to hang onto our bags and offer up their showers and changing facilities so we could ski Snowbird, then freshen up before heading back to Salt Lake City that evening. Most hotels are happy to accommodate their guests like this, but the Snowbird Inn is one of those friendly places where you don't feel funny asking. Overall, we had a phenomenal visit to the Little Cottonwood Canyon area, and we're glad we stayed on the Snowbird property - I'll definitely be back!