Staybridge Suites - Salt Lake City, Utah Review

Staybridge Suites

Salt Lake City, Utah

Just when I thought Disney was the only master at providing a wonderful family vacation experience I found myself completely surprised with our time at the Staybridge Suites in West Valley, Utah. From the moment we walked in the staff was friendly, the entire hotel was clean and the longer we were there and I learned about all the amenities they had I was amazed. I'm a bit worried for our future travels as I'm not sure when I will find such a family friendly gem as this place is.

Lets talk location. From where the Staybridge is located it is pretty easy to get around anywhere in Salt Lake City thanks to major freeway entrances that are close by. Down the street in every direction you will find an array of restaurants and shopping areas. I've heard the West Valley area used to not be such a nice area but thanks to some intentional major improvements the area is cleaning up well.

In this review:

·       Hotel Features and Amenities

·       Evaluation of the Studio Room

·       Pros

·       Cons

·       My Verdict

Hotel Features and Amenities

·       Breakfast (and 3 days a week, dinner) are included in the price of the room

·       On nights with dinner served there is free wine and beer

·       There is a heated pool with a water slide and small water play area

·       Free WIFI

·       Basketball courts

·       Movie, book and board game rental area

·       Private movie cinema where you can book the theater and play a movie of your choice for your friends & family. Food and drinks are encouraged. This theater rental is free of charge.

·       The Pantry. A small area that provides sweet treats, food on the go and drinks. This is not a free service but a convenience for sure.

·       A 24 hour business center

·       Self-service laundry facilities that are, get this, FREE of charge. Yes, this was a new one for me and I like it.

·       A fitness center

·       A shuttle service that will take you anywhere within a 3 mile radius for free

·       Free parking

Studio Suite with 1 Queen and 1 Sofa Bed

I love the set up of these suites. It has set a new standard for me as far as family friendly hotels. The room was the perfect size for 2 adults and 2 children. It included a fully equipped kitchen (completely stocked with plates, flatware, glasses etc). There was a full sized refrigerator and stove top that were beyond helpful during our stay. A large desk so I could complete my work but also have room for the kids to color, store extra paperwork and all of my husband's items for his training. The sofa bed was pretty comfortable for being a sofa bed and was directly across from the Queen sized bed so we could comfortably watch TV together but when it was time for the kids to go to sleep we could just swivel the TV towards our bed so the children couldn't see it anymore. The Queen bed was one of the most comfortable mattresses I've ever slept on and the sheets were soft and cozy. For the first time ever, yes ever, I didn't miss my own bed at home. The vanity was separate from the toilet and shower area and provided plenty of room for all of our toiletries to stay on the counter top without having to pack and unpack things every morning. This hotel does a great job of thinking about the little things. When we walked in all of the towels from the kitchen to the bathroom were folded like swans. There was a small bottle of dish soap provided (I usually always have to pack my own). Plenty of stationary, a binder full of things to do and places to eat at in the area that was actually well put together and helpful, enough trash cans throughout the suite, fresh sheets for the sofa bed in the closet cleaned and bagged and I finally found a hotel that provides enough outlets for all of our devices. This suite truly felt like home away from home and the kids would agree. It's a comfortable and affordable place to relax, eat and work from that I think will be hard to beat. 

For images of room layouts click here: Staybridge Suites Layout

Pros

Friendly staff - The staff here is upbeat, happy and helpful. It didn't matter what I needed or when I needed it someone was there helping me with a smile. I never had to ask for anything twice and was even given a tour of the property by a staff member so I knew all the amenities available to me.

Level of child friendliness - We've never stayed at a hotel with basketball courts or a mini water park provided on property and these were great bonuses. I love the in-suite movie rental service and the option to book the movie theater on property privately for your family. Staybridge also provides board games and books to be checked out. There are parks, shopping centers and free splash pads within a reasonable driving distance.

Free self-service laundry facility - When traveling with kids you're bound to have to clean clothes at some point. We usually have to make sure we have plenty of quarters to wash whatever needs to be washed. I love that Staybridge does not charge for the use of their laundry facility.

Meals provided - The food was actually pretty good when we did eat at Staybridge. In the mornings we had an array of breakfast foods to choose from. Everything from cereal to fresh eggs. The dinner menu is found on the refrigerator in your room with a meal plan for that week. Every night a salad was provided with the main meal and free wine and beer is always a plus.

Fast WiFi - I never had to wait for anything to load for very long. The WiFi here is incredibly fast and reliable.

Cleanliness - Staybridge is clean everywhere you look. The grounds are well maintained outside, the lobby and food area are spotless. Our room was always cleaned properly and restocked with everything we needed without having to ask. I had an issue where our floors needed to be vacuumed after the kids had some crackers and staff was there within 5 minutes.

Cons

In-suite bathroom - The bathrooms are a bit small. I have a pretty small frame and barely had enough room to comfortably close the door.

Location - The hotel has a great location as far as how close it is to things of interest; however, it is located directly off a freeway so some rooms can be noisy. A 5 minute drive one way from the hotel seems to put you in a bit of a questionably safe area (although at the hotel itself we all felt very, very safe) but a 5 minute drive the other direction is a nice area.

My Verdict

¨Rooms: 10/10

¨Service: 10/10

¨Food: 9/10

¨Location: 8/10

¨Overall: 10/10