Hotel Review: The St. Regis Deer Valley

Overview of The St. Regis Deer Valley

The St. Regis Deer Valley is a luxurious five-star hotel located in Park City, Utah. It’s a ski-in/ski-out property located on the slopes of the Deer Valley Resort in the Wasatch Mountains.

The St. Regis Deer Valley has 181 rooms and suites that feature a distinct mountain-lodge decor. Its mountainside location makes it a picturesque destination year-round.

My husband and I chose this property for our wedding anniversary. We live in Salt Lake City, just a 40-minute drive to the hotel, so we treated this trip like a staycation and booked one night.

How I Booked The St. Regis Deer Valley

Marriott implements dynamic pricing to its award nights, and rates at the St. Regis Deer Valley fluctuate from 90,000 to 138,000 Bonvoy points per night.

Because our stay was in the fall, the night of our anniversary date was going for 92,000 Bonvoy points. We chose to redeem a Marriott free night certificate worth up to 85,000 points—earned with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card — plus an additional 7,000 Marriott points from my husband’s Bonvoy account to cover our stay in a Deluxe, 1 King, Valley View room.

Nightly cash rates at this property fluctuate between $420 to $1,299 in the off-season. The annual fee on my husband’s Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card was billed at $450 at the grandfathered rate (it’s $650 now, see rates & fees), so we felt pretty good about this redemption.

If you have Marriott certificates to burn, remember that you can add up to 15,000 Bonvoy points to a free night certificate to increase its value. So, the highest you can go with the annual free night award earned with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a room that requires no more than 100,000 Bonvoy points to book.

Of course, you also can redeem Bonvoy points outright. Remember that if you redeem enough points to cover four nights, you get the fifth night free. However, this can get pricey really quickly at this resort.

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points by holding the following credit cards:

• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

Keep in mind that co-branded Marriott cards fall under restrictions that can prevent you from earning welcome offers on multiple cards.

Keep in mind that co-branded Marriott cards fall under restrictions that can prevent you from earning welcome offers on multiple cards.

The St. Regis Deer Valley Location

The St. Regis Deer Valley is located in Park City at 2300 Deer Valley Drive. If you fly into Salt Lake City, the property is 38 miles away, or a 50-minute-long car ride.

The hotel’s location at the Deer Valley Resort is incredibly scenic. Perched atop a mountain, you need to take a funicular 500 vertical feet up from the lower resort building to the St. Regis upper resort building where the lobby is. You also can reach the main entrance located at 2300 Deer Crest Estates Drive by car, where you’ll be greeted by one of the valets.

The St. Regis is also within 2 miles of Park City’s Main Street, a popular area with shops and restaurants.

Best Parts of The St. Regis Deer Valley

The St. Regis Funicular

As mentioned, the funicular lift is a pretty unique part of the overall luxurious experience. The St. Regis Deer Valley is the only North American ski resort that has a funicular, so this alone makes it exclusive.

The funicular has two cars, both of which operate on demand. If the funicular isn’t there, just push a button, and one of the cars will collect you and your luggage swiftly. It takes less than 90 seconds to travel between the lower and the upper part of the St. Regis complex. Needless to say, the views from the panoramic windows are quite nice as well.

The Attentive Service

I have to say that the attention we got from the staff was impeccable. Everyone from the front desk staff to the butler and the chauffeur made sure to congratulate us with our anniversary and make us feel special.

The St. Regis Deer Valley Drawbacks

To be honest, I can’t think of any major drawbacks. It was an excellent stay, and I have no complaints.

Getting to The St. Regis Deer Valley

As I mentioned earlier, my husband and I drove to Park City from Salt Lake City in our own car and parked at the lower entrance by the funicular. It’s worth noting that this specific parking lot doesn’t offer overnight parking, but we didn’t have any unwelcome surprises when we returned to the car the next day. Your experience may vary.

You also can enter the upper part of the resort via the Jordanelle gatehouse located at 2300 Deer Crest Estates Drive. Valet parking here costs $50 per day.

Check-In

Check-in at The St. Regis Deer Valley begins at 4 p.m. We arrived on the dot, took the funicular to the upper building and walked up to the front desk. A staff member acknowledged us immediately and welcomed us to the property.

She recognized my husband’s Platinum Elite status (which is a perk of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card) and asked which welcome amenity we prefer: 1,000 points or $50 breakfast credit. We chose the breakfast credit.

The front desk clerk told us that we got upgraded to a Luxury Suite with a view of the slopes and provided a welcome letter that explains in great detail the resort’s amenities, activities, restaurants, rituals and resort fees. The clerk also asked whether we were celebrating anything, and we shared that it was our anniversary, so they told us they’d send complimentary Champagne to the room.

We inquired about a late checkout and were granted a 2 p.m. checkout on the spot. The gal rekeyed our room cards immediately, and off we went to our beautiful suite on the fifth floor.

The Room at The St. Regis Deer Valley

The Comfort of the Room

The luxury suite was, no doubt, one of the most gorgeous hotel rooms I’ve ever stayed in. It featured a large kitchen with an island, a living area, a huge bedroom and a nice bathroom. The suite was beautifully decorated in a mountain lodge style.

The bedroom included a comfortable king-size bed, two night stands, a work desk and one chair, a love seat with a coffee table adorned with animal hides, a dresser, a TV and a fireplace.

The living room had a couch, another fireplace and a large TV. A small dining table, two chairs and a booth were placed across the kitchen island.

Our suite also had a patio with two chairs facing the mountain slope.

The Bathroom

The bathroom was of good size and had a double vanity, a tub, a walk-in shower and a toilet. The shower had a fixed shower head, a handheld shower head and a rain shower hand. Plenty of towels were available—certainly more than enough for one night.

For toiletries, we had REN soap, REN face cleansing gel and Sodashi body lotion. In the shower, Sodashi shower gel and Sachajuan shampoo and conditioner were available. The tub had a small Sodashi cleansing bar and a lavender bath pouch placed on the rack.

We also had another half-bath with just a toilet and a vanity located near the kitchen.

Room Amenities

A welcome amenity consisting of two complimentary San Pellegrino sparkling water bottles and a sweets plate was in the room when we arrived.

The kitchen had a Nespresso coffee machine, two still water bottles, a dozen single-serve coffee capsules and tea pouches.

The kitchen was equipped with all kinds of pots and pans, cutlery, glassware, a toaster, an oven and even an ice drawer.

I found a bathrobe (the second one was hanging in the bathroom) and two pairs of soft slippers, an iron and an ironing board, several silk and wooden hangers, a safe and a humidifier in a small closet.

Even though I live in Utah, I’m sensitive to the altitude. The Deer Valley elevation is much higher than that in Salt Lake City, so I appreciated having a humidifier in the room.

St. Regis Butler Service

Because we were upgraded to a suite, we also were upgraded to the butler service. All suites at the St. Regis come with butler service, and about 15 minutes after checking in, we heard a knock on the door. We thought it was the Champagne arriving from the front desk, but it was a butler who came by to introduce himself and to ask whether we needed anything, like clothes pressing services.

My husband had thrown into his bag a dress shirt that he was going to iron himself, but with the butler being an option, he gave the shirt to him.

The butler was friendly, and we chatted with him for a while. He was a university student from North Macedonia who was on a J-1 visa that allows international visitors to participate in temporary work and travel programs in the United States. This kind of temporary employment is common in the hospitality and service industries across the country.

Our new friend mentioned that he was going to perform a Champagne sabering ritual in the hotel lobby at 6:30 p.m., so we told him we wouldn’t miss it because it was our anniversary. He then said he’d be happy to do a private sabering right in our room. We couldn’t say no to that, and in less than an hour, a cold bottle of Champagne appeared in our room and so did our butler with a sharp sword. What could go wrong?

The butler explained to my husband how to perform a successful sabering ritual, and the next thing I knew, a cork flew across the kitchen, and we had a freshly sabered bottle of Champagne to drink, fingers intact.

We still came down to watch the actual sabering ritual in the lobby, and when we came back to our room, a second bottle of Champagne appeared on the kitchen island—this one was compliments of the front desk staff.

Food and Drink

As mentioned before, a breakfast credit of $50 was offered as a welcome amenity option to Platinum Elite (and above) members of the Bonvoy program, which we chose instead of the points, and we didn’t regret it.

Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at RIME, a traditional American restaurant with a seasonally inspired menu. The dining room was huge with indoor and outdoor areas, but we chose to sit indoors.

The breakfast dishes were served à la carte. I ordered eggs benedict, and my husband got chilaquiles. We also received a complimentary fruit plate from the kitchen. Beverages listed on the menu included freshly squeezed juices, smoothies and nitro cold brew.

The breakfast was tasty, and even though we went a little over the $50, fully expecting to see the difference on the folio at checkout, the entire breakfast was comped for some reason.

Several other bars and restaurants are available on site: Brasserie 7452, The St. Regis Bar, La Stellina and The St. Regis Wine Vault, but we didn’t try any. Instead, we opted to go out to High West Saloon in downtown Park City for dinner.

Room service is also available at The St. Regis Deer Valley 24/7.

Amenities

The outdoor heated pool is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Since we had a late checkout, we went to the pool after breakfast and enjoyed it for a couple of hours before going home. One of the two hot tubs wasn’t working, but the pool and the pool deck were quite nice.

The St. Regis Deer Valley has an on-site spa, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The fitness center is open 24/7, but I didn’t step foot in it. There are complimentary yoga classes every morning (at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday and at 8 a.m. on Sunday), but I didn’t go to those, either. Paid yoga sessions are also available later in the day for $50 per guest.

The Topgolf Swing Suite that features two golf simulator bays with 18-hole courses is available by reservation only between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Up to eight guests can reserve each bay for business meetings, team-building events and birthday parties.

Resort Fee

The St. Regis Deer Valley charges a $50 resort fee, which includes the following services.

S’mores

A s’mores ritual was slated to take place in the lobby from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., but it was actually held on the outdoor patio during our stay. It seemed like we were the only guests by the firepits, so we each made one s’more and went back to our room.

Champagne Sabering

As I mentioned earlier, a sabering ritual takes place in the main lobby at 6:30 p.m. every evening. You get to see how and why the sabering of a bottle is done, and everyone gets free Champagne. What’s not to love?

Resort Transportation

The St. Regis Deer Valley is kind of secluded, so the resort provides complimentary transportation within a 5-mile radius of the property, which basically goes as far as Park City’s Main Street. We ordered a ride through the St. Regis Chauffeur app, and a driver took us to High West Saloon for dinner and back to the hotel.

On the way back, the driver had heard from other guests that it was our anniversary and offered to send us yet another bottle of Champagne, but since we’d already received two, we politely declined.

The chauffeur service is available daily between 8 a.m. and 10:45 p.m. If you’re going to leave the resort without a car, allow yourself up to an hour during peak times. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait that long for a ride in either direction.

Service

Everyone, including the front desk staff, butler, chauffeur and pool attendant we chatted with, were super friendly and polite. The amount of attention we received for our wedding anniversary was astounding, so, of course, it didn’t go unnoticed and made our day extra special.

Final Thoughts on The St. Regis Deer Valley

Overall, my husband and I enjoyed our one-night stay at The St. Regis Deer Valley in Park City. The room was incredible; the service was attentive; and the amenities were worth writing home about. The private sabering alone was memorable, and now we both know a neat party trick (and how to do it safely).

The redemption rates at this property are high, but having a Marriott free night certificate handy and the option to top it off made our anniversary remarkable. None of this would be possible without rewards credit cards.