Abby takes us along on her reader success story to Deer Valley, Utah, where her family had an unbelievable ski trip.  We love hearing how our readers use their points and miles!

 

Points and Miles to Deer Valley, Utah 

After reading all of the blogs and listening to the podcasts, I jumped feet first into this hobby in February 2024. The goal was to take my family of five to Hawaii this summer, which we have booked for June. But by getting my P2 on board, we had enough points not only for the Hawaii trip, but also for several small weekend trips this fall and a big spring break trip with our youngest to Deer Valley, which we just returned from.

We flew Southwest® out of Dallas for 53,284 points plus a Companion Pass (cash value $1,041). Lodging was at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, which runs $847 a night, so it was a great value for four nights, at 116,000 points (cash value $3,428). We rented a car through Chase Travel℠. I know this is not a great value, but with the expense of lift tickets and ski rentals, I wanted to cut costs as much as possible. We did a four-day car rental for 25,974 Ultimate Rewards® (cash value $389.62). 

 

 

We did have a Guest of Honor award that we applied to the hotel, which saved us a lot of money. Parking is valet-only and $50 a day. We also had the free breakfast buffet each morning which ran $36 per person. The GOH award saved us $200 in parking and $472 in breakfast during our stay, so it was a great use of that award. 

 

Review of Grand Hyatt Deer Valley 

Deer Valley is undergoing a huge expansion, and the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley is the first hotel to open in East Deer Valley. It opened in November of 2024, and I was a bit nervous as I had read mixed reviews about the location, construction, and service. But we loved it and had a fabulous time. After conducting some research on the shuttle schedule (which runs to downtown Park City every two hours) and the hotel’s dining options, I felt that we needed to rent a car, which proved to be a great decision. 

The staff at the hotel were very kind and accommodating. Our flight arrived early, and we were prepared just to explore the town before we thought we could check in. But I called the hotel, and they said that our room was ready, allowing us to check in three hours early at 1:00 pm. I sent an email before our trip stating that we were celebrating my son’s birthday, and the staff had provided a tray of treats and a birthday card for him in the room when we checked into the hotel. We had a double-queen room, which had plenty of space, a Nespresso coffee machine, a small refrigerator, and robes that we could wear to the hot tub. 

 

 

The hotel has a heated pool, three hot tubs, and multiple fire pits overlooking the mountains. The outdoor space was beautiful and impressive. They also had a very nice gym that my husband used, as well as a couple of gift shops. One of the gift shops allows guests to print lift tickets and ski school tickets, which was a huge time saver. You could print your tickets from the hotel the day before and be ready to jump on the lift first thing in the morning. 

 

 

Skiing at Deer Valley

The Grand Hyatt has Ski Butlers, which is an onsite ski rental service. It is very convenient since it’s right at the hotel, but it is pricey. Since we had a car, we decided to rent our skis in downtown Park City for about a third of the price of renting at the hotel. The hotel allowed us to store our skis in their Ski Butlers facility, though, which was amazing. We would pick up our skis downstairs each day, then jump on the shuttle, which was a two-minute open-air ride to the newly opened Keetley Express lift. Once construction is complete, I imagine you will no longer need the shuttle. It is very close to the lift, but the shuttle took us around the ongoing construction.

 

 

 

All About Food

Since we had a GOH award applied to our reservation, we had breakfast at Remington Hall, the Grand Hyatt’s main restaurant, each morning. We had the option to order off the menu or choose the breakfast buffet. The menu was limited, so we chose the buffet each morning, and it was delicious. They offered eggs, bacon, sausage, a rotating sweet option (including bread pudding, French toast, and pancakes), a custom omelet station, salmon, assorted bakery items, and much more. We typically ate a large breakfast and then relied on protein bars and snacks on the mountain to save on lunch costs. 

We went to dinner in Park City several nights, but we did have one hotel dinner at the Lounge at Remington Hall on a night that we were too tired to venture to town. My son had a burger, my husband had the chicken sandwich, and I had the spicy rigatoni. It was a casual atmosphere, and we were all happy with our meals. 

The highlight of the hotel’s dining experience was their “High Chocolate” offering, served daily from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. It was like going to “high tea” but with gourmet hot chocolate, tiered trays of pastries and treats served in The Living Room by the grand fireplace with a pianist playing music. This sells out quickly, so make a reservation several weeks in advance if you’re interested. 

 

 

 

 

Bottom Line

The Grand Hyatt Deer Valley is in an area that is undergoing a lot of construction. It is the first hotel in East Deer Valley, so restaurants and other hotels have not been built in the area. It is about a 15-minute drive to restaurants, but we were aware of this and it did not impact our trip at all. The beautiful hotel, ski-in ski-out access, and great staff more than made up for the construction and limited dining options. We had an amazing time and can’t wait to go back.

Thanks, Abby, for your reader success story to Deer Valley!

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