Max and I have been to Park City every year for the last 4 years and have always had our eye on the Waldorf Park City property. The time finally came when we had the chance to experience it for ourselves and all we can say is WOW! Read out to find out what you need to know and of course, stay tuned to the end for the COVID-19 Safety rating!

Location: 4/5

The Waldorf Astoria is located on the Canyons side of Park City. Canyons Resort used to be its own ski resort, but Park City acquired the mountain a few years back and integrated it to become the largest ski resort in North America. Canyons is about a 10 minute drive (20 in traffic) to the historic downtown Main Street. Truth be told, Canyons is my favorite part of Park City to ski, thanks to the amazing terrain, typically shorter lines and long groomers. That being said, it’s important to know where the hotel is located since if you do plan to visit the historic downtown, you do need to either drive, take an uber or use the hotel’s complimentary shuttle to do so. The Waldorf is located at the base of the Frostwood gondola, that services the residences and a couple of properties below canyons village. It’s about a 8-10 minute gondola ride from the Orange Bubble lift at the base of Canyons.

While skiers do have to take a secondary lift to access the mountain, the ski valet on property is excellent and it really is not a hinderance at all. Conditions permitting, travelers can also ski all the way to the gondola base, making it almost ski-in.

Lobby & Check in experience: 4.5/5

If you have read our reviews before, you’ll know that we typically find service at mountain resorts to be particularly mediocre. However, this was not the case at the Waldorf. We were greeted instantly by a wonderful bellman and escorted to the front desk. The front desk staff across the board was incredibly kind, genuine and service-minded. The agent provided us with two bottles of Waldorf branded water, a pamphlet containing all the benefits of Hilton Gold members as well as a guide to restaurant hours, the QR code to access the menus and all the information we needed to know about the hotel. She also informed us that housekeeping was operating on a as-requested basis and we were able to request a daily cleaning at our preferred time. She also informed us that the property has partnered with Lysol and told us a bit about what to expect from the COVID-19 protocols. Overall, the check in was thorough, organized and efficient.

The lobby itself is stunning and true to the Waldorf Astoria brand. There are beautiful antique pieces in the lobby, including 150-year-old stags surrounding the lobby fireplace. The fireplace itself is over 300 years old from southern Italy and all the black and white photography in the hotel is taken within a 50-mile radius. We loved these details and feel it is a crucial part of the sense of place one feels at the Waldorf Astoria.

Rooms: 4.5/5

We were checked into a beautiful 1-bedroom suite (#6120), located one level above the lobby. The layout is incredibly unique, offering a massive Viking-outfitted kitchen with a large bar, full living room with fireplace, full bathroom, dining table for four and a sizeable bedroom with a fireplace and an on-suite bathroom.

The kitchen is the focal point of the suite and they did not skimp on the details here. The Viking range and oven is accompanied by a Viking refrigerator and dishwasher, oozing elegance and luxury. The kitchen is large, practically begging guests to cook a gourmet meal with a direct view of the mountain and chair lifts.

A great COVID-19 feature the hotel has implemented is that all dish-ware and utensils are sanitized and left in the dishwasher with a note for guests. While it may seem odd if you weren’t told beforehand, it takes only a brief moment to realize how smart that is. All the guesswork is taken out of wondering if your silverware really was cleaned after the last guest.

The living room features a gas fireplace and large Samsung television, as well as a sleeper sofa that can accommodate additional guests. Off the dining area is a balcony with two chairs and a small table.

The bedroom features a plush king bed with the classic WA insignia sheets as well as a gas fireplace and television. The on-suite, while small, has a jetted tub and full shower. While I do wish the shower head was a rainshower, the bath amenities more than made up for this small detail. Plush spa robes, slippers and spa towels await guests after a long day of skiing or riding.

There is also a washer-dryer stacked in a closet by the entry-way and this was a great addition to the suite. Being able to wash and dry your winter gear after a long, sweaty day is incredibly satisfying. They provide Tide detergent as well for guests to use.

Overall, the room is incredibly comfortable, luxurious and truly is the perfect place to retreat after a day of adventure in Park City.

Service: 4.5/5

The Waldorf Astoria brand is known for its excellent service and the Waldorf in Park City certainly lived up to expectations. The front desk staff were caring, genuinely kind and helpful and we found this to be the case across the entire property. The staff at Powder, the onsite restaurant, were excellent. The waiters, hostesses and bar tenders remembered us each day and greeted us with warmth and hospitality. I will say that the food and beverage department was the most impressive service experience. It is very clear that the employees at both the bar and the restaurant love their jobs and take great pride in their work.

Housekeeping was also timely and well done. While they are not doing turndown during COVID-19, the housekeeping service was professional and efficient. Little touches like leaving two extra laundry detergents since we had used one already show us that they are well trained and have a good eye for detail.

Ski Valet is another area that we really thought excelled on the service front. The Ski Valet was efficient, friendly and go above and beyond to help guests.

Overall, we were very impressed with the service at the hotel and its clear to us that management takes great pride in their skill. With COVID-19 and new protocols, it can be difficult to maintain such a high level of service, and we genuinely felt the guest experience was not hindered by this pandemic.

Dining: 5/5

The property offers one restaurant onsite and it’s exceptional. Powder serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and we can speak very highly of the meals we had on property. We had breakfast twice and dinner in the restaurant one night. There is not one thing I would say needed improvement. Hilton Gold and Diamond get $30 credit for breakfast per room, which will not cover the entire meal, but it will help reduce the cost. I absolutely loved the green smoothie and omlettes and Max could not get enough of the salmon benedict and lemon-blueberry pancakes.

For dinner, we loved everything we tried. The oysters were unique and delicious, the short rib was an exceptional and the scallops were second to none. Powder has an extensive wine list as well as a fantastic seasonal cocktail list (go for the Purple Rain if they have it!) The prices are high, but also incredibly worth it.

The F&B department has also proven that they can get very creative during COVID-19. Chef Shafer, the head chef on property, has designed “Chef’s Kitchen” boxes for guests looking for a chef-curated meal that they can cook in the comfort of their own suites. We received a Filet Mignon kit and we had a blast cooking the curated meal that was accompanied by roasted marble potatoes, brussel sprouts and mushrooms. To be honest, I was a bit nervous to make a mistake on such a beautiful meal, but the instructions were clear and the kit came with everything you needed to complete the meal. We thought this was a very clever way to give guests a unique experience, particularly during this time when many choose to dine in rather than go to a restaurant. The prices for their chef’s kitchen boxes are in line with our expectations, with the Filet Mignon box for two coming in at $100. Other options during our stay were a bolognese pasta with arugula salad at $160 for four servings and a shrimp quesadilla with mango at $100 for 4. It was hard to decide between the three great options, but we went for the most complex just to see if we could master it!

The service, food and beverage quality were unbelievable and we are greatly looking forward to returning. I would 100% say the restaurant is on par with Riverhorse on Main, Park City’s number 1 restaurant many years in a row.

Facilities: 5/5

The Waldorf Astoria Park City offers everything a traveler could want and need out of a winter getaway. The pool area features over an acre with a heated swimming pool, a family-friendly hot tub and an adult’s only hot tub with a fireplace. There are ample lounge chairs as well and we would be excited to see what the pool area is like in the summer.

The spa looks incredible as well with over 16,000 square feet. While we did not have the chance to test it out, we heard great things from other guests.

The Ski Valet is a fantastic feature of the property as well. They not only take your skis to and from the gondola, but they also heat your boots overnight so they are toasty and ready for you the next morning.

The property also offers a complimentary shuttle all day to Park City downtown so guests can go shopping and dine out on Main Street. We also heard from others that at one point they had to shut down the shuttle due to COVID-19, so the property was reimbursing uber rides for the inconvenience. This truly stands out to us as a 5-star experience.

Overall, the facilities are fitting for a 5 star resort in this gorgeous mountain town.

Style: 4.5/5

When we look at style, we look at consistency across the property, how it plays into the comfort and amenities on property and how much it provides a sense of place. Overall, the style at the Waldorf Astoria is not only consistent across the hotel, but its also consistent with the brand itself, exuding classic elegance and luxury. The Waldorf Astoria also provides guests with a true sense of being in a lodge in the mountains, with high end leather furnishings, comfortable styled pillows and wood accents. Overall, we feel the property has done an excellent job across the board.

If there’s one area we wish to see changes in the future, it is simply to modernize some of the electronics such as motorized blinds, master switches for lights and similar features.

Overall: 4.6

Overall, the Waldorf Astoria Park City was everything we dreamed of and more. From delicious meals, excellent service and world-class facilities, we cannot recommend this property enough. We greatly look forward to returning in the future.