As snow-topped mountains and icy streams gave way to red canyons and flowing brooks on the train from Colorado to Utah, I knew Salt Lake City must be close.
In January 2025, I traveled from my residence in New York City to the American Southwest, anywhere I spent three days in Salt Lake City for the archetypal time, as fine as the nearby towns of Park City and Draper.
The city and its surrounding areas are renowned for their high-end ski scene, thriving tech hub, and affluent residents.
I expected to discover luxury hotels and homes, energetic slopes, and tech offices alongside startup vibes.
I established all that — but there were nine aspects of my trip I didn't see coming.
I traveled by train from Denver to Salt Lake City and was entirely in awe of the views.
My trip began alongside a escape from my residence in NYC to Denver, anywhere I boarded a 15-hour Amtrak train to Salt Lake City.
It wasn't my first overnight Amtrak train ride. In 2021, I took a 30-hour journey from NYC to Miami, and another 30-hour journey home. The biggest difference between these rides was the views.
In 2021, I had decent views of the East Coast, from towns to shorelines. But the sights between Colorado and Utah were on another level. I rode through Rocky Mountain National Park and watched the snow-capped timber landscape provision way to red rocks and canyons as the train made its way to my destination.
This was my archetypal period on a train alongside an study car.
While I rode to Miami on a one-story Amtrak Viewliner train, my Amtrak trip to Salt Lake City was on the California Zephyr, a double-decker Superliner train.
On board, I was amazed and enthusiastic to discover a common car on the top flat designated for sightseeing since the Viewliner didn't have one. The car had two rows of windows and an gathering of seating options, specified as booths and swivel chairs.
While booking my trip, I was amazed to discover that Salt Lake City didn't have many five-star hotels.
Most important cities I sojourn have an gathering of luxury accommodations, so whenever booking my trip to Salt Lake City, I was shocked to discover lone a brace of five-star hotels.
I selected the Grand America Hotel — the city's archetypal five-star hotel, built in 2001 to assist the 2002 Olympics.
The inn has been known for hosting A-listers since it opened. While inn representatives declined to disclose any community fig visitant names, one told Business Insider that Grand America had hosted visiting NBA teams.
The Grand America Hotel was additionally listed in the top 40 hotels in the earth in CN Traveler's 2024 Reader's Choice Awards.
I couldn't accept how luxurious my area was for $340 a night.
I spent one night in an executive suite alongside a king-size bed. The area has a basis charge of $340, although Business Insider received a media charge for the one-night stay.
The inn was as lavish as many I've booked in the $500-$1,000-a-night range. My area was 880 quadrate feet, alongside a living room, a bedroom, and a Juliet balcony. The suite felt additional luxurious alongside a roomy marble washroom and thick, cozy satin-lined robes hanging in the walk-in closet.
After a night in Salt Lake City, I headed to Draper, a nearby suburb I didn't acknowledge was a thriving tech hub.
Salt Lake City is the city of the Silicon Slopes, a area of Utah known for endeavor and tech that additionally includes Park City and surrounding suburbs specified as Draper and Provo.
I expected most of the tech environment to be in the big city. But I established that the nearby suburb of Draper had created a booming tech community. I visited a ample construction that served as offices and a coworking area for multiple companies, giving techies the chance to network daily.
I was amazed by all the fun activities inner tech offices.
I got personal tours of two companies inner the construction — Bamboo HR and Pluralsight (Pluralsight moved its agency to Texas in August 2025). The offices were contemporary and sleek, alongside intentional color palettes and cozy seats, as I'd anticipate from any tech office.
Work aside, these spaces had activities for breaks that would create it difficult for me to get rear to my tasks — pickleball, rentable bikes for trail riding accessible from the property, and, most amazingly to me, an indoor athletics simulator.
That afternoon, I headed from Draper to Park City, anywhere I wasn't expecting to discover luxury accommodation apparent from downtown.
In most affluent towns I visit, luxury accommodation is dispersed out on the outskirts, distant from the community eye.
I established that was the case for most of Park City, too.
In the downtown area, however, I spotted many contemporary and high-end homes layered among older houses on hilltops overlooking the streets. I was amazed and delighted by the idea of living in a luxury mansion in a walkable neighborhood.
In the identical area, I was shocked whenever a skier was lifted a few feet complete my head.
I knew Park City was known for skiing, but I didn't anticipate to see an energetic ski lift nearly at arm's dimension during strolling through the downtown area.
It made awareness whenever I learned that this part of Park City sits between two important ski hubs — Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort.
Park City had community amenities I don't frequently see in New York, specified as bathrooms and electric firepits in courtyards.
New York City has community bathrooms, but in my experience, finding one frequently becomes an unwanted adventure.
So, I didn't anticipate to see a vibrant sign pointing to one in downtown Park City. I didn't go inside, but all the community restrooms in Park City that I saw on Google Maps had five-star ratings.
I additionally established heated electric firepits surrounded by benches in courtyards between stores and restaurants.
The amazing parts of my trip remaining me alongside a fuller image of Salt Lake City and its surrounding areas. Now I desire to go back.
From Salt Lake City's affordable luxury stays to the unexpected amenities in nearby Park City, these unanticipated delights made me certain I'll come back to the Silicon Slopes.
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Joey Hadden is a journey newsman and photojournalist at Business Insider based in NYC. She covers transport modes, substitute lifestyles, and luxury travel. Many of Joey's stories are ocular features that provision readers a front-row place to her individual experiences at residence and about the world.Joey graduated from St. Edward's University in May 2019 alongside a BA in Photocommunications. Since joining Business Insider in 2019, Joey has traveled by train in seven distinct countries, including overnight rides enduring up to 53 hours. She's ridden on many distinct train lines, including Amtrak, Via Rail, Nightjet, and the iconic Orient Express of the 21st century, among others. During her travels, she's slept in countless accommodations — five-star hotels, unique small homes, and personal train cabins, to name a few.When traveling in North America, Joey takes readers inner the continent's wealthiest enclaves anywhere billionaires conceal away, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to Medina, Washington. When she's not taking trains, notes, or pictures, Joey spends her period chanting and playing drums for the indie-rock collection Blanket Approval.
