November 2, 2001
SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- The Grand America, Utah's first truly luxury hotel in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City,
provides the most distinctive hotel meeting spaces and the most luxurious combination of amenities in all the Salt
Lake-metro area. Inspired by the world's grand hotels of the past, The Grand America Hotel has the allure of Old
World craftsmanship, charm, and hospitality, with every modern convenience and state-of-the-art networking at your
fingertips.
The Grand America, which will fully open December 1, 2001, has already elicited rave reviews since its soft opening
in March:
"The Grand America is a truly remarkable property," effused William Fullerton III, President & Chief
Executive Officer of The MTI Group of Companies in Las Vegas. "The elegance and authenticity are simply breathtaking.
We have certainly enjoyed our stay as well as all the amenities of the hotel, and that seems to be the nearly unanimous
opinion of our 200 plus attendees. You can be assured that Nancy and I will always be loyal advocates of the Grand
America Hotel."
Another group concurred with the above:
"I just returned home from having our meeting at the Grand America Hotel and it was unbelievable!" said
Marguerita Neubauer, Senior Region Office Coordinator, Genentech, Inc., a leading Biotechnology company. "You
certainly have yourself an awesome facility. You have one of the best properties we have ever stayed at - first
class all the way!"
In all, The Grand America offers 72,500 square feet of richly appointed meeting space. The Grand America Hotel's
crown jewel is the sparkling 24,000 square-foot Grand Ballroom, with a capacity for 3,000 people and well-adorned
in Murano crystal chandeliers. The Grand Ballroom, 6,664 square-foot reception area, and 21 breakout rooms all
have ornate coved ceilings and thick English-wool carpeting. The 13,000 square foot Imperial Ballroom -- plus 4,000
square-foot reception area -- offer equally exquisite facilities for smaller gatherings. Four petite salons suggest
even more intimate digressions, set off from the main ballrooms.
"At the Grand America, our goal is to give each guest - whether an individual or group traveler -- the absolute
best experience we can," states Managing Director Mark Hodgdon. "Even though we have the most luxurious
meeting space in Utah, we will never have more than one large group in the hotel at a time."
The third floor of The Grand America is occupied by 16 meeting rooms (two of which are boardrooms) of various size,
totaling 11,600 square feet of meeting space. The mix of meeting rooms in every size assures that meeting planners
will have access to ideal space combinations for any kind of business, professional or social event.
The Grand America Hotel provides a variety of individually tailored meeting environments to suit the most exacting
standards. With their ultra-modern networking infrastructure, The Grand America's Technology Resource Manager can
set up telephone and video conferencing, create a private local area network (LAN) between computers in different
rooms and the hotel's workstation, and can synchronize the audio-visual systems of any rooms in the hotel. Both
ballrooms have large projection screens (15' x 20' and 12' x 16' respectively) and new projectors, as do all the
meeting and boardrooms. High-speed T1 Internet lines connect the entire hotel, assuring safe downloads and uploads
of large files, and protecting the security of information. The business center is equipped with fax machines,
copiers and computers, and can provide temporary secretarial work from The Grand America' s multilingual staff.
The Grand America and Little America Hotels have been chosen to be the headquarters of the International Olympic
Committee and NBC television network during the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Views from the 24-story Hotel Tower display the splendor of the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains, the beautiful Salt
Lake Valley below, and the world-famous Great Salt Lake. Pavilion suites have private balconies overlooking lovely
landscaped terraces and a sparkling swimming pool. Opulent suites feature welcoming foyers, graceful French doors
leading to the bedroom, wonderfully thick English wool carpeting underfoot, and extravagantly appointed Italian
marble bathrooms. The Grand America Hotel rooms are unequalled in spaciousness, the comforts of Old World elegance
and down-to-earth conveniences: sumptuous linens, plush robes, hand-made French furniture, rich tapestries, lush
brocades, two-line phones, safes and ironing amenities.
In addition to world-renowned ski resorts and the 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake offers all the attractions of
a big city. Home to Ballet West, the Utah Opera Company, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Salt Lake supports a
full range of artistic and cultural attractions. The University of Utah is one of Utah's largest and most successful
institutions of higher learning. Salt Lake also has a wealth of restaurants with diverse cuisine from around the
world, dance and jazz clubs, bars and microbreweries, and a nightlife fueled by fun-loving snowboarders, skiers,
and other Salt Lake denizens.
Located at 555 South Main Street, The Grand America Hotel stands conveniently close to major shopping areas including
Nordstrom, sports arenas like the Delta Center of the Utah Jazz NBA basketball team, and numerous downtown businesses.
It is within a fare-free zone for TRAX, Salt Lake City's new light rail system, providing speedy three-minute transfers
throughout the downtown area.
The Grand America Hotel is a member of the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World. Grand America and the Little
America Hotel are part of the collection of hotels and resorts owned by Earl Holding. The collection features Sun
Valley Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho, selected by readers of SKI magazine as the nation's top ski facility for the
second time in 1999; Snowbasin Ski Resort just outside Salt Lake City, which will be the site of the 2002 Olympic
Downhill and Super G Races; The Westgate Hotel in San Diego; and Little America properties in Arizona and Wyoming.
For reservations and information, call 1-800-621-4505, or visit the Web site at www.grandamerica.com.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
The Grand America: Rebecca Cecil Rcecil@grandamerica.com (801) 596-5803 Sheila Donnelly & Associates: Diana Moody - Los Angeles (310) 838-9220 diana@sheiladonnelly.com