By Darrell Kirby | [email protected]

As Utah becomes an increasingly popular travel and tourism destination, West Valley City hopes to attract some of those visitors with the construction of its newest hotel.

The global hotel chain Marriott International is building a SpringHill Suites on a section of sparsely used parking lot on the east side of Valley Fair Mall.

Next to Interstate 215, the five-floor, 133-room hotel is scheduled to open in November.

For West Valley City, the hotel marks the latest effort to create a true downtown area that includes Valley Fair and its 150 stores and restaurants, city hall, Fairbourne Station, UTA’s bus and TRAX station, and multi-family housing.  

Casey Bulkley, general manager of Valley Fair for retail management company Vestar, says SpringHill Suites and the shopping complex will benefit each other. The hotel will cater primarily to business travelers who will “be here a few days and they’re going to spend some money and they’re looking for stuff to do” which makes Valley Fair's dining, entertainment and shopping options attractive, he said.

I-215’s nearly direct access to the airport makes SpringHill Suites’ West Valley City location ideal, Bulkley said. “There’s a lot of people who come to town that may not be doing business downtown (Salt Lake City). There’s a lot of business happening in West Valley.”

Utah Hotel and Lodging Association executive director Jordan Garn agrees SpringHill Suites is better suited to visitors here on business than vacationers, considering its mid-block location on limited-access, one-way 2400 South behind Valley Fair.

“Marriott (has its own) reservation system so a lot of business will be pushed to the hotel via that which makes them less dependent on a highly visible, highly accessible location because those that are coming there have already booked their stay,” Garn said.

Garn says SpringHill Suites in West Valley is a welcome addition to the area’s available hotel rooms. “The supply is at least catching up with the demand,” he said. “It’s a testament to Utah as a state being more and more of a destination both for leisure and business travel and that’s why we’ve seen so much investment” in new lodging.

There are more than 400 SpringHill Suites in the United States and Canada. The closest ones are in Salt Lake City, which has three, and South Jordan.

SpringHill Suites features rooms that are more spacious than average hotel units with separate areas for working, relaxing and sleeping, and “spa-like” bathrooms. Each location has a fitness center and a 24-hour market offering food and essential personal-care items.