Here’s a report on what I saw in Utah on March 26. I was arriving in town for the Moab Muni Fest, and convinced the other 8 riders in our big van, none of which plans to make it to NAUCC, to drive by the two listed hotels, and the high school.
It was pouring rain, hard. To the point where I was not willing to hop out of the van to take pictures of the locations. Both hotels look just the way they do in pictures on their web sites, not older, dirtier, or more run down.
PRIMARY HOTEL:
Homestead Studio Suites Hotel / Sugarhouse
http://www.homesteadhotels.com/minisite/default.asp?hotelCode=SUG
This place seemed really cheap for what it offers, and I couldn’t find it listed on sites like Hotels.com and Expedia. So I was skeptical. I finally found it listed on some sites, one of which rated it at two stars. I figured you get what you pay for. The Super 8 in Minneapolis last summer was not the greatest place to stay, but the price was right. I’m glad Jacquie and I stayed at the Radisson though.
But I was wrong about the Homestead! The building looks brand new, and very clean. Carol Bricker also told me the place is very nice. I booked my room the other day (you have to call for the NAUCC rate), and the woman on the phone was very helpful and nice. It is not a big hotel, so it will fill up fast. Book it ASAP if you choose to stay there. Again, don’t book it using the web site, you have to call that actual hotel: 801.474.0771
Note: You can also get a king room, but they’re not included in the discount. We got ours for $69.99/night because we’re staying seven days.
The Homestead is also in an area where we noticed at least two fast food restaurants within quick walking distance, and I think many more within a mile or so. There is a park behind the hotel, and Rolf Thompson mentioned something about an underground lava dome cave that’s underwater, and is a popular spot for scuba and snorkel enthusiasts.
Remember, Homestead rooms have full kitchens. This is the only property offering a discount for NAUCC attendees. No pool. Details:
http://home.earthlink.net/~naucc/rooms/hotels.html
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS, AIRPORT:
This property was listed on the site previously, but I think it has been removed. I will mention it anyway, in case people were wondering about it. My experience with Holiday Inn Expresses is that they are consistently very nice places to stay. This one has a pool and spa. But it’s further away than many other hotels, and its airport location is not necessarily near a good choices of restaurants and stores. The Panther Pride group has used Holiday Inn Express hotels in the past, and may have chosen this one based on that. There is a different Holiday Inn Express that’s closer to the venues, so don’t be confused. I do not know if PPDT is still planning to stay at this hotel.
OTHER HOTELS:
There are three general areas in which the hotels are clustered. Downtown, south of downtown (along I-80), and airport. A few others are scattered around and in the south area, but are further away than the rest. The really nice places are probably mostly downtown. This might be nice if you want to tour the downtown area, but could be a problem traffic-wise. I don’t know what kind of traffic Salt Lake City has on a typical business day, but it’s the biggest city in the state. South of downtown is the general area of the Homestead, which seems to be the closest one to Skyline High School (though still several miles away). For easiest transportation, look here. The airport locations are convenient to the airport, but a little farther away than the south-of-downtown hotels.
At this point, if you don’t plan to stay at the Homestead, you might want to contact Carol Bricker or Tom (through the NAUCC web site) to see if they have a recommended secondary location. Also, of course listen to any follow-up messages they send out in this regard. I only passed through briefly, and spent a few hours looking up hotels and their map locations.
SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL:
It’s a big school, with large concrete grandstands at the track. It was still pouring rain when we got there, so I didn’t get a good look at the track. According to my brother-in-law who lives in the area, 1) He recognized the name of the school when I mentioned it, and 2) He said they have a really nice, sunken athletic field. I think our track experience will be very nice. The school is in the back of a neighborhood, but it also viewable from the I-215 freeway as you approach the from the hotel.
I hope you find this information useful!