Grand America Hotel with Kids in Salt Lake City (Review)

With its impressive architecture, luxurious décor, and regal name — you might think the Grand America Hotel caters primarily to adult vacationers. You would be oh-so-very wrong! This upscale hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah goes out of its way to make sure families with children feel welcomed. Child amenities like bottle warmers, toys, and mini robes are available for young guests. What’s more, this luxury is home to incredible pools, kid-friendly teas, and other family-focused fun. Read this review to learn more about what to expect during a stay at the Grand America Hotel with kids!

Outdoor pool at Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah
Outdoor pool at the Grand America Hotel (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

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Fabulous Pools

What do children love more than a fabulous hotel pool? Two fabulous hotel pools! The outdoor pool sits in a regal courtyard and its decadence reminded me of The Great Gatsby. Casual fare and kid-pleasing smoothies can be purchased poolside.

There is an equally stunning indoor pool available for use for a $10 spa fee, or with any spa or salon treatment. Well-behaved kids are welcomed here, too!

The indoor Grand Spa and Salon pool
The indoor Grand Spa and Salon pool (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Grand Spa and Salon

When staying at the Grand America Hotel with kids, your family can enjoy the hotel’s Grand Spa and Salon. Manicures and pedicures can be a hit with kids of all ages and both genders. Tweens and teens can also book a massage with their parent’s permission.

When I asked my 7-year-old daughter, Karissa, what was her favorite part of our vacation in Salt Lake City, it wasn’t our zip-lining at Utah Olympic Park, exploring dinosaur bones the Natural History Museum of Utah, or performing science experiments at Clark Planetarium. Although those were all super fun, her favorite memory was getting mother-daughter pedicures at the Grand America Hotel’s spa. She loved picking out polish colors for both of us — dark purple with a flower on the big toes for her, and light purple with sparkles for me. A pre-pedicure dip in the spa pool was the cherry on top of our fancy spa day experience.

JouJou Toy Store
JouJou Toy Store (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

JouJou Toy Store

The Grand Hotel’s JouJou Toy Store impresses all ages. This unique shop features a multitude of unique old-fashioned and modern toys, toadstool-shaped tables at which to do crafts, a wall of massive candy machines filled with a rainbow of goodies, a talking robot display, and interactive works of art that comes to life when shoppers approach them.

Kid cuisine at Garden Café at Grand Hotel
Kid cuisine at Garden Café at Grand America Hotel (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Fancy Family-friendly Dining

The hotel’s main restaurant, the Garden Café, offers an extensive breakfast buffet. Be sure to try the slightly-sweet, fluffy biscuits topped with salt crystals and served with strawberry cream cheese! For lunch, the café serves a variety of soups, salads and pastas. Refined dinner selections include such items as Harissa Glazed Salmon served with olives, onions, potatoes, and cilantro gremolata. Standard kid-friendly fare is available at all three meals. The outdoor courtyard lined with trees and bright flowers makes a lovely spot to enjoy a meal.

While my daughter and I didn’t get a chance to experience the afternoon tea at the Grand America, the hotel’s fancy-schmancy Gibson Girl Lounge looked like the perfect place to sip tea or raspberry hot chocolate. Afternoon tea service includes strawberries and whipped cream, finger sandwiches, and scones accompanied by clotted cream, jam and lemon curd. Parents can order a glass of bubbly to wash it all down, if they so choose.

Macarons at La Bonne Vie
Macarons at La Bonne Vie (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

La Bonne Vie Sweet Shop

When visiting the Grand America Hotel with kids, the onsite sweets shop is a dream come true. La Bonne Vie offers cupcakes with queen-sized crowns of frosting, pastel-colored French macarons, homemade gelato, chocolate truffles and other candies, and enticing cakes and tarts. After much deliberation, I selected the Lemon Chiffon Torte. Meanwhile, Karissa opted for a scoop of chocolate gelato. Both were delectable.

A beautiful flower arrangement below one of Grand America's many hand-blown chandeliers
A beautiful flower arrangement below one of Grand America’s many hand-blown chandeliers (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Luxury Accommodations for Families

Nothing is overlooked at this Salt Lake City hotel. The fabrics are sumptuous, the flowers are real, and the floors are made of marble or covered with ornate patterned carpeting. Even the rooftops are made of copper and granite, making for an impressive, unobstructed view of the pool courtyard from our room’s balcony.

No less than 23 different color schemes are used in the 775 rooms at the Grand America Hotel. Our room exuded an haute French feel with its buttery yellow with burgundy palate.

For all of its opulence, I always felt at ease at the Grand America Hotel even with an often boisterous, sometimes chocolate-faced child. Pricing is surprisingly reasonable too, especially when compared to other hotels of this caliber.

Luxurious accommodations at the Grand Hotel in Salt Lake City
Luxurious accommodations at the Grand America Hotel (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

The Grand America Hotel made a big impression on my first grader. After a couple of days, she declared, “This is the best hotel ever.” Why? “Because it’s so fancy and they have buffets and that candy store that I love.” Well, kid, I can’t argue with you there.

If you’re looking for luxury Salt Lake City accommodations that welcomes families, you really can’t go wrong with the Grand America Hotel. Read more about his kid-friendly hotel and book your stay via Hotels.com now! For more ideas, take a look at our additional hotel recommendations for families.

It only takes about 40 minutes or so to reach Park City ski town from this hotel. Discover all sorts of winter activities for families in Park City!

Grand America Hotel Review for Families

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Would you like to spend the night at the Grand America hotel with kids? Let us know your comments and questions in the comments below!

A Note from The Travel Mama: The Grand America Hotel hosted our mother-daughter hotel stay for the purpose of this review. I did not receive any monetary compensation related to this story. All opinions are mine, as always.

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4 Comments

  1. What a fabulous looking hotel! I’m pretty sure that my 9 year old would love having a mother/daughter spa treatment too. In fact, our daughters sound a fair bit alike – wherever we have just stayed, eaten or whatever activity we have just finished is always “the best ever”!!

  2. Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah looks like a five star hotel. The pool area and the bed room so amazing and very comfortable! When I go to Utah, I’ll check this hotel out.

    1. Mike – I hope you will check out the Grand America. It is, in fact, the only AAA five diamond hotel in all of Salt Lake City!