Salt Lake City—Vestar – a leading, privately held shopping center owner and manager in the western United States – and The Athens Group – a luxury development company creating generational hospitality assets, announced today they recently topped off construction on Salt Lake City’s newest hotel, Asher Adams. Located within the Vestar-owned center, The Gateway, Asher Adams will transform one of the city’s most admired architectural structures – the 1909 Union Pacific railroad station – into a 225-room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel. The construction milestone indicates the project is progressing towards the targeted completion date and is set to open in the Fall 2024.
Asher Adams is well positioned on the northside of The Gateway above the iconic Olympic Plaza and will offer hotel guests immediate access to the 650,000 square feet of dynamic dining, entertainment, shopping, and special events, including The Depot, an existing 17,000-square-foot live entertainment venue located within the hotel. Guests will be walking distance to the TRAX Blue and Green light rail stops, Delta Center – home of the Utah Jazz – and can enjoy the nearby access to Temple Square, Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City International Airport, museums, and parks in addition to all the best that downtown Salt Lake City has to offer. Six, world-class ski resorts are within 45 minutes of this remarkable downtown location, providing winter sports enthusiasts a unique combination of a ski holiday with cosmopolitan amenities.
“This boutique hotel will be as renowned as the historic building it’s housed in and will serve as a fundamental asset to complete the redevelopment of The Gateway. We are pleased that construction is progressing beautifully and the topping off brings us one step closer to the highly anticipated grand opening. Together, Asher Adams and The Gateway will cater to leisure and business travelers seeking a unique and memorable property with fabulous amenities. As Salt Lake City’s newest luxury hotel, Asher Adams will continue to transform The Gateway into a vibrant and sought-after destination, while driving additional business to our tenants,” says Jenny Cushing, Vice President of Leasing for Vestar.
The Athens Group is restoring the original Train Depot, converting the existing structure into 13 historic guest suites, in addition to an entirely new ground up building that will house the remaining 212 modern guest suites. The hotel will also include multiple food and beverage outlets, including a patisserie, signature restaurant, two specialty bars, a 1,500-square-foot state-of-the-art fitness facility, 9,000 square feet of meeting and function space, and approximately 3,200 square feet of open-air gathering areas.
“Asher Adams pays homage to the rich history of Salt Lake City and the Union Pacific Depot while providing locals and guests from across the globe with a luxurious and contemporary experience. We are thrilled to be in partnership with Vestar and The Gateway team on this project,” says Kim Richards, President and CEO of The Athens Group.
Named after Asher and Adams, the first cartographers to depict railroad lines on maps, the hotel concept is inspired by the once booming train station that will be revived into a lively space again, paralleling history with a classic destination that will serve travelers and locals alike, for many years to come. With striking views of the city and the Wasatch Mountains, the hotel will focus on providing a highly curated experience through thoughtful design, preserving the station’s irreplaceable French empire architecture that will showcase the original stained-glass windows, oil on canvas murals, and more.
To learn more about Asher Adams, visit atthegateway.com/asher-adams-hotel
For more information on The Gateway, visit atthegateway.com
About The Gateway
The Gateway is a 1.4 million square foot lifestyle destination in the heart of Downtown Salt Lake City. Owned and managed by Vestar, the property recently underwent a $100 million redevelopment — infusing retail and dining, entertainment, modern office space, arts and culture, a boutique hotel, and a full calendar of community-driven events.
About Vestar
Vestar, one of the leading privately held real estate companies in the United States, specializes in the acquisition, management and development of retail real estate, including entertainment-retail complexes, power and lifestyle centers and neighborhood centers of varying size and scale, that serve as community shopping destinations. Vestar has earned a reputation for integrity and responsibility in the fields of retail development, operations, leasing and marketing. Founded in 1989, Vestar currently owns and operates over 30 million square feet of space in the western United States. For more information, please visit www.vestar.com.About The Athens Group
Founded in 1988, The Athens Group is a full-service real estate development company specializing in the creation of luxury resorts and urban hotels, branded and non-branded luxury residences, home sites and communities, as well as golf courses, spas and related recreational amenities. The Athens Group places a particular emphasis on the development of environmentally conscious hospitality assets and many of its hotels and resorts are LEED Gold or Silver. The company is based in Phoenix, Arizona with offices in California, Florida, and Utah.