Years in the making, the East Village Grand Hyatt hotel’s debut marked a turning point in the Military Installation Development Authority’s presence in Wasatch County.
At the grand opening, Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson told the crowd of about 300 that the hotel, built in part to provide recreation opportunities for the military, represents Utahns’ values.
“Part of readiness, military readiness, is recreation – is a sense of peace and solace and healing, and this place will provide that for so many military families, and that is incredibly important to the state of Utah,” she said.
MIDA is a state agency originally founded in 2007 to serve the military.
More recently, some Utahns have criticized the authority’s current structure, now making some of the largest development decisions in the state and levying taxes without accountability to voters. MIDA board members are appointed, not elected.
Meanwhile, MIDA leaders say they’re helping the state’s economy and supporting the nation’s servicemembers.
The hotel’s opening comes more than two decades after a seven-room military cabin near Snowbasin closed ahead of the 2002 Olympics.
MIDA has billed the Grand Hyatt as the replacement for that facility, with 100 of the hotel’s nearly 400 rooms set aside at discounted rates for certain military personnel and some veterans. There’s also a lounge for servicemembers. It started welcoming guests in November before Thursday’s event.
MIDA board chair and Senate President Stuart Adams said the Grand Hyatt represents a significant upgrade in quality from the former military lodge at Snowbasin.
“I believe Utah is the hope of America, and this facility brings just a lot of joy to all of us to be able to be what I hope is the best military recreational facility in the entire military,” he said. “That's what Utah does. We build the best, and there is nothing too good for our military personnel.”
Gary Barnett is the founder and chair of Extell, the New York-based development company building out East Village.
He said more is planned for the area in the coming years.
“Going from here, we’re expecting to build many more hotels, maybe another five, six, seven hotels; continue developing the village, retail, gathering centers, beautiful village square with ice skating,” he said.
One of the hotels still to come is a Four Seasons property. The ski-in/ski-out resort, announced in December 2024, will feature 134 guest rooms and suites, 123 private residences, restaurants and event space. The construction timeline hasn’t been announced.
“So really making this something special. Something special for Utah, something special for the country – first mountain resort of this scale built at least in the last 50 years,” Barnett said.
Deer Valley also celebrated the inaugural season of the first phase of expanded terrain Jan. 9. About 300 acres are open to the public this winter.
When the East Village expansion is complete, Deer Valley Resort will approach 6,000 acres, more than doubling in size.
