The newly opened Asher Adams Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, is set to revolutionize the hospitality landscape in one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. The Asher Adams, part of the Marriott Autograph Collection, is in the heart of the city across the street from the Delta Center, home to the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club. The hotel’s design pays homage to the city’s rich history by seamlessly integrating its historic Union Pacific Train Depot built between 1908 and 1909 with its towering neon sign and distinctive facade.
The hotel features 225 luxurious rooms, 212 in a sleek new guest tower, that offer modern comforts that will please travelers. But it’s that Depot that houses the hotel’s soul—a majestic main hall complemented by four unique restaurants and bars. Each culinary concept at Asher Adams embodies refinement and sophistication, positioning the hotel as a new standard in Salt Lake City’s evolving bar and dining scene.
The main lobby of the Asher Adams Hotel with The Bar at Asher Adams in its heart.
Asher Adams Hotel
"We aspired to create an inviting space that blends a sophisticated, jazzy vibe with an environment where guests can relax and truly enjoy themselves," explains Emilio Camara, the Chef De Cuisine at Asher Adams. “We want to make food and drinks that will grab the attention of the James Beard Foundation and help showcase Salt Lake City as the foodie destination it is quickly becoming.
Rouser
Located just south of the Asher Adams' main entrance, the hotel’s signature restaurant, Rouser, beckons guests with its unique culinary offerings. Named after the person on a train who monitored the train's rear for problems, the space is meant to evoke the comfortable feelings of a classic Pullman train car. While its interior artfully blends mid-century aesthetics with a modern Scandinavian feel, the food and beverage program truly steals the spotlight.
The glowing heart of the establishment is its Josper oven, grill, and rotisserie, which use sustainable charcoal for heating. Very few establishments in America use all three of these unique Spanish cooking devices. Designed to mirror the fireboxes of the old steam engines that used to ply the tracks when the Depot first opened, they allow Chef Camara, who worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants, to craft dishes that deliver unique flavors rarely found in many restaurants. Piri Piri Chicken shares the stage with dry aged duck, roasted Spanish octopus and fire cooked goat cheese offer diners flavors rarely seen in Utah.
The beverage program rounds out the dining experience, introducing a cosmopolitan essence crafted with an emphasis on local producers and ingredients. A curated wine list featuring numerous mountain state vintages pairs well with handmade beverages that complement the establishment’s menu.
The Asher Adams Hotel.
Asher Adams Hotel
The Bar at Asher Adams
The hotel's signature bar sits in the middle of its main hall built into the train station's original ticket windows with a wall of clocks above. Looming above are the colossal hundred-year-old murals that decorated the Depot when it was still a working train station. The spacious U-shaped bar, sitting amongst wooden benches and tables, acts as the hotel’s del facto meeting room and is a popular spot for crowds to gather before events at the Delta Center.
Offering a menu filled with upscale bar fare, the cocktail menu is the true highlight, showcasing innovative creations that entice guests. Designed by beverage manager Bijan Ghiai, who built the hotel's entire beverage package, it focuses on local producers and ingredients to deliver a bar experience rarely found in SLC.
“Our beverage program's goal is to focus on craft spirits, biodynamic wineries, and local breweries to showcase the diverse agriculture we are privy to in our backyard,” says Ghiai. “I want our cocktails to be one of the center points of the entire hotel where people come to try something truly innovative and new. They can be both simple and approachable yet layered with complexities that become a focal point for drinkers.”
No.119
Nowhere is Asher Adams's commitment to upping the game in Salt Lake City more evident than in the No. 119 bar on the main hall's second floor. A blend of speakeasy allure and upscale NYC bar aesthetics, it radiates an inviting coolness from the moment you step inside. Behind the long bar, a wall of bottles, many of them whiskies, glimmer, complemented by plush couches and tables inviting guests to unwind.
Soaring windows bracketing the bar offer unimpeded views of the nearby Wasatch Mountains and downtown, while cutouts behind the couches allow guests to gaze down on the main lobby below. But it’s the mixologists that are the true stars. They turn out exquisite cocktails off an ever-changing list or customize beverages to suit any drinker’s taste. The lounge exudes an urbane vibe reminiscent of those found in Paris, Barcelona, or San Francisco.
No. 119 Bar at the Asher Adams Hotel.
Asher Adams Hotel
In a stylish addition, next door to No.119, the Asher Adams features the Gandy Dancer, a private room showcasing a collection of 2,500 vintage records curated by NYC DJ Jared Deitch. The room can be rented for parties and events.
Counterpart
Counterpart rounds out the hotel’s lineup. Part coffee shop and part market, it delivers the ideal pickup for guests and locals alike. With a large selection of local artisanal products, it is yet another showcase for Salt Lake City's rapidly evolving landscape.
Operating like a well-oiled train, the Asher Adams is an essential step in the rapidly evolving SLC hospitality scene. It has been garnering national attention, as evidenced by its nine James Beard nominations over the last two years. Things are changing in a place that has largely flown under the radar for too long.
"Salt Lake City has really needed a concept like ours, one that integrates three distinctly different beverage programs with a great restaurant under one roof, highlighting the fundamental changes happening here," said Ghiai. "That is something you find in much larger cities, not here, and we want to be at the forefront.”
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