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SALT LAKE CITY — Locals and out-of-state visitors were reportedly left "astonished" as they toured through the interior of the Union Pacific Railroad Station for the first time in August 1909.
The building wasn't finished yet, but it was home to the largest waiting room in the West at the time. Soon after, large murals depicting pioneers' arrival in 1847 and the transcontinental railroad's 1869 completion in Utah were installed along with stained glass windows that added to its luxury for the people waiting for their train to arrive.
More than a century later, locals and visitors alike are still milling through the lobby — underneath the same art fixtures — but for completely different reasons. Autograph Collection's Asher Adams revived the historic depot, turning some of the building's old office spaces into hotel rooms while restoring other parts of the building to its former glory.
The 225-room hotel opened last month, and its link to Utah railroad history is visible throughout the building down to its name, which is a combination of John R. Asher and George H. Adams, two cartographers who put railroad routes on a map. There are other bits and pieces of its history included in the lobby that are open to the public.
"The hotel itself is stunning. They incorporated the history of the area so beautifully," one person wrote in a review on Google.
A nod to history
Almost everything in the Asher Adams is a nod to Utah and railroad history, starting with preservation. The murals painted by California artists Harry Hopp and John McQuarrie still hang on opposite sides of the lobby with restored stained glass windows lined up in between.
Its original flooring, wall tile and gold foil were preserved during renovations, said Katie Van Riper, director of marketing for Asher Adams.
"It pretty much looks like what (it) would have when it was an active train station," she said, adding that there have been a few tweaks, including a new bar and coffee bar in the lobby for visitors.
Several old photos of the building and artifacts, including train tickets, are hung up on the walls, recognizing those days. The building's named rooms and businesses also lean into the past. The hotel's bar, No. 119, is a reference to the Union Pacific train engine that met with Central Pacific Railroad's Jupiter for the "Wedding of the Rails" ceremony at Promontory Summit in 1869.
There's also a pair of conference rooms called the "Pioneer" and "Desert Wind," the names of a pair of discontinued Amtrak routes that once stopped at the station before the company moved out in 1986, while the 13 suites inside the depot's southern end are mostly named after prominent people behind the building's creation.
The Wye and Rouser, the building's ballroom space and restaurant, are plays on general railroad terms. Some of the station's old gates were installed as part of Rouser's aesthetic, as well.
These were always intended after Autograph Collection — a brand under the Mariott Bonvoy umbrella — settled on an adaptive reuse of the Union Pacific Railroad Station for a new upscale hotel, Van Riper explained. Everything new, she adds, came from Utah artists, while an eight-story hotel tower built behind the historic station was designed to keep some of these same elements.
"There's so much in this day and age that we just tear down and rebuild something cookie-cutter," she said. "Here, there's a lot of heart and soul and all these subtle historical nods to the past and what made the city what it is. ... We really loved this idea of historical elegance meets modern luxury."
Adding to Salt Lake's hotel stock
Business has been booming since the hotel opened last month, Van Riper adds. It's brought in plenty of out-of-towners staying in the region for various reasons, including two of the teams that competed in the first and second rounds of the NCAA women's volleyball tournament at the University of Utah.
However, many curious locals have also come by to check out its bars and restaurants, or stuck around for a staycation. Hotel officials say it seems to be the busiest on the weekends and when the Utah Jazz, Utah Hockey Club or some other Delta Center event is going on, but staff are still trying to figure out consumer trends after some unexpected busy and quiet nights.
"I think just because we are new, we're in these wave phases," Van Riper said.
However, Salt Lake County tourism officials say the new hotel plays into a bigger hotel need. Before the hotel opened, Kaitlin Eskelson, president and CEO of Visit Salt Lake, told KSL.com that there's been a growing need for more downtown hotels because of rebounding urban tourism trends, including more business conventions.
It's why she believes more hotels are being proposed even after Asher Adams opened.
"There is certainly a demand for it," she said. "We can definitely fill the rooms."
