“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe”
One of my favorite things about the Kimpton Hotels is that while they may not look sustainable & green, yet they always are. I seriously loved the headboard in the suite of Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City, so I had to do some research on where the Kimpton hotels sourced its furniture. It didn’t take too long to find one of their favorite furniture suppliers, Cheng Meng. A minute later I was on their website reading “We are Sustainability. We offer clients a range of environmentally friendly options from sustainable raw material sourcing to solvent free finishes. Management is LEED accredited and can work to meet the desired environmental standards.” Cheng Meng is known for it zero waste policies of repurposing and reusing every bit of material. Finding out information like this and knowing that Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City is only one of 66 Kimpton hotels, seriously opens the door to endless eco travel, that is both sustainable and ethical.
“Rather than tearing a building down and just building a new build, we were able to convert those former office buildings or banks into hotels. That’s the ultimate recycling story: repurposing a building entirely”
All Kimpton Hotels including Hotel Monaco in Salt Lake City are certified by the Green Key Eco-Rating Program and TripAdvisor GreenLeaders Program. Their commitment to environmental sustainability includes the use of nontoxic cleaning products, extensive recycling program, minimizing water consumption, and serving even the little things like organic coffee and biodegradable water cups in the lobby.
In a valley surrounded by mountains, you will find Salt Lake City nestled away in Northern Utah. This outdoors paradise is what draws so many travelers (including myself) to this beautiful & unique city.
Because nature and snow sports are such a huge draw to Utah, you might find the majority of travelers are headed to Salt Lake City specifically for some outdoors time. Because the nature of the wilderness & snow depending on the environment, I like to think that the average traveler to Salt Lake City would have sustainability and more awareness of their carbon footprint a bit more on their mind.
However to my shock, besides glamping and camping options in the summer, I could only find one hotel in Salt Lake City that fit my standards as a ‘green option’ for eco travel during the winter, the Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City.
Hotel Monaco was originally built between 1923-1924 as The Continental Bank Building, it housed a series of banks before it was renovated in 1999 as Hotel Monaco. Keeping with the sustainability of Kimpton Hotels, the creative director and Senior VP of design Ave Bradley stated over a phone interview “When we do a renovation of a hotel, nothing goes into the landfill. It always gets liquidated, and somebody reuses it at another hotel or motel down the line.”
So you can sleep knowing that when Kimpton Hotel renovated the bank and created Hotel Monaco, sustainability and zero waste was even at work. And I musy commend Hotel Monaco for being the perfect winter and summer eco travel destination that is surrounded by dozens of national parks and many world class mountains including Snowbird, Brighton, Alta, Deer Valley, Solitude, Park City, Powder Mountain, Sundance & Park City.
“Since its launch in San Francisco in 1981 Kimpton hotels have been implementing sustainable & green practices into their boutique hotels.”
The Roooms
One of my absolute favorite things about staying in a hotel is the plush robes that are often provided, and I must say that Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City did not disappoint. The view of the mountains and the downtown Salt Lake City made lounging in the robe even more relaxing,.
I personally think that Hotel Monaco was a beautiful presentation of elegance, charm, and history. The rooms were both sexy and elegant, all while being simple yet refined. How else can I describe it, other then the hotel was the perfect twist of comfort and décor.
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things”
My favorite pajamas are always vintage lingerie, I can’t remember where I found this vintage leopard slip but I do know that I didn’t pay more then $6 for it and I have had it for over 4 years. Nightgowns or vintage slips are some of my favorite pajamas because they are light to pack and super comfortable to sleep in.
Knowing that my bedding was cleaned with environmentally friendly non-toxic cleaner, honestly made me want to stay in bed all day and just watch movies.
vegan pizza & a movie in bed
One of my favorite things about travel and staying in a hotel, is comfortable bed and vegan takeout. I was super lucky to find a vegetarian & vegan called Zest Kitchen & Bar that was only a half mile from Hotel Monaco.
Hosted happy hour at Hotel Monaco
Every day at Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City, they offer a hosted Happy Hour. It exceeded my expectations, not only was the wine options lovely (they also had beer and a whiskey drink, I only tried the wine though) however the appetizer offered was a vegetarian option. The deviled eggs with dried beet on top, were literally so delicious and made by Bambara Restaurant in the Hotel Monaco.
The hosted wine reception in the lobby of Hotel Monaco was offered everyday from 5-6pm, which was the perfect time to get back to the hotel after a long day on the slopes or perhaps if you came during the summer hiking or climbing. You can see that from that I rolled into the wine reception still in my warm clothes after coming back from the mountain.
Responsible Tourism
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One thing that I absolutely loved about Hotel Monaco, Salt Lake city was many of the amenities that they included. These amenities included cute red bikes to explore downtown, snowshoes for exploring the 12 nearby national parks in the snow, ski storage so you don't have to drag your skis or boards up to your room & down the next day, and even yoga mats for the yogis who don’t want to travel with a mat.
Being able to ride one of the guest bikes that Hotel Monaco provided, turned out to be a fantastic perk(reminded of the Heywood Hotel in Austin, Texas as they also offered complimentary bikes). Not only is bike riding, more environmentally friendly then driving it was also a great way to just peruse downtown and really get a feeling for the city. One of my favorite places that I visited downtown was the Utah State Capital Building, only a 13 minute ride from Hotel Monaco. The architecture, design, and materials were all beautiful and very detailed, it was created to withstand the test of time.
State Capital
13 min bike ride from Hotel Monaco
350 State St, Salt Lake City, UT www.UtahStateCapitol.utah.gov +1 801-538-1041
For yoga I went to a few classes at Salt Lake City Bikram Yoga in Sugarhouse. I discovered this studio because of one of my favorite apps, ClassPass. Thanks to the app ClassPass you can check this studio out for free (or any studio around you), when you sign up you’ll get $40 in credits (which equals about 4-5 classes).
1924 S 1100 E Salt Lake City, UT www.BikramYogaSLC.com +1 801-488-4681
Bambara - Hotel Monaco’s restaurant
Brunch is seriously one of my favorite things when it comes to the weekend, and I must say that the restaurant in Hotel Monaco did not disappoint (especially since they offered a vegan option as well as a whole gluten free option)..
My smashed avocado toast with the tofu scramble and seasonal fruit was delicious, the tofu was seasoned with spices that left you wondering if it was really tofu or soft eggs. And my mimosa was perfection, fresh bubbles accompanied by delicious fresh squeezed orange juice.
“The orange improves the champagne. The champagne definitely improves the orange.”
Not realizing fruit was already included on our plates, we ordered the fruit bowl to share. The fruit was as fresh as it was delicious.
After my smashed avocado toast and tofu scramble were finished, I couldn’t resist trying one of the unique cocktails on the brunch menu. I went with the Kung Foo Fighting which was Toki Japanese Whiskey, Brennivin Aquavit, hony and lime.
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The Vault - Hotel Monaco’s cocktail bar & lounge
The liquor laws of Utah are often thought to be different or weird because it is known as a such a religious state that is where Mormonism begun (for those who don’t know Mormon’s don’t drink alcohol or even caffeine). I found that the most weird things where how you can’t order a ‘double’ drink (I often buy a Hot Toddy as a double when skiing, because I want to get back on the mountain quickly). While another odd thing was how some restaurants require you to order an appetizer or food to order even a glass of wine.
Because Utah, and the state is over 63 percent federal land (meaning tons of mountains, parks, valleys, and rivers that are National Parks and just calling for nature lovers and adventurers to come visiting), I believe that more visitors and more non Mormon residents have brought the need of better drinking options to Salt Lake City. It seemed to me that not too many bars have had the history in Salt Lake City, that the Vault has. Very few bars have the artisanal cocktail options, as well as great wine options that the Vault offered.
One of my favorite drinks is an espresso martini and I absolutely loved that they offered this delicious cocktail, drinking it on such a cute couch as well was the perfect accompaniment.
The Vault is located in Hotel Monaco’s restaurant Bambara
“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”
xoxo
Noelle Lynne
Creator of Florum.
Almost Vegan.
Wine Aficionado.
Travel Addict.
Please note that my stay at Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City was complimentary, however all my thoughts about the hotel are my own. The standards of the hotel are also both ethical and green, which fit into Florum Magazine's own ethical standards.
