Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City

If you still think of Salt Lake City, Utah as a second-rate provincial town — well, maybe it’s better that way, because you’ll have all the more opportunity to be pleasantly surprised by the current state of the place. No one is going to mistake it for Los Angeles or Chicago any time soon, but it’s a more modern, open, and tolerant city than most people give it credit for. And the fact that it’s got a hotel like the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City is proof that there’s plenty for a well-traveled, cosmopolitan guest to love about Utah’s biggest city.

It’s got Victorian bones, like many of SLC’s downtown buildings, but inside, the Monaco is no nostalgia act — the style pays homage to the early 20th century but the look is contemporary boutique design through and through. The comforts are thoroughly up to date as well, and the little Kimpton extras, like the pet-friendly policy and the evening social hour, underscore the friendly aspect of Salt Lake. Bambara, the restaurant, makes good use of what was once a bank lobby, and the Vault is among the city’s finest cocktail bars. Yes, cocktail bars, even in Utah. You might be surprised.