Affordable eatery at New Hotel Thaynes.

Drawing inspiration from the Park City’s legendary Thaynes Canyon mining district, Hotel Thaynes, Park City, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel has opened, paying homage to the mining town’s vibrant history with a complete redesign, scene-setting artwork, and character-rich design elements woven throughout the property. The 128-room hotel stands as Marriott’s newest Tribute Portfolio property – a collection of independent hotels celebrated for their captivating design and vibrant social atmosphere – inviting guests to experience the adventurous spirit and rich heritage of Park City through a modern lens.

“The transformation of Hotel Thaynes is a celebration of Park City’s timeless allure and the art of refined mountain living,” said Jamie Caraher, President and CEO of Lodging Dynamics. “Every detail has been thoughtfully designed to honor our mountain heritage while offering a modern sense of luxury and comfort. It is a delight to unveil a renovated destination that feels both rooted and rare.”

A cornerstone of the property, Versante Hearth + Bar, continues to serve as a regular gathering spot for both locals and guests. My wife and I visited Hotel Thaynes for an overnight stay last week and got to check out the new decor, design and menus at Versante and Hotel Thaynes in general. 

Crispy Brussels Sprouts

There are a number of starters on the dinner menu that are quite appealing. Spinach Artichoke Dip with roasted artichoke ($17) for example, or Blistered Shishito Peppers ($14) with lemon zest, Maldon salt, and Calabrian chili aioli. Kids and adults alike will love the Cheddar Mac ‘n’ Cheese ($15) made with cavatappi pasta topped with breadcrumbs and the Beef and Cheese Sliders ($18). There are also shareable dishes of Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($14) and Jumbo Chicken Wings with blue cheese or ranch dressing ($16). The Brussels Sprouts are killer: served with bacon pomegranate arils, and a white truffle-honey glaze. Somehow, the Brussels sprouts are deep-fried without being greasy or heavy. In fact, they come to the table as light as air; crispy Brussels sprouts chips that are as delicious as any I’ve ever tried. This dish would make a terrific bar snack for anyone who just wanted to nibble on something while enjoying a cocktail, glass of wine or a beer. 

Versante Salad

Salads include an Italian Salad ($18), Gem Salad ($20), Caesar ($8/$14) and Versante Salad ($8/$14), plus a soup option of Roasted Cauliflower Soup. The Versante salad is loaded with flavor: fresh greens tossed with tomato, red onion, black and green olives, pepperoncini, and a generous portion of shaved parmesan, drizzled with Italian vinaigrette. 

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Versante features a couple of tempting pasta dishes, including House Spaghetti & Meatballs ($20). It’s a very ample dish of freshly made spaghetti pasta which had excellent taste and texture, served with large house-made meatballs, classic tomato gravy with shaved parmesan cheese, and a large slice of grilled rustic bread on the side. 

Milia Romagna Lasagna

Milia Romagna Lasagna is also featured – fresh sheets of homemade pasta with Bolognese, bechamel, and house five-cheese mix, served with buttery toasted garlic bread slices. 

Hotel Thaynes now features in-room dining, serving breakfast, dinner, and kids meals. Highlights include a Classic Cheese Pizza, Versante Everything Bagel, Chicken Tenders, Ham and Cheese Omelet, Italian Salad, Bison Burger and more. The top to bottom makeover at Hotel Thaynes includes spare-no-expense spa-inspired bathroom fixtures, heated outdoor pool and hot tub,  gorgeous furnishings, and amenities like the in-room imported retro-style SMEG mini-fridge that I love. Perfect for storing your own snacks and beverages.  

Versante also sports a full bar offering signature cocktails and mocktails such as the Mid Mountain Mule ($15) – Bulleit Bourbon with blackberry liqueur, ginger beer and lime. There is also a small but well-chosen wine list that includes by-the-glass or full bottle options of interesting wines such as Primarius Pinot Gris, Marchesi Di Barolo Barbera, Grateful Red Pinot Noir, Pence Ranch Chardonnay, RevelShine Rosé, Peachy Canyon Zinfandel, and others. The beer menu is nicely skewed toward local brews from craft brewers such as RoHa, Wasatch Brewery, Uinta, Moab Brewery, Shades, 2 Row, Level Crossing, Epic, Squatters, and Salt Flats. Nice to see the folks at Versante supporting local breweries. Why, there is even a selection of (non-alcoholic) Kiddie Cocktails like the Snowonder ($8) made with lemonade, blue raspberry and Sprite.

The Spiro Pizza

Hearth-baked pizzas are a big draw at Versante and there are 10 or so options, including Build Your Own. There is a classic Margherita ($16), a Meat Pie ($20), Honey Pepperoni ($18), vegetarian Parkite ($17), Speziato with spicy capicola ($19), and a few others. Pizzas range in price from $15 to $20. We shared a pizza called The Spiro ($20), which was a beautifully baked, crispy crust topped with mozzarella, prosciutto, roasted pistachio, baby arugula, truffle honey and evoo. In my opinion, Versante is cooking up some of the best pizzas in Park City.

Chicken Parmesan

If there is a can’t miss menu item at Versante it’s the Chicken Parmesan ($28). It’s a heaping portion of fresh linguine-style pasta topped with a huge chunk of hand-breaded and fried boneless Redbird Organic chicken with classic homemade tomato gravy, melted mozzarella, fresh herbs, shaved parmesan, and grilled bread to help soak up the sauce. I loved the chicken parmesan but I couldn’t finish the generous entree and took half of it home to reheat and enjoy the next day for lunch. 

Tuscany

Entrees at Versante include Tagliata di Manzo ($35), which is a sirloin steak cooked to order with arugula, confit tomatoes, balsamic reduction, roasted artichoke and parmesan. There is also a beefy Modena Burger ($19) with Fontina cheese, balsamic onion jam, tomato and arugula on a kaiser bun, served with fries, as well as a Bison Burger ($20) with white cheddar, bibb lettuce, bacon jam and tomato on a brioche bun with fries. For seafood lovers, there is an entree simply called Tuscany ($24). It consists of the market fish of the day, which was trout when we visited, with cherry tomatoes and spinach on a bed of white rice with lemon Tuscan sauce. 

The Market off the lobby of Hotel Thaynes is stocked with goodies for guests ranging from grab and go food and beverages and snacks to souvenirs, toiletries, sweets and more. 

PB&J Short Stack

Another upgrade from when it was The Peaks Hotel is that Hotel Thaynes now serves a la carte breakfast from 6:30 AM to 10:30 AM. Sweet options include an elaborate version of French Toast ($16): three slices of fried ciabatta French toast with chantilly cream, caramelized bananas, warm maple sugar and powdered sugar. My wife enjoyed her PB&J Short Stack ($20), which was two pancakes (gluten-free almond flour for her) smeared with peanut butter, drizzled with lavender berry syrup, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served with an assortment of fresh berries. Definitely not a low-cal breakfast, but delicious nonetheless. Just plan on burning those calories out on the ski hill.

The Thaynes Welcome 

Savory breakfast items range from the Miner’s Omelet ($22) with cream cheese, scrambled eggs, caramelized onions, mushrooms, bacon, Gruyere and side potatoes, to Ricotta Toast ($20), an Everything Versante Bagel ($18), and a more traditional breakfast that I loved: The Thaynes Welcome ($22) is a choice of ham steak, sausage patties or bacon with eggs made to order, a choice of toast or pancakes, and the best, most crispy potato hash I’ve ever eaten. I don’t know how they manage to make hash browns that are so light, crispy and not greasy. It’s a mystery … 

There’s no shortage of luxurious new destination hotels and resorts in and around Park City and Deer Valley to bunk at. But if you’re looking for a centrally located, boutique-style hotel with free parking and very affordable food and drink for the family, I cannot recommend Hotel Thaynes highly enough. It’s a wonderful new addition to Park City. 

Photos by Ted Scheffler & Courtesy of Hotel Thaynes

Culinary quote of the week: “Food is a pretty good prism through which to view humanity.” – Jonathan Gold