Imperial Hotel

An 1898 mining-era hotel above Main Street in Park City's Old Town district — ten rooms upstairs, the original brick-and-clapboard facade, and the kind of in-town historic lodging that almost doesn't exist in Park City anymore. The Imperial is what people mean when they reference the old Park City — pre-Vail, pre-Utah Olympic, pre-Sundance-Festival-as-industry.

Park City's lodging market today is dominated by resort-tier hotels at Canyons and Deer Valley; the Imperial is the in-Old-Town historic alternative.

The setting

The hotel sits at 221 Main Street in Park City's Old Town historic district, walking distance to Main Street's restaurants and bars (Riverhorse, High West Saloon, Wahso), the Park City Mountain Resort base (a five-minute walk west), and the free Town Lift that runs from Main Street up to the mountain. Deer Valley is 10 minutes east; Canyons Village is 15 minutes north.

The drive in from Salt Lake City is 35 minutes east on I-80. Park City Sundance traffic in late January is its own variable.

The building

A three-story brick-and-stucco building from 1898 — the kind of mining-era commercial architecture that built Park City as a silver town before the skiing came. The hotel's interiors retain Victorian-era detail: brass fixtures, dark wood, period wallpaper, and antique furniture. Materials are brass, velvet, pine, and wool.

Independently owned. The Imperial has been a hotel — in various forms — for most of its 125 years.

The rooms

Ten rooms across kings and queens. From around $425 in shoulder seasons; peak Sundance and ski-week rates run several times higher. Bathrooms have been updated; rooms get four-poster beds, antique furniture, and Victorian-period detail. Layouts are mid-sized — 1890s commercial-building geometry. No elevator (the hotel is small and historic).

Food & drink

There's no on-site restaurant. A continental breakfast is included. Walking distance to Park City's Main Street dining — High West Saloon (the distillery's restaurant), Riverhorse on Main, Wahso, the Eating Establishment for the longer-running diner, and Bridge Cafe for the breakfast option. For destination dinner, Riverhorse and High West are the local picks.

On the property

A small historic-hotel amenity stack:

• Continental breakfast included
• Concierge for lift tickets, ski-shuttle, and Sundance-week logistics
• Walking distance to Town Lift
• Open year-round; winter (December–April) is peak

Who it's for

• Skiers who want walking distance to the Town Lift and Old Town
• Sundance Film Festival attendees — the hotel sits in the heart of the festival's Main Street activity
• Couples doing a winter weekend who'd rather be in an 1898 building than a Vail tower
• Architecture and history-minded travelers

Who it's not for

• Slope-side seekers who need ski-in/ski-out at the room
• Anyone needing modern hotel infrastructure (elevator, gym, restaurant, spa)
• Light sleepers during Sundance — Main Street is busy in late January

Nearby

Park City Mountain Resort's Town Lift is at the bottom of Main Street, a five-minute walk. Park City Mountain (the lifts at Mountain Village) is 10 minutes by car west. Deer Valley is 10 minutes east. Canyons Village is 15 minutes north. The High West Distillery's main location (the saloon) is on Park Avenue, two blocks. The Park City Museum (in the old territorial jail building) is on Main Street. The Olympic Park (where the 2002 bobsled and ski jumps are) is 10 minutes north for the summer-zip-line and bobsled-ride.