If you are visiting Zion National Park you have a lot of different choices for lodging. You can go with boutique brands offering rustic experiences or you can find properties from major brands like Hilton, Marriott, and IHG. Some of these are closer to the park and others like the Fairfield Inn Virgin Zion National Park are a little bit further away.
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Booking SpringHill Suites Springdale
We used the free night certificate from the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless to book this hotel. The hotel was bumped down from a category six to a category five and we used our free night certificate the morning after the change.
If you are not familiar with the Boundless card, every year on your account anniversary, you’ll get a free night that can be used on properties costing up to 35,000 points per night. There are some great properties you can find in this range and you should check out our article on the best Marriott Category 5 properties.
The hotel was going for $192 so we got some pretty good value from our Marriott free night.
Location overview
The property is located in Virgin, Utah. While the property is only 20 minutes away from Zion National Park, it just feels a lot further due to the remoteness.
This is great if you want a really quiet area to stay in but I would much rather prefer to stay closer to the park at the SpringHill Suites.
Personally, I just liked that property much better. It had better views and also the close proximity to the nearby restaurants and shops makes it a very walkable destination. Yes, it is more expensive but in my opinion that extra expense is well worth it.
The biggest drawback to the location is not the remoteness but the lack of cell phone service. We did not have any cell phone service while on the premises which got a little old.
The good thing about this location is that it has direct access to Kolob Terrace Road. This is a road that takes you through the west side of Zion National Park and is perfect if you are trying to do a hike like the Subway. This location is also much closer to the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center and other destinations in the area like Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Tip: If I were staying in this area I would look into the Glamping facilities they have set up across the street (Zion Wildflower Resort) as they looked really interesting.
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Check-in
We arrived at around 3 PM and were given immediate access to our room.
When we arrived, the hotel parking lot was almost completely empty which was a little bit weird because I don’t think I have ever visited a hotel with such an empty parking lot.
Something that kind of annoyed me was that the hotel gave us a room with no balcony even though there were literally three cars in the parking lot. I would’ve thought that Platinum status would have helped in that regard but apparently not.
The staff was welcoming at first but we did run into an issue with someone that I believe was the hotel manager. I won’t get into all of the details but let’s just say I was not too impressed with the service. As much as I would like to put this manager on blast the hotel did somewhat make up for their shortcomings so I will just leave it at that.
The room
Despite not being over-impressed with the service I did enjoy the hotel itself. It is a newer property and was very clean.
The room was very spacious and very comfortable despite some pretty cool temperatures at night. I was impressed that the room had two large TV screens — one directly in front of the bed and one above the desk in the workstation area.
The workstation area also had a sofa that I believe had a pull out mattress. I thought the fall leaves on the window shades were a nice touch to the room.
One thing that I loved about the room is that it had both a microwave and a refrigerator. At a location like Zion where you might be heading out really early in the morning before breakfast starts, it’s great to have the ability to store and reheat items in your room.
The bathroom is also spacious with a roomy shower although it only had one sink.
Gym/Pool
The hotel had a really nice gym. It was very modern with a lot of different types of workout equipment including free weights and cardio machines. It also has some pretty cool views looking out to the mountains. There is a pool area that looks well-suited for kids but we were not able to check it out.
Final word
Overall, this is a quality hotel — at least terms of the facility itself. While I did not care for the level of service, I do think the hotel would be great for someone visiting Zion who wants a very quiet setting for their hotel. Just be prepared because you may not have any cell phone service during your stay.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
