Lodging at Snowbird/Alta
 

We are a little behind the ball on this but are planning a trip to Snowbird/Alta for Valentine's weekend. My conference has rates of $279 for the Cliff. We are wondering if there are other hotels nearby that may be cheaper?

Lodging at these ski areas is pretty limited, and pretty pricey. $279 actually sounds good--I am skiing in that area this weekend, and I'm not sure I found a double room for less than $400 (that did include meals). The alternative, and what a lot of people do, is stay in the valley--Sandy or Cottonwood Heights, for instance. But then you need to think about transportation, and you need to be prepared for road restrictions (meaning, either have a 4wd or know the bus system), since the road to Alta closes periodically.

Shaya,

That's a very good rate for the Cliff during peak ski season. You should call Snowbird Central Reservations and see what else they have. All other Snowbird properties are condos and I doubt very much if they will be less. Maybe a north-facing efficiency condo in the Iron Blossom might be less, but those are dark with no windows. (Extreme avalanche danger.)

Options are more varied at Alta. The Goldminer's Daughter has cheaper rooms, but a different type of accomodation than the Cliff - definitely. Check the Rustler Lodge too, much nicer but rustic. Remember that lodging at Alta is mostly privately owned and harder to get around. Lots of individual cabins of all sizes and types and lots of smaller condo buildings. Make sure you know exactly how far you will have to walk to get to the shuttle bus that runs between Snowbird and Alta.

I'd take the Cliff any day! Excellent restaurants, a spa and a fantastic, huge hot tub and full sized pool on the room. THE place to be at sunset.

Oops, make the on the roof!

You have a good rate for lodging at Snowbird/Alta. You are highly unlikely to find anything cheaper unless you stay in the valley and then you will need a rental car. Expect to deal with road closures if you stay in the valley.

Thanks everyone for your advice. In the end we decided to stay in Sandy - mostly because as inexpereinced skiers we thought we probably wouldn't be on the slopes EVERYday. Got a great rate on a suite at the Hyatt ($99) and, as advised, have rented an SUV.
Signing up for ski lessons now!
Thanks again/

Staying in Sandy gives you a lot of flexibility to go to other resorts, too. Especially if you are inexperienced (as you described) Alta and especially Snowbird aren't really your best bets (well, I wouldn't discourage you from going to Alta. It's a great area. But experts get the most out of it). Deer Valley is wonderful and has lots of green/blue groomers. Great food and lodges, too, and uncrowded slopes.

As long as you didn't do a non-refundable reservation for your SUV, you can keep an eye on the forecast and trade it for a less expensive car if the weather is clear. Utah has been VERY dry this year. We had no need for an SUV on our recent trip. They did get a huge dump a couple weeks ago but the roads into Little Cottonwood Canyon were closed so an SUV wouldn't have helped anyway. If snow is forecasted then keep the SUV.

Grrrr. Was leaving from Dulles, but we had our second blizzard yesterday. Clearly leaving didn't happen. Wouldn't have been able to get out until Sat, arriving there late Sat PM. So we cancelled.

Now looking for warm weather getaway!

Sorry to hear about your canceled trip. Sandy was a good choice because you might have enjoyed Deer Valley or Park City, with greater amounts of easy terrain. It is forecasted to snow in Atlanta tomorrow so you need to go much farther south for a warm getaway. I have seen lately some very good deals to the Carribean. Good luck.