Food tours highlight Main Street

Park City Food Tours offers tours of the fine dining options and history of Park City's Historic Main Street. Whether popping into the Wasatch Brew Pub for a starter or checking out the latest creation at Zoom Restaurant, Shirin Spangenberg, the owner of Park City Tours, walks groups down the street, stopping in this or that business while providing a touch or perhaps an avalanche of local color. And at the heart of the business is a concept any Main Street merchant could stand behind: get more people to come back, spend money and support the local economy.

But even locals are realizing the benefits of the tour, that there is more to Main Street than meets the eye. With more than 20 years in the community, Spangenberg delivers on stories, from the Old West days of Mormon pioneers to recent events such as the Tour of Utah and the most recent celebrity sightings at the Sundance Film Festival. If locals are inviting out-of-town guests to stay, it's the kind of tour they should take and commit to heart, embodying an air of a know-it-all guide to all things Park City.

The tour even includes less obvious "food tour" merchants, incorporating galleries where owners highlight a new artist, understanding how to properly taste olive oil or a personal hand treatment at the Mountain Body Spa. In each location, a server or manager steps up to explain what the restaurant offers and what the group will try. Park Record

High West to build second distillery

Park City’s High West Distillery & Saloon will soon be seeing double — and not because it’s been sneaking shots of award-winning rye. On Thursday, High West will break ground on a second distillery and restaurant as part of a larger western-themed resort in Wanship.

High West is joining forces with Blue Sky Adventures for the project, which includes construction of a large luxury lodge. The project is being billed as the "world’s only distillery and resort."

When completed, in about a year, The High West Distillery at Blue Sky Ranch, should give guests a taste of two enduring symbols of the American West. Salt Lake Tribune

Major rennovation begins on Provo hotel

Marriott International, Inc. announced that the 100-room Courtyard by Marriott located at 1600 North Freedom Boulevard in Provo has begun a major renovation of its entire hotel. Renovations include a brand new lobby as well as extensive upgrades to guest rooms and meeting space. The hotel will feature the brand's new Refreshing Business Lobby concept, designed to give travelers the flexibility to work and socialize however they choose while on the road. Standard Examiner

Developer crowns his Main Street portfolio with acquisition of Sky Lodge

A developer who has acquired a patchwork of Main Street properties over the last year has negotiated a deal to crown his portfolio on the street with the Sky Lodge, an exclusive, well-situated property that fell into bankruptcy as the recession wore on.

"The Sky Lodge was the first property that caught my eye when I began looking at potential acquisitions on Main Street," Ken Abdalla said in a prepared statement released by his attorney, Joe Wrona, adding, "The Sky Lodge has a lot of untapped potential, and I am excited to take the Sky Lodge to new heights." Park Record

Utah hotel occupancy, rates up slightly

Utah occupancy and average daily room rate for hotels and motels were both up slightly in 2011. According to the Utah edition of the Rocky Mountain Lodging Report, the 2011 occupancy rate was 62.7 percent, up from 59.7 percent in 2010.

The average daily room rate for the year to date was $95.69, compared to $93.29 for 2010. Revenue per daily room rose as well, from $55.70 in 2010 compared to $60.04 for 2011. Salt Lake City recorded the best in 2011, with a 69.6 percent occupancy rate and average daily room rate of $93.65.

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Ogden occupancy was at 60.7 percent, Cedar City at 53 percent, St. George at 60.1 percent, Logan and Utah County at 58.1 percent, and other Utah cities and towns at 61.2 percent. Salt Lake Tribune

Major motion picture studio coming to Utah

Summit County and Park City officials have reached an agreement that would bring Raleigh Studios, a major motion picture studio, to Quinn's Junction, east of Park City. The deal, which has been five years in the making, also includes a hotel and entertainment center.

Greg Ericksen, a principal with developer Quinn's Junction Partnership, which is teaming with Raleigh Studios to develop and manage the facility, said he believes the new studio will help keep local talent in Utah. Deseret News

Buffalo Wild Wings planning Jan. 16 opening in Lehi

Buffalo Wild Wings has announced of it will open a restaurant on the Lehi-American Fork border on January 16.  The new restaurant is located at 92 N. 1200 East in Lehi, south of Lowe's and east of Walgreens, across from the Meadows complex and managers plan to hire more than 100 staff members. Daily Herald

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit opens 5th Utah spot, in Heber City

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit opened last week in Heber City at 595 S. Main St. Dickey’s, which opened in Dallas in 1941, began franchising in 1994 and has grown to 202 locations nationwide, including restaurants in West Valley City, Orem, American Fork and St. George. Salt Lake Tribune