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Keith McCord ReportingUtah has a new resort and conference center that will attract both tourists and large business groups alike. The 95-million dollar resort officially opened today.
The Zermatt resort is located in Midway, overlooking the Heber Valley. It's been in the planning stages for more than a decade.
The 95-million dollar resort offers large conference facilities, as well as hundreds of guest rooms and condominiums. It's hoped that the location, overlooking the Heber Valley, will be a big draw.
Governor Jon Huntsman: "We've long believed that we have so many world class features that nature has bequeathed to us in this state, and to be able to highlight all of that through a destination resort like this is truly phenomenal."
Zermatt is part of the Dolce International Hotel company, which has 22 luxury destination resorts like this worldwide. The look fits the Swiss theme of this area. The resort owners took the designers and builders over to Austria, Switzerland and Germany, to the small towns, to get a look at the architecture so they could see it there, and then re-create it here.
Zermatt has been operating since June and has already had hundreds of guests and hosted more than 80 groups. Located across the street from the Homestead resort, and within a stone's through of five golf courses and world class fly-fishing, the resort will certainly draw from Utah's tourism industry.
On top of that, it's expected to generate millions to the economy, both in taxes and local jobs.
Tom Whitaker, Owner, Zermatt Resort & Spa: "We have so much to offer people in this valley, and I knew that tourism would be its destiny, and if done right, it will bring many many meaningful jobs to this valley."
The resort is expected to bring in somewhere between 425 and 450 new jobs for the area, making Zermatt the largest private employer in Wasatch County. The public is invited to an open house this Saturday.
