My expectations on visiting the 775-room Grand America in Salt Lake City this summer were modest. I knew the hotel had been built as the headquarters hotel for the 2002 Winter Olympics. I knew it had a ton of meeting space — 74,000 square feet — plus a posh spa and a fabulous-looking outdoor pool. I wasn't expecting to have my socks knocked off, but they were.

The hotel has fittingly been described as a “European boutique hotel built on American scale.” The lobby, lined with Italian marble and warmed by huge flower-filled urns, opens into a spacious, sun-drenched parlor where a harpsichordist plays during afternoon tea. It's a grand space, but not stuffy. The staff make guests feel like visiting royalty.

Half the guest rooms are (oversized) suites, and there's nothing standard about the 700-square-feet “standard” rooms. All rooms feature marble and brass bathrooms, custom-made French cherry-wood furniture, down pillows, and Ralph Lauren — style drapery.

The hotel is an aesthetic experience, from the handsome white Vermont granite exterior to the Murano glass chandeliers, the thick European wool carpets, yards of silk wall covering, and a Mediterranean-style formal garden — even the large metal guest room keys that operate electronic locks evoke the best of European hospitality.

The meeting space is in a separate wing of the ground floor that opens onto the outdoor garden, providing wonderful al fresco entertainment opportunities. Third-floor meeting space features many rooms opening onto private terraces. It's the most magnificent collection of ballrooms, boardrooms, breakout rooms, and exhibit hall space I've ever seen in one place. (And I've seen a lot of meeting space in 20 years in the field.)

Across the street is the Grand's sister hotel, the 850-room Little America, a four-diamond property that gives convention groups a two-tier pricing option for accommodations.