New Year’s revelers have a ball in Salt Lake City

Thousands of people weathered frigid temperatures Thursday in hopes of watching the gigantic MirrorBall — the centerpiece of Salt Lake City's three-day EVE WinterFest celebration — make its descent at midnight, officially ushering in 2016.

But the luckiest downtown revelers — or at least the ones who stayed the warmest — were those who reserved north-facing rooms at Salt Lake City's new Holiday Inn Express Hotel, 206 S. West Temple. Located directly south of the Salt Palace, guests who booked those rooms would enjoy an aerial view of the MirrorBall action free of coats, hats and gloves.

"They are front row seats to the event," said Jason Daniels, who was working the hotel's front desk.

Those who registered through the EVE website got a cozy deal. Room rates started at $149 for double and king-size suites and included two adult passes to EVE (worth $20 each) as well as a 24-hour pool, free Wi-Fi and complimentary hot breakfast. Each room also has a small refrigerator and microwave.

More than a dozen other downtown hotels offered similar EVE packages, but none offered such a clear view of the plaza, said Aireann Lindsay, the hotel's director of sales. The rest of the 212-room hotel, which opened in May after a multimillion=dollar renovation, was 96 percent full as of Thursday afternoon.

At midnight "I plan to be in the room where it's nice and warm," said Rose Fullmer, who was visiting from Paso Robles, Calif., with her children. She actually had booked her room three months ago, without realizing there was a celebration across the street.

"It's' pretty cool," 14-year-old son Jonathan said of the view.

Staying at the Holiday Inn Express on New Year's Eve is likely to become a tradition for some families, Lindsay said. "We had several people ask if they could book the room for next year."

That kind of demand marks a rebirth for the 40-year-old hotel, which was formerly the Shilo Inn and is remembered by many longtime residents as the scene of a horrific murder-suicide in the late 1970s.

As part of the remodel, Safari Hospitality, based in Cedar City, also removed the much-maligned red neon lights that trimmed the front of the hotel. The hotel now features a sleek, contemporary business look and is the first Holiday Inn Express in the country to feature the "formula blue," said Lindsay.

It could become "the" place to be on New Year's Eve as the MirrorBall is expected to be part of the Salt Lake City New Year's Eve celebration for at least three more years.

The MirrorBall debuted last year, when the Downtown Alliance, which sponsors EVE, decided to ditch its usual fireworks display and offer an alternative that didn't contribute to Utah's winter pollution problems.

Artist Derek Dyer and dozens of volunteers worked for months to create the giant disco ball, which was built with 1,200 mirrors — each one 12 inches square. With a circumference of more than 60 feet and weighing in at 2,433 pounds, the massive installation — which Dyer calls the Illuminator — is considered the largest mirrored sphere in the United States.

Last year, the Holiday Inn Express was closed for remodeling but it served as the backdrop for the light-and-laser show that reflected off the ball. This year, instead of a light show, the ball was to make a slow descent, much like it does in New York City's Times Square.

Holladay resident Eric Ferguson was watching the show in 2014 with his two sons, when he noticed that the hotel scaffolding and construction. "I thought, 'That's where I want to be next year,' " he said Thursday as he checked into the hotel, with sons Cadyn, 9, and Dalyn, 13.

"We'll spend some time over there," Ferguson said of the Salt Palace. "But the hotel gives us a place to hang out later."

kathys@sltrib.com

The new Holiday Inn Express, which was under construction last year, offered the best view of the MirrorBall on New Years Eve. Source: Holiday Inn Express

Keith Johnson | The Salt Lake Tribune Pedestrians walk down West Temple Street at rush hour in Salt Lake City past the Shilo Inn, January 23, 2014. The Shilo Inn has been sold, taking it out of the running as a potential site for the new convention hotel proposed for Salt Lake.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Kids play in the "Ballroom - Adult" at the last day of the EVE Winterfest at the Salt Palace, Thursday, December 31, 2015.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune "The ball" hanging near the main stage on the south side of the Salt Palace - with the Holday Inn Express in the background - at the last day of the EVE Winterfest, Thursday, December 31, 2015.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Kids play in the "Ballroom - Junior" at the last day of the EVE Winterfest at the Salt Palace, Thursday, December 31, 2015.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Leo Pearson bangs away on one of many sets of makeshift trashcan drums at the last day of the EVE Winterfest at the Salt Palace, Thursday, December 31, 2015.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune The view of "the ball" positioned near the main stage on the south side of the Salt Palace - as seen from the roof of the Holday Inn Express - at the last day of the EVE Winterfest, Thursday, December 31, 2015.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Kids play in the "Ballroom - Junior" at the last day of the EVE Winterfest at the Salt Palace, Thursday, December 31, 2015.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Brandon and Alexia Howard with their son Mack at a photo booth at the last day of the EVE Winterfest at the Salt Palace, Thursday, December 31, 2015.