Ogden Rising: Ben Lomond and MacCool's Grand Opening

The Ben Lomond Hotel and the new MacCool's restaurant held on open house today to celebrate the renovation of the hotel and the Grand Opening for the Ogden MacCool's.

I had a chance to visit with the restaurant owner and hotel owners.  They were very gracious and it appears they have hired highly motivated and professional staff.  I was impressed with their enthusiasm and attention to detail.

The first stop was MacCool's.  The owner has two other restaurants currently in Salt Lake City and Layton.  The Ogden location boasts a loft area for larger gatherings of 12 or more and a well lit street level room that can accommodate 20 or more.  There are also separate tables and a bar. The place is well furnished and had a nice atmosphere.

It became apparent that a lot of capital has been invested in sprucing up the Ben Lomond.

There are several large ballroom spaces that are available for rent for receptions, parties, or other gatherings.

Due to the backlighting, my camera doesn't quite capture experience but it was very elegant.

The elevator is mirror walled.  Here I am with Ryan Kell of Plaid Social, who is working on marketing for the hotel.

According to the staff that I spoke with, the hotel originally had 350 small (and inadequate by modern  standard) rooms.  Those rooms have since been reworked into 90 large and spacious suites.  Each suite comes with a separate furnished living space, a bathroom, and bedroom.

    
The upper level of the hotel commands great views of the city and houses a conference room in the north wing. 

If you are interested in hosting a party at MacCool's, contact Scott at 801-675-5920.  If you want to know rates and reserve any spaces in the Ben Lomond for gatherings, give Mike a call at 801-644-7240.  (Update: You can read more about the hotel renovation in a Standard Examiner article.)