National-park luxe: New Cloudveil brings high-end lodging to Jackson’s Town Square
Editor’s note: The Cloudveil extended a complimentary two-night stay for TPG to be among the first to experience the new property. The opinions expressed below are entirely from the author and weren’t subject to review by any external entity.
When you first enter the front door, you can’t miss the 3,000-pound Montana boulder serving as the check-in desk, with images of the nearby Tetons playing on a video screen behind the desk. Having arrived from the bustling, historic Jackson Town Square, it doesn’t take long to realize this is going to be a unique hotel stay.
The just-opened Cloudveil, a Marriott Autograph Collection property in Jackson, Wyoming, didn’t just plop some nondescript, cookie-cutter chain hotel floorplans down in the middle of a historic mountain town.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Instead, it invested in detail and authenticity. There is hand-stitched leather adorning the railings and elevator walls, a lobby floor selected to mimic what you’ll see in nearby national park visitor centers and a three-story granite wall leading up to a picturesque rooftop patio overlooking the town square.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
It’s easy to miss the animal footprints on the lobby rug or that the font used on directional signs matches the national park font, but whatever detail first captivates you — or simply makes you feel as if you’re still a part of the great outdoors — the Cloudveil sets the bar high for mixing the rugged wilderness with an upscale, refined experience.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
To kick off a summer exploring national parks, my family and I just completed a two-night stay at the Cloudveil as guests of the hotel in order to give TPG readers a first look at what it’s like to stay at this brand-new 96-room property.
Just as the trail for early hunters and explorers across the Grand Tetons was likely anything but short and direct, the pathway to opening the first, and only, hotel on Jackson’s Town Square was also a winding one.
According to my chat with the hotel’s vice president of sales and marketing, Erik Dombroski, just getting the building, one of the only spots zoned in a way that it could be a hotel, was close to a decade-long process.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
But if my stay, which took place just 10 days into the opening, was any indication, it was worth the wait.
For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
The selection of materials and details inside the hotel is no accident. The Cloudveil isn’t meant to be a separate experience from your time in Jackson and its nearby national parks, including the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. Your journey experiencing the animals native to the area follows you into the hotel lobby, where as you check-in, your kid may be offered a new stuffed friend of their own.
Getting to pick your choice of stuffies from a bin is a surefire way to the heart of any kid walking in for the first time.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
The outside-comes-inside experience continues when you make your way to your room on one of the hotel’s three stories with the path (or at least the room numbers) marked with cairns (piles of stones used to mark trails).
But be careful; a moose, buffalo or bear may be watching you make your way down the hallway, thanks to some locally filmed “living” art displays on the video screens at the end of each hall. My 11-year-old was genuinely startled when she first noticed the moving buffalo image seemingly watching her every move.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)Inside the rooms
With 85 rooms and 11 suites on-site, the odds are good you will be in a standard room, as we were. But the good news is that it doesn’t feel all that standard.
The Cloudveil rooms very much feel western and a part of Wyoming without cheesy, cowboy hat-infused decor.
Related: Guide to using Marriott suite upgrades
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
There are headboards inspired by saddle blankets, horseshoe-shaped pulls on the drawers and the bathroom sink even evokes thoughts of a trough with wagon wheel-shaped hardware.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
You’ll see a mix of natural materials such as leather and wood through the room.
Thankfully, it’s not just style — there’s clearly lots of substance and thought in the design of the Cloudveil’s rooms. Our 450-square-foot room with two queen beds had ample closet and drawer storage, plenty of hooks for jackets or wet swimsuits and perhaps best of all, there’s a small area for sitting or eating.
Perfect for when you need to work on the road — or simply have kids looking for a place for a snack (that’s not the bed) — this is a trend I hope to see in more hotels.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
In acknowledgment of the connected life lived in 2021, the bedside table had four power outlets.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
As someone who sometimes struggles with overly complicated lighting systems in hotel rooms, I was thrilled that this one uses simple knobs and on and off switches.
While I didn’t stay in one of the hotel’s 11 suites on this trip, I did get to sneak a peek at a one-bedroom suite — and it was simply gorgeous.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
The aesthetic was the same, but this suite had a legitimate living area with a fireplace and half-bath.
The bedroom portion of the suite was very similar to the standard room, but the bathrooms in the suites are home to a special amenity you may crave at the end of a long day hiking in the parks … a soaking tub.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
While we didn’t have a soaking tub in our standard room, the shower’s temperature and water pressure were truly divine.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
I’m not one to get all worked up about hotel soaps, but the Grown Alchemist soaps and lotions were definitely high-end, which was appreciated given the drying altitude and climate in this part of Wyoming.
If I were to nitpick, the pillows were overly fluffy to the point of being a bit hard to arrange if you’re a picky pillow user as I am. Since they are brand-new, this likely will just naturally improve with time. What may not improve so easily is that we did hear a fair amount of noise from the hallway.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
The room doors are very sturdy, so you hear when they shut around you, but we also heard a fair amount of just normal talking as groups passed by the room. This didn’t bother us, but if you are sensitive to such things, bring earplugs or your white noise app.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
While my room was provided by the hotel for the first look, my parents were also on the trip with us, so I booked their room with 50,000 Marriott points per night, which felt painful but turned out to be a bargain.
The award rates on most nights that remain available this summer are 70,000 Marriott points per night, with cash prices in the $800 to $1,000 range. As a Category 7 Marriott property, the award price range varies from 50,000 to 70,000 points per night. But if you can snag a night at 50,000 points as we did, it’s an absolutely tremendous use of a Marriott 50,000-point certificate that’s available with some Marriott credit cards.
However, regardless of whether you book with points or cash, there is an unfortunate $38-per-night destination fee charged, which goes even higher to $48 per night in the winter months. And unfortunately, that fee doesn’t include parking. Street parking is free, and there’s a lot behind the hotel, but it isn’t always very easy to find a spot in this busy part of town.
Valet parking is simple and done by friendly valets who will park your car under the hotel, but know that it tacks on another $30-per-night charge.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)The amenities
The pantry
On each floor of the Cloudveil, there is a “pantry” stocked with drinks and snacks periodically throughout the day. This was a godsend for an on-the-go family in a pricey, busy town.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Sometimes when we’d walk by, there would be sparkling water and potato chips or trail mix.
But then, other times, the snacks got even better. Single-serve locally made artisan ice cream bowls in flavors such as salted caramel, huckleberry and cookies and cream were the highlight of our stay.
The rooftop
If you stay at the Cloudveil, you really should get as close to the clouds as you can up on the roof.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Whether you use this space for your morning coffee routine, to eat a pizza from nearby Pinky G’s or to savor a cocktail such as the Rosé French at sunset, it’s a can’t-miss part of the property. The hotel plans to eventually offer yoga, stargazing and other classes and experiences in this space.
The pool and hot tub
On the first level of the Cloudveil, you’ll find a relatively compact but still enjoyable pool and hot tub.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
During the warm, sunny part of the day, there were often more people here than I would have guessed, given the plethora of other things to do in the Jackson area. We would head out there in the last hour or two when the area was open (it closes at 9 p.m.) and would soak away the day’s activities without very many other hotel guests around.
The pool was heated just a bit to cut the chill that lingers in the mountain air, but it was still far too chilly for me. However, the hot tub was a divine treat for all of us, big and small.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)The Bistro
Connected to the hotel’s lobby is The Bistro. The Bistro may technically be newly opened, but it’s being run with experience behind it. The Fine Dining Restaurant Group behind this restaurant runs many other popular spots in the area, so it’s authentically local.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
If you have Marriott Platinum status, you can have up to a $50 breakfast credit here included as your check-in amenity option. The charge was taken off the bill correctly at check-out.
On the breakfast menu, you’ll find options such as huckleberry pancakes ($13), housemade granola ($12), biscuits and gravy ($14), beignets ($8) and a warm basket of housemade scones and biscuits ($8).
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Dinner brings with it a much more bustling crowd (make reservations) and menu items such as tuna tartare ($14), shrimp croquettes ($15), duck confit ($29), herb-roasted chicken ($23) and a Bistro burger ($17).
Don’t panic if your kids have a limited palate — there’s still a kids burger, mac and cheese and chicken fingers available. The Bistro has both indoor and outdoor seating available.
I enjoyed the tuna tartare so much I ordered it again the second night of our stay to enjoy as the kids swam in the pool and hot tub.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
The Rosé French, housemade granola, herb-roasted chicken and huckleberry pancakes were the favorite options sampled in our group.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
You can also order the food from The Bistro to go or via room service. Pro tip: If it is really busy, just get your order to go and take it up to the rooftop.
Service
It wasn’t just the location, high-end soaps, luxe furnishings and stocked pantry that made our stay what it was. It’s always the people that can make or break a stay, and Cloudveil has good people. There are easily accessible “pathfinders” in the lobby that serve in the concierge role to help you plan out your day.
The valet, bell staff, housekeeping, food service and front desk staff we crossed paths with were all very kind, patient and informative … even when I made a literal hot mess by dropping my coffee all over the floor.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
It is a brand-new hotel, so some things do take a minute or two longer than what you’ll find in a hotel that’s been running for several years. But while we did hit a few slowdowns at times, for the most part, we wouldn’t have known the hotel had been open less than two weeks if we didn’t know the opening date.
Overall impression
The Cloudveil is a rare gem of a hotel that has a five-star location and looks and feels high-end without being stuffy or pretentious.
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Being right on Jackson’s Town Square with a rooftop patio, hot tub with a view of Snow King Mountain and a valet who will safely park your car under the hotel instead of you searching for scarcely available parking was a dream.
Getting to stay in a gorgeous, thoughtfully designed room while earning or using Marriott points is icing on the cake.
View from the Cloudveil rooftop. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
While I don’t like the mandatory destination fee tacked onto the already pricey stay, I absolutely loved our time at the Cloudveil. If you can find availability at that off-peak price point, I’d venture to say it is the best use of a 50,000-point Marriott certificate in the U.S.
New hotels aren’t always ready for prime time right out of the gate, but this one was more prepared than most.
The Cloudveil opened right as travel was surging, at the right time and in the right place. There’s no doubt that many travelers seeking a dose of luxury that’s also close to the beauty of the great outdoors will find that perfect mix at the Cloudveil this summer and well beyond.
Featured photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy.
#MommyPoints #NewMarriott #S-travel #NationalPark #Marriott
