Maven STAY
“You can’t fully exhale in a place where you feel like you don’t belong. I wanted to create a space where people feel safe the moment they walk through the door.” Opened in 2023, Maven STAY is not your typical hotel. It is not marked by grand lobbies or sterile hallways. Instead, it feels like a quiet invitation to slow down, to settle in. It does not aim for flash. Rather, it welcomes guests with softness, warmth, and a deep sense of care.
Tucked into the heart of Salt Lake City’s Maven District, the twelve-suite Maven STAY boutique hotel is the latest realization of Tessa Arneson’s vision: to build spaces where wellness, beauty, and belonging live side by side. Each suite at Maven Stay was designed by Tessa herself, blending comfort with calm. “I wanted it to feel like your friend’s beautiful home, not like you’re passing through. Like you’ve landed somewhere.” Every piece - from the rugs to the lamps, the art to the throws - was chosen with intention. Many items were repurposed or sourced from local vintage shops, giving each space character and soul. “I didn’t just want it to be pretty. I wanted it to feel like it means something.” The rooms feel more like thoughtfully curated apartments than hotel suites - full of natural textures, layered lighting, local artwork, and cozy, lived-in details.
The hotel grew organically out of the Maven DISTRICT, which Tessa began building with the 2017 opening of her first business, Maven STRONG, a contemporary Pilates studio that quickly attracted a loyal following. But she envisioned more than just a studio. What she really wanted was a neighborhood - a community rooted in health, creativity, and inclusivity. Over time, she brought in other women-owned and wellness-driven businesses. “I’ve always been passionate about supporting women,” Tessa said. “There’s so much power in creating a district where we can build each other up, where the focus is on purpose over profit.”
As the district evolved, so did the needs of its visitors. “We had people coming in from out of town for retreats, weddings, recovery, or just to be part of this energy we’re cultivating,” she explained. “But there wasn’t anywhere to stay that really aligned with what we were doing here. So, I thought, let’s create it ourselves.”
That intention is clear in every square foot of Maven STAY. It was designed to serve people at all stages - guests celebrating, recovering, escaping, or simply seeking rest. “We’ve had people stay after surgeries, during fertility treatments, or just when they need to reset,” Tessa said. “They tell us, ‘This doesn’t feel like a hotel. It feels like someone thought about me.’”
Maven STAY is stocked with comforts that prioritize well-being: filtered water, high-quality bedding, warm lighting, and a sense of quiet. Guests are steps away from healing spaces, hair salons, skincare, acupuncture, Pilates, and a mix of local shops, restaurants, and events. “It’s a whole ecosystem,” Tessa said. “And Maven STAY is the heart of that hospitality.”
For Tessa, creating Maven STAY was never about simply filling rooms. It was about deepening a mission - creating a space for people to feel held, especially those often overlooked in traditional hospitality models. The message Is always the same: "You belong here. Rest is radical. Hospitality is healing. That’s what we are all about.”
