When the Holiday Inn Express in Bountiful was scheduled for demolition, hundreds of beds, desks, chairs, and tables faced an uncertain fate. Instead of sending these furnishings to a landfill, they found new homes — thanks to a collaboration between Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area and the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT). Together, we transformed demolition into opportunity, creating lasting impact for families, nonprofits, and communities across Utah.
Turning Transition into Renewal
Before the building came down, UDOT reached out to Habitat to help clear out the hotel. Our Habitat ReStore team immediately stepped in, moving furniture and household items into our retail locations.
For low- to moderate-income families, these furnishings weren’t just items — they were a chance to bring stability, comfort, and dignity into their homes.
At ReStore, shoppers now access high-quality, affordable furniture while knowing every purchase directly supports our mission of building homes, communities, and hope.
Habitat Cares in Action
Through our Habitat Cares program, valuable resources extended beyond ReStore to nonprofits across the state. Together, we partnered with organizations serving Utah’s most vulnerable communities:
- Ability Inclusion Services — We set aside 12 complete bedroom sets (queen bed with frame, armoire, dresser) for their new facility in West Valley, creating welcoming spaces for residents.
- Asian Association of Utah — With support from Jess Haro at Rooms Restored and the Malouf Foundation, we donated lobby furniture to furnish a dedicated meeting space for trafficking survivors.
- Utah Women in Trades — Volunteers from this group helped us move hotel furniture and materials into trucks. They also gained access to deeply discounted linens, towels, and lamps — resources that support women entering skilled trades.
- The Other Side Academy — We provided mattress sets for their residential program and resale stores. In return, their team assisted with logistics, multiplying the reach of our shared mission.
Our ReStore delivery drivers and dock workers managed logistics and ensured every piece reached the right destination. For The Other Side Academy, the addition of new beds meant expanding their capacity and welcoming more people into safe, stable housing — a measurable increase in lives transformed.
Building Beyond the Hotel Walls
This collaboration demonstrates that Habitat’s work goes far beyond hammers and nails. By partnering with UDOT, nonprofits, and families, we gave hundreds of items a second life — turning waste into opportunity.
- For ReStore shoppers: Affordable furnishings that transform a house into a home.
- For nonprofits: Resources that strengthen programs and extend community impact.
- For individuals served: The gift of a bed, a desk, or a table — along with dignity, stability, and hope.
Together, We Build Hope
Every demolition is also a chance to build something greater. The story of the Holiday Inn Express didn’t end with rubble; it lives on in homes, classrooms, workshops, and safe places for recovery across Utah.
When we work together, we turn transition into transformation. And that’s what Habitat does best: bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope.
You can join this story. Every purchase at our Habitat ReStore helps build affordable housing right here in our community. By donating gently used items or choosing to shop sustainably, you help us reduce waste, support families, and create brighter futures across Utah.
Visit our local Habitat ReStore to shop or donate gently used items by visiting our donation website: https://restore.habitatsaltlake.org/
