Camelback Inn

Camelback Inn
General information
Location 5402 East Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, Arizona, USA, 85253
Opening December 15, 1936
Owner Marriott International
Management JW Marriott Hotels
Design and construction
Developer Jack Stewart
Website
www.camelbackinn.com

Camelback Inn (officially titled: JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort and Spa) is a historic resort and spa owned by JW Marriott Hotels and located on the southern slope of Mummy Mountain in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Established in 1936 by Jack Stewart and John C. Lincoln, the resort's popularity among Hollywood celebrities and political leaders made it a significant contributor to the region's growth.[1] In 2012, Camelback Inn was one of three North American hotels which had maintained a AAA 5-Diamond rating since the award's inception in 1975.[2] In 2013, AAA reduced the hotel's status to four diamonds.[3]

History

In the 1930s, Jack Stewart, a sportswriter and publicist from Fargo, North Dakota, wanted to build a pueblo-style hotel which could reflect Southwestern and Native American culture rather than the more commonplace dude ranch-style resort. Stewart's project was funded by John C. Lincoln, an industrialist and founder of Lincoln Electric, who provided $200,000 and the land which Lincoln owned between the slopes of Mummy and Camelback Mountains. The property was remote desert scrub land located 12 miles (19 km) outside Phoenix and had no water, electricity or telephone access. The resort was constructed of adobe bricks which were made on the site.[4] The rooms were housed in small adobe casitas (Spanish for "small houses"), each named after local cacti and decorated with Native American art.[5]

Camelback Inn opened on December 15, 1936 with the slogan "Where Time Stands Still". There were accommodations for 77 guests.[4] Despite the poor economy of the Great Depression, the resort became an immediate success by catering to a wealthy clientele.[5]

Stewart operated Camelback Inn as a part-owner until 1968. The resort was acquired in 1968 by Bill Marriott of Marriott International who had first stayed at the resort with his parents as a 16-year-old in 1948. At the time of Marriott's purchase, Camelback Inn was still a seasonal winter resort with 170 rooms and no air conditioning.[6]

In March 2003, the hotel was officially rebranded by its parent corporation as Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa.[7] Camelback Inn underwent a $45 million expansion and renovation in 2008 which included the addition of a new ballroom and two restaurants.[6]

Accommodations

Camelback Inn provides 453 casitas (Spanish for "small houses") including 18 larger suites, some with private swimming pools, across a 125-acre (0.51 km2) property.[8] There is a spa with a fitness room, aerobics room, six tennis courts, volleyball court, basketball court and pitch-and-putt golf. There are two heated pools: the spa lap pool and the "JackRabbit" pool with food and beverage service. The resort incorporates the Camelback Golf Club with two 18-hole golf courses.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Felt, Susan. "Camelback Inn Endures". Arizona Republic date=April 16, 2006.
  2. ↑ De Lollis, Barbara (November 5, 2009). "113 hotels get AAA's top award". USA Today.
  3. ↑ De Lollis, Barbara (January 21, 2013). "Sneak peek: AAA's Five Diamond hotels for 2013". USA Today. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  4. 1 2 Driggs, Gary (2008). Images of America: Camelback Mountain. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 73–79. ISBN 978-0-7385-4840-1.
  5. 1 2 Logan, Michael (October 2006). Desert cities: the environmental history of Phoenix and Tucson. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 128–129. ISBN 0-8229-4294-1.
  6. 1 2 Hogan, Donna (March 27, 2008). "Camelback Inn in middle of $45M makeover". East Valley Tribune.
  7. ↑ Staff (December 13, 2003). "Camelback Inn getting prestigious name change". East Valley Tribune.
  8. ↑ Michelle Grimm, "The West's Hottest Desert Resorts", Orange Coast Magazine, September 1992, p.74
  9. ↑ Lesley King, Karl Samson, Shane Christensen, Don Laine, Barbara Laine, Frommer's American Southwest, Volume 21, Frommers (2003), p.399

External links

Coordinates: 33°32′03″N 111°57′53″W / 33.5341°N 111.9648°W / 33.5341; -111.9648

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