Historic hotels in Phoenix where famous people have stayed: Video
From ghosts to architecture to stunning scenery, these are the top historic hotels in Phoenix, Scottsdale and across the Valley of the Sun.
Trophies are piling up for Arizona’s tourism industry.
Each day, it seems like there’s a new award or accolade for the Grand Canyon State and what it has to offer.
Arizona’s luxe wellness resorts, must-visit cities and towns, and airports with expanded traveler experiences have all received national recognition in the last 12 months.
Whether it’s the Wall Street Journal touting Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport as the best in the U.S., or Atlas Obscura naming a historic mining town one of the best places in the world to visit in 2024, each accolade highlights just one of the myriad of reasons why people want to visit Arizona.
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Why is Arizona getting so much love lately?
Joshua Coddington, spokesman for the Arizona Office of Tourism, thinks the reason Arizona’s hotels and destinations receive national acclaim is because they offer exceptional experiences that make travelers want to come back.
“The overall view of Arizona, one of the things is its diversity of geography and diversity of small towns to visit as well,” he said. “We worked for many years in promoting the view of Arizona that includes the desert places and the amazing sunsets we’re well known for.
“But we also have other towns like Flagstaff, being an amazing place for outdoor opportunities and dark skies, (and) the amazing breweries they have there. And in southern Arizona, we have a lot of towns originally based on mining that have evolved into unique art scenes or one of a kind restaurants or great access to national or state parks.”
As for Arizona’s hotels, Coddington thinks the way they harness their surroundings — for example, offering golfing, hiking and wine tastings as amenities — is one of their strongest points.
“Our Arizona resorts really deliver on making great experiences,” he said.
Best Arizona hotels and resorts in 2024
Travel + Leisure readers said these are their ultimate Arizona hotels in 2024, based on service, amenities and quality of experience. One of the properties on the list is Castle Hot Springs, a historic hot springs wellness resort that opened in 1896.
Four of the hotels in the top 10 of that ranking, plus Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson, appeared in Travel + Leisure’s 2024 T+L 500 list recognizing the best hotels in the world.
Esquire included The Global Ambassador, a hotel from James Beard Award-nominated restaurateur Sam Fox that opened in December 2023, in its 2024 list of the 41 best hotels in North America and Europe. It was the first Arizona hotel recognized in Esquire’s list.
Twelve Phoenix resorts were named in Forbes Travel Guide’s 2024 Star Awards, honoring the best in luxury travel. One resort, the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain in Marana, received a five-star rating.
U.S. News & World Report awarded 42 Arizona hotels and resorts with a Gold Badge for outstanding experiences. It named Enchantment Resort in Sedona the No. 1 Arizona hotel.
Conde Nast Traveler’s 2023 list of the best hotels in the Southwest and West was dominated by Arizona hotels, with four placing on the list. That included the top 2: L’Auberge de Sedona and the Hermosa Inn.
Wine Spectator magazine named the historic Arizona Biltmore an outstanding hotel for wine lovers in a November 2023 feature.
Best US airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport received recognition in recent months for its customer experience. Most notably, it was named the best U.S. airport of 2023 in the Wall Street Journal’s annual best U.S. airports ranking.
Claims management company AirHelp ranked Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport one of the top 10 U.S. airports of 2024. It was recognized in part because of improvements in on-time performance and customer service.
AirHelp also recognized Sky Harbor as one of the top 10 airports where passengers are least likely to have their flight disrupted.
One of Sky Harbor’s new restaurants that opened in 2024 received recognition as well. The Phoenix Magazine Cafe and Market, the first dining concept to open at the Rental Car Center, was named the best new quick-service airport food and beverage concept by Airports Council International-North America.
Best Arizona travel spots 2024
Bisbee, the historic Cochise County mining center that’s now a charming small town with art galleries and ghost tours, gained a higher profile in recent months with two placements on national lists.
First, Travel Lemming named it one of the 50 best U.S. places to visit in 2024. Months later, Atlas Obscura included Bisbee on its inaugural Wanderlist, the only U.S. destination featured.
CNN Travel contributors compiled their first list of America’s Best Towns to Visit, designed to highlight smaller cities with plentiful things to do. Flagstaff ranked in the top 10 for its stargazing and adventure opportunities.
Sedona and Scottsdale were ranked among the most popular U.S. destinations to visit in 2024 in Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards.
Sedona was also named the second-most romantic U.S. small town in a ranking from New York Travel Guides, and Scottsdale also topped LawnStarter’s list of the top 25 golf cities in the U.S., which included five Arizona cities.
Sedona also did well in a Tripadvisor restaurant ranking; in September 2023, its users ranked the Golden Goose American Grill the No. 7 U.S. restaurant for everyday eats. On the same survey, BirdHouse in Page was ranked the No. 6 quick bite restaurant. (This reporter can say BirdHouse is well worth the hype.)
Horseshoe Bend, the point where the Colorado River meanders named for its resemblance to a horseshoe, was the No. 14 U.S. attraction in Tripadvisor’s 2024 Travelers’ Choice Awards. It outranked national icons like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
Sedona Adventure Tours’ Water to Wine Tours, combining a Verde River paddle with a wine tasting at Alcantara Vineyard in Camp Verde, was the No. 25 food and drink experience in the Tripadvisor survey.
Architectural Digest listed seven Arizona cities among the best destinations for snowbirds. Three of them were ranked top 10.
Travel + Leisure named Chandler’s long-running holiday tradition, a tumbleweed Christmas tree displayed every year at Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, the best Christmas light display in Arizona.
And The Arizona Republic readers are voting for the state’s top getaway destination in our Best Arizona Road Trip bracket. It’s down to the final two cities. Here’s where you can cast your vote for the winner.
Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.
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Publish date : 2024-07-17 02:01:00
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