Travel and tourism have been big industries in the Phoenix area for decades. Visitors from the east coast or Midwest have headed to the Valley looking for something different, or maybe just some sunshine.
We’re exploring the history and future of resorts, and the Valley as a resort community in a series called Last Resorts. To do that, we’re traveling from Paradise Valley to Litchfield Park, visiting some of the Valley’s oldest – and newest – resorts, and hearing how they’ve impacted the region from art and architecture to how people all over the world view the West.
For a lot of people, both those who live here and those who don't, when they think of resorts in this area, they think of Scottsdale. And the city does have a number of resorts and has for quite some time. And when you walk into one of the oldest that's still standing, the Hotel Valley Ho, you immediately get a 1950s vibe.
Ace Bailey is president of Ultimate Art and Cultural Tours and a part-time concierge at the Valley Ho. The Show's Mark Brodie joined her on a recent tour.
Full conversation
ACE BAILEY: Scottsdale incorporated in 1951. We had the moniker “the West’s most Western town” which I think is silly because we were the West’s most Midwestern town. This was all farmland around here, but it doesn't market very well if we call it the West’s most Midwestern town.
MARK BRODIE: The hotel opened in December 1956. And after a rise and fall and eventual closure and sale, it reopened in December 2005, Bailey gives tours of the Valley Ho, where she talks about its history and efforts to maintain its midcentury modern charm.
I joined a recent one and learned about how the hotel's original owners helped recruit a well-known clientele in the Valley Ho’s early years.
BAILEY: And Hollywood starts coming here instead of going to Palm Springs because we are also 8 miles from the airport, two lanes, one in either direction, partially dirt. We are inconvenient to get to, which means the paparazzi won't follow them. They can come here, maintain their anonymity and recreate and relax. Immediately successful.
While this hotel is being built, the Safari was being built, Al Beetle-designed hotel over on Scottsdale Road. It's been torn down, I think, unfortunately. But a lot of changes have been made to it.
And Scottsdale is growing, other hotels are opening up. We're starting to incorporate to the north slowly.
BRODIE: Bailey takes us through the lobby, the spa and the outdoor pool area and then she moves us into an elevator.
BAILEY: So if you have cameras, if you wanna take any pictures, this is a wonderful opportunity to do so. We're gonna go to the right first.
BRODIE: The doors open, and we’re on the hotel's roof with views of Camelback Mountain, downtown Phoenix and Old Town Scottsdale.
BAILEY: And in my opinion, which is the only one that matters right. This is the best view of Scottsdale. Oh my God, that breeze. How wonderful. This is the best view of Scottsdale, I think from anywhere
BRODIE: Bailey says Scottsdale was able to carve out a niche as a resort town, both because of its weather, but also thanks to what she calls really good marketing. After the tour, I sat down with her and asked when Scottsdale really started seeing hospitality and resorts being an economic driver.
BAILEY: Well, it actually goes back further than like the, the ‘50s, beyond that, people were coming out here because once again because of the weather and for their health, that's one of the reasons Frank Lloyd Wright came out here.
But that's kind of when the resort started. And I'm gonna say, I would say maybe the ‘30s, ‘40s as opposed to just motels that people were coming here, you know, to stop by on their way to California and looking for a place to spend the night as a destination. I'd say that the ‘40s, Hollywood was starting to, to find out about us. And that played a big role in it, I'm sure.
BRODIE: Well, so was there sort of a heyday, like when Scottsdale really got put on the map as a place where you could come and have luxury and pools and maybe in the case of Hollywood get away from, from the paparazzi, and, you know, sort of have some quiet time? Like, was there sort of a time when Scottsdale was like the place, at least, you know, maybe for people on the West Coast to, to go travel to?
BAILEY: Well, the Arizona Biltmore was pulling, but that's Phoenix and if we want it, so it's, it's kind of a blurred line there because the Biltmore was pulling, you know, the silent film and, and the ‘40s, those actors and actresses. For Scottsdale, I'd have to say that we're probably looking at the, since Scottsdale didn't really incorporate until 1951, we're probably looking at the early ‘50s.
BRODIE: So when the Valley Ho opened, Scottsdale was of course a much smaller place than it is now. I mean, right now it's, you know, if you drive on the one on one, it's many, many exits to go from, from south to north. I'm curious in your mind what role hospitality, what role resorts have played in the growth and expansion of Scottsdale over the years?
BAILEY: Oh, I think a huge, a huge role because as you said, Scottsdale, when Scottsdale incorporated it was 1 square mile, and today it is a city that is approximately 33 miles north to south, I believe, and about 13 miles wide at its widest point. And the fact that people could come out here and still do and stay at these resorts and they go, wow, this would be a cool place to live. I, I think this is good.
And then we've got technology that has always been big here, believe it or not. So, I think the fact that people could come and stay here and get to know the area, enjoy the, the atmosphere and, you know, when you think just about Arizona in general, we can be in snow country and pine country in a couple of hours from the Sonoran Desert. So they see this diversification, and who wouldn't want to live here? Oh, shoot, I just realized that could probably be the reason why so many people move here.
BRODIE: Well, it's interesting you say the word diversification because it seems like for example, like if you drive up Scottsdale Road, there are any number of resorts and it, it seems like they each kind of try to do something different. Like the Valley Ho, which I know is not on Scottsdale Road, but you know, you reference, you know, it's got the midcentury modern look.
You have other places that are maybe more contemporary, you have other places that maybe, you know, try to have more of the different kinds of amenities. How do all of these places try to maybe differentiate themselves from each other? And is there a point at which like there are too many or, or enough resorts that, you know, Scottsdale doesn't maybe need anymore?
BAILEY: That's, that's tough because it's very difficult to differentiate because everybody is competing for the same market. And I think that that can really homogenize the experience if you will.
I mean, to look at all the resorts that I know, maybe they don't qualify as resorts, but the hotels that are opening up in old town, Scottsdale, they're all new with the exception of the Valley Ho, which is, I mean, that just the fact that it is historic is what differentiates it, in my opinion. And every, everyone, they're trying, they're following market trends to see what people want and a lot of them are, are experiencing.
I, I think it's really hard, you know, we have the resorts that are way up north, so they're in the middle of the desert, so they kind of have that diversity to them. And that's what some people are looking for. They're looking to be way away from everything and have the, the experience of being in the desert. When you're in right in the middle of Old Town Scottsdale, you've got the, well, as you know, access to everything. So that's a different type of clientele that you're looking for.
BRODIE: I would imagine it would be difficult, not only just sort of within Scottsdale, but within the entire Valley. I mean, it's not just Scottsdale that has resorts and, and other places to stay. I mean, you have Phoenix and Tempe and Glendale and, you know, all sorts, Mesa, all sorts of other places that, that visitors to the Valley can stay. So, not only do you have to differentiate yourself as Scottsdale but within Scottsdale.
BAILEY: Exactly. Exactly. So it's not just staying well, like, well, I'm parroting what you said, it's not staying relevant in Scottsdale. It's making sure that you're, is it crass to say, out marketing or doing a better job of marketing than the, the surrounding areas.
And Scottsdale just has the reputation of being very upscale. And I think due to the reputation that this city has built over the years, it has the advantage.
