Arizona Biltmore

The Arizona Biltmore is one of Phoenix's most elegant hotels, it's also an architectural landmark,and it's design influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. It's one of the Phoenix area's most well-known sights.

Arizona Biltmore as a Top Sight

Although many people think Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Arizona Biltmore, the architect of record is Albert Chase McArthur. Wright consulted on the project and architecture historians and Wright aficionados argue endlessly about who designed what, but the end result is what's important to most visitors.

Built using the earth that surrounds it as part of its building materials, its exteriors adorned with cement blocks cast in the Arizona Biltmore special pattern and its lobby sporting the world's second-largest gold-leaf ceiling, the Arizona Biltmore was built for elegance. The hotel celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2004, as stylish as the day it opened.

This architecture lover rates the Arizona Biltmore 5 out of 5 for the visual feast it serves up.

The restaurants are open to the public, as is the bar. If your budget doesn't accommodate an overnight stay, you can still stop by to look around or have a bite to eat. For the best view during your meal, opt for something from the cafe, sitting at one of the tables nearby. The view of green lawn surrounded by palm trees that frame mountain vistas is the best entertainment you could get.

Frank Lloyd Wright fans: A visit to Taliesin West followed by a night at the Arizona Biltmore is an exceptional treat. Don't miss the Arizona Biltmore history tour offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Arizona Biltmore as a Hotel

Since it opened in 1929, the Arizona Biltmore has received countless awards, including the Conde Nast Gold List, Travel & Leisure World's Best, Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and Zagat's 50 Best. Perhaps the best comment I can submit is that my traveling companion and I have logged thousands of hotel nights over the past ten years, and from the moment we set foot inside the lobby, we were both in awe of the place, as if we had never seen a luxury hotel before.

The hotel's rooms are nice and comfortable, everything you'd expect from a top hotel, but it's the Arizona Biltmore architecture and public spaces that set it apart. We rate it 4 out of 5 as a hotel, a bit too expensive for rooms that seem mundane, perhaps suffering in comparison to the world-class architecture that surrounds them.

If price is a concern, rates are lowest between mid-May and late September.

Getting to the Arizona Biltmore

2400 East Missouri
Phoenix, AZ 85016
602-955-6600
Arizona Biltmore Website

When you get there, you can self-park or use the valet service for a fee.