Checking in on progress
Arizona Biltmore underwent $70 million renovation during pandemic
Closed for more than a year, the Arizona Biltmore hotel will reopen May 1, revealing an enchanting makeover designed to propel the resort’s Gatsby-era Art Deco décor into a modern desert oasis theme, just in time to welcome back travelers looking for post-vaccination trips. ● The Biltmore, with its famed Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architecture and deep history of hosting celebrities and presidents, is no stranger to closures, having shut down for the hot Phoenix summers in the years before air conditioning. ● Yet this time was different. When the last guests left the Biltmore on March 27, 2020, more than 650 hotel employees found themselves furloughed in what was supposed to be a temporary closure.
Instead, the resort sat quietly through the summer and into the winter and spring. While some of the closure was due to the pandemic, the hotel also used the time to update its look and amenities without disturbing guests.
Now, the Biltmore is aflutter with activity and a new general manager guiding it through the reopening.
$70 million in renovations
Abby Murtagh, who arrived in January after serving as general manager at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center, took The Republic on a tour of the more than $70 million in renovations to the 39acre property just a couple of weeks before it opens to the public.
“I was so excited to, after the pandemic, come and put all this creative energy into something that people are just going to love to experience when they feel safe to travel again,” Murtagh said.
Construction crews were putting the finishing touches on the cottages, pools and restaurants. Hotel staff were undergoing training in the lobby, preparing for guests to arrive in just days.
Murtagh said it felt like breathing oxygen again after a year that has challenged the hospitality industry.
“It is emotional for everybody. We can feel it with the team members as we’re training and learning and getting ready to fully embrace the new Arizona Biltmore,” Murtagh said.
What’s new at the hotel
Some of the updates are subtle, such
as restoring the ceiling of the Gold Room leaf by leaf as well as cleaning and restoring the signature Art Deco “Biltmore blocks.”
Designed by Albert Chase McArthur, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, the lines on the blocks were inspired by the trunks of palm trees and are placed through the resort. Some have been discolored and damaged over the years. The designer of the new interior worked with a company to recast and replace some of the damaged blocks.
Other updates are more obvious, meant to dazzle guests.
Just through the patio doors from the lobby, a new bar with blue and white tile feathering like a peacock serves as a focal point to the outdoors. Called the Spire Bar, it boasts a spire tower that changes color.
Behind it, the former grassy area among the cottages now hosts a new adults-only pool with a 140-year-old saguaro cactus as its centerpiece. Aptly called the Saguaro Pool, the 21-and-older amenity is decorated with imported Milano tiles and has decorative mosaic tile seats imported from Italy. A bar will sell drinks and light bites.
The Paradise Pool has undergone a facelift to make it more kid-friendly. Two 65-foot-tall spiral water slides tower above the pool, which also has a splash pad. Instead of tent-like cabanas outdoors, the ones at the Paradise Pool are indoors, with some cabana suites offering private bathrooms. The swim-up bar remains and has had its own stylish upgrades.
A new spa and fitness center sit alongside the Paradise Pool.
The resort also upgraded its 41 cottages to a contemporary desert design, providing terraces and patios.
Back inside the hotel, the restaurant
will relaunch as Renata’s which, according to the resort, will take its cues from cuisine from “Central and South America, touting smoked and grill cooking and unique mezcals and tequilas.”
The Wright Bar has moved closer to the restaurant and, much like the Spire Bar, boasts intricate tile work resembling a peacock’s feathers. The bar will serve craft cocktails.
Getting ready for summer
Murtagh said she hopes that when the Biltmore reopens, it’s a place where people can reconnect after a difficult year.
She’s optimistic with the demand so far, even as the resort opens on the brink of Phoenix’s triple-digit summer heat.
A quick check of the hotel’s reservation website on April 12 showed resort rooms going for $300 a night and the
updated cottage rooms offered at $620 a night for a midweek stay in June.
What does the resort expect in the upcoming months? Will guests be staycationers or out-of-town travelers? What will bookings look like?
Murtagh said all rules are out the door. She said the Biltmore is being measured in its reopening, so it can give guests the experience they expect at the iconic property.
“This summer we will be delighted and surprised by how people are wanting to experience travel again,” Murtagh said. “And we hope that they come in great numbers however they feel safe to do so.”