Phoenician Resort facts for kids
| Phoenician Resort | |
| Hotel facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | 6000 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 33°30′26″N 111°56′59″W / 33.50722°N 111.94972°W |
| Opening date | October 1, 1988 |
| Architect | Killingsworth, Stricker, Lindgren, Wilson and Associates |
| Management | The Luxury Collection |
| No. of restaurants | 9 |
| No. of rooms | 643 |
The Phoenician Resort is a fancy hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was built on the land where the old Jokake Inn used to be. The resort first opened its doors in 1988. A businessman named Charles Keating helped create it. The Phoenician Resort has won a special award called the AAA Five-Diamond rating, which means it's one of the best hotels around!
The Story of the Phoenician
In 1985, a businessman named Charles Keating bought a large piece of land near Camelback Mountain. This land included the old Jokake Inn and a spa called Maine Chance Spa. He also bought three other places: the Paradise Inn, the Valley Country Club, and the El Estribo Lodge.
Keating wanted to build an amazing, world-class resort. He even imagined it would be like the "eighth wonder of the world"! To make it super special, he brought in white marble from Italy for the lobby. Workers from Tonga helped create the beautiful tropical gardens around the hotel.
The Phoenician was very expensive to build, costing over $300 million. It opened on October 1, 1988. When it first opened, it had 604 rooms and many smaller guest houses called casitas. The dome in the hotel's lobby was covered with real 24-karat gold!
The resort also had a huge cactus garden with over 250 different kinds of cacti. It was the second-largest cactus garden in Arizona at the time. Plus, the hotel bought nine Steinway grand pianos, which was the biggest order that company had ever received!
After a short time, the government took over the resort from Charles Keating. This happened because of some financial problems he had. For a little while, people even called the resort "Club Fed" as a joke! The government then sold the resort to a group from Kuwait. They had already owned part of the hotel and bought the rest for $111.5 million.
In 1994, the Kuwaiti owners sold the resort to ITT Sheraton. Later, in 1998, a company called Starwood took over ITT Sheraton. The Phoenician continued to grow and improve. In 2010, a new ballroom was added, costing $40 million.
Between 2010 and 2012, the resort spent $80 million on more upgrades. They even created a special "resort within a resort" called the Canyon Suites. This unique area has 60 rooms, including many suites, and two very fancy presidential suites. The resort also has an art collection worth $25 million!
In 2015, a company called Host Hotels & Resorts bought the Phoenician from Starwood. As of 2016, the resort has 643 rooms and sits on 250 acres of land. It has eleven restaurants, nine swimming pools, and eleven tennis courts. It's the only resort in Arizona with four different types of tennis court surfaces!
The Phoenician also has a huge 27-hole golf course. It was designed by famous golf course architects Ted Robinson and Homer Flint. This golf course is so good that it's rated as a championship course. It's made up of three smaller 9-hole courses, each with its own special feel. The hotel even uses solar panels to help power the resort, which is great for the environment!
Awards and Special Honors
The Phoenician Resort has won many awards over the years. In 1994, it received its first five-star rating from the Mobil Travel Guide. This guide is now called the Forbes Travel Guide. Since then, the hotel has earned either a five-star or four-star award every single year. This shows how amazing and high-quality the Phoenician Resort is!
