Early years Warren McArthur Jr. and brother Charles McArthur, along with
John McEntee Bowman, the entrepreneur behind the
Biltmore Hotel chain, constructed the Arizona Biltmore. The Arizona Biltmore's
architect of record is
Albert Chase McArthur (brother of the hotel owners), yet the design is often mistakenly attributed to
Frank Lloyd Wright. This is due to Wright's on-site consulting for four months in 1928 relating to the "Textile Block" construction used in the hotel. Albert McArthur had been a draftsman for Wright, and specifically asked Wright to assist with implementing the textile block system, which became a signature element of the hotel's appearance. The hotel has similarities to several Wright buildings, especially in the main lobby, owing to a strong imprint of the unit block design that Wright had utilized on four residential buildings in the Los Angeles area six years earlier. McArthur is indisputably the architect as original linen drawings of the hotel in the Arizona State University Library archives attest, as does a 1929 feature article in
Architectural Record magazine. The two architects are a study in contrast with the famous and outspoken Wright being self-taught and never licensed as an architect in Arizona. The more soft-spoken McArthur was Harvard-trained in architecture, mathematics, engineering, and music. McArthur obtained an architect's license in Arizona, number 338, in 1925, the year he arrived in Phoenix to begin his practice. Adding to the confusion, Frank Lloyd Wright influences have been added to the property over the years. This includes a stained glass window design entitled "Saguaro Forms and Cactus Flowers" that Wright designed as a magazine cover for
Liberty Magazine in 1926. It was fabricated by
Taliesin students and installed during the 1973 hotel renovations and restoration. Reproductions of the geometric 'sprite' statues originally designed by Wright and sculpted by
Alfonso Iannelli for the 1915
Midway Gardens project in Chicago are placed around the property. Also, the original hotel solarium was converted to a restaurant in 1973 and since the mid-1990s has been named 'Wright's'. Three onsite restaurants bear Wright's name: Wright's at the Biltmore, The Wright Bar, and Frank & Albert's. The hotel opened on February 23, 1929.
William Wrigley Jr. becomes full owner In 1930, the McArthurs (the owners) lost control of the property to one of their primary investors,
William Wrigley Jr., who became full owner. The nearby
Wrigley Mansion was built in 1931 and now operates as a private club. In March 1952,
Ronald and
Nancy Reagan spent their honeymoon at the resort. Their favorite cottage in the resort was Cottage I. It was announced immediately by the new owners that this famed hotel would be rebuilt in 90 days and opened on schedule for its regular winter season the last week of September 1973. The prompt re-building included new custom designed carpets throughout the hotel, new furniture for guest rooms and public areas, new restaurant kitchen equipment, and renovated public interiors throughout the hotel. "Saguaros", a design by Wright for the cover of
Liberty Magazine, was fabricated by Taliesin students during the remodeling of the hotel and was installed in the lobby. Three separate crews were employed around the clock. In the wee hours before opening day, the final carpets were laid and the deadline had been met by a partnership of the owner, Talley Industries, the general contractor, J.R. Porter Construction Co., and the architect,
Taliesin Associated Architects. In 1979 the Taliesin-designed 120-room Valley Wing and a 39,000 square foot conference center opened. In 1982 the 109-room Terrace Court Wing was added, a Taliesin design similar to the existing architecture. General contractor for the Terrace Court was D. L. Construction.
Change of ownership In 1979, the hotel was taken over by the
Rostland Corporation. In 1983, it became a
Leper DBL Biltmore Association property, and in 1992 it was re-sold, to the
Grossman Properties. A spa was opened in 1998. In 2011, the hotel filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with lenders including
Paulson & Co., Winthrop Realty Trust and Capital Trust foreclosed on 8 of the former CNL hotels. in 2013, the owners reached a deal to sell the Biltmore and three other properties to the
Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. Blackstone acquired the Arizona Biltmore in 2018. Hilton operated it as a member of their luxury Waldorf-Astoria Collection until May 2024, when it was transferred to their LXR Hotels & Resorts line. Blackstone sold the Arizona Biltmore to Henderson Park and Pyramid Global Hospitality in 2024.
Other notable events In 2004, while doing a campaign stop in
Arizona, United States president
George W. Bush slept there, under strict security measures. Over 200 policemen,
Secret Service agents and bomb-sniffing dogs were at hand. Former
Louisiana Gov.
Buddy Roemer acted as master of ceremonies for the evening's entertainment earlier in the evening, in the ballroom. == Hotel features ==