The Arizona Biltmore
The front of the Arizona Biltmore.
History:
Located in central Phoenix, the Arizona Biltmore has been a staple landmark in Phoenix since the late ’20s. The property is sprawled across 39 acres covered in gardens, swimming pools, and amazing architecture. The Biltmore began construction in 1928, Under lead architect's Frank Lloyd Wright and Albert Chase McArthur. If you walk around the Biltmore, you will notice that it has a distinct style that does not fade with time, it unique and people love to see it. The reason for this is that Frank Wright had the whole place designed around what he called “Biltmore Blocks.” Biltmore Blocks were invented by Wright earlier in his career and became a defining factor in the way he builds. The blocks are made from local desert sand and formed into 34 different geometric shapes, and the look for these was inspired by the base of a palm tree.
The doors opened on February 23, 1929, to a massive celebration. The original opening was only going be a single day, but because of the enormous buzz surrounding the hotel, they had to change it to a three-day opening. The party was filled with numerous A-listers of the time, and it went down as the party of the decade in Arizona according to multiple sources. The party was invitation only and made the guests feel like they are truly special.
The Original Wrigley Company:Photo by Urban Remains
Wrigley:
In the early 1930’s William Wrigley Jr. became the sole owner of the hotel. Wrigley was the notorious Chicago chewing gum magnate who is responsible for the creation of Wrigley’s chew. The first significant contribution he made to the hotel was to build the first pool on the property. He named it the Catalina pool, and it became the hangout spot of so many famous people of the time. William Wrigley owned the hotel for a little over 40 years and eventually sold it to Talley Industries in 1973.
Photo by:Scripophily.com 
Paradise Wing:Photo by Smallthoughts.com
<div> Talley Industries: </div>
After its purchase in 1973, an employee of the hotel was working on the new sprinkler system and caused an accident resulting in 2.5 million dollars of fire damage. In the wake of the massive fire, Talley Industries hired Taliesin Associated Architects to lead in the renovation of the hotel. The restoration took only 82 days and resulted in a hotel that was much more solid and complete than before.
Talley Industries is responsible for most of the significant changes you see on the property today. The first major they added was the addition of the 90 room Paradise wing. Once completing the paradise wing renovations continued for the next seven years adding the 120 room Valley wing, a 39,000 square foot. Conference Center and lastly the 109 room Terrace Court.
Cabanas by the pool: Photo by Arizona Biltmore
Photo by Arizona Biltmore 
Paradise Pool waterslide: Photo by Arizona Biltmore
Renovations of today:
In 1992, Grossman Company properties purchased the Biltmore and began a 50 million dollar 4 phase renovation that was completed in 1996. Some additions during this renovation included the Villas, which are luxury residential apartments available for purchase. They also added a new restaurant, pool complex including 23 cabanas and a swim-up bar, a new 15000 square foot meeting space and lastly an 18 hole putting course.
In 1998 they added the 120 room Arizona wing, an Olympic swimming pool, two new meeting rooms, and a spectacular 20000 square foot spa and fitness center. In 2003 the Biltmore built an additional 25,000 square foot ballroom, making it Arizona’s biggest event center at over 100,000 square feet. In 2014 the hotel received its most recent renovation that had the goal of updating anything that was out of date. The improvements are amazing, and the hotel looks spectacular.
Famous Aspects:
The Arizona Biltmore has a collection of features and detail that often go without notice or acknowledgment. As guests walk through the courtyard, they may dismiss the fact that the cement statues are actually the Biltmore Spirits. Wedding planners and the bride-and-groom-to-be may rent out the prestige Gold Room to host their opulent celebration but are not a single bit aware of why space is famous in the first place. Others may come across an inexplicable room that they just do not have the words to explain, hence why it is called the Mystery Room. These are only a mere few examples of the eclectic arts in the Waldorf Astoria Resort.
Photo by: Pinterest 
Photo by: Pinterest
The Biltmore Spirits:
Guests often report that as they walk along the vibrant greens, yellows, and pinks of the courtyard, they feel as if there were wandering eyes guarding them. It has been said that the Biltmore Spirits are the reasons for that. The series of statues were designed in 1914 by Frank Lloyd Wright but were sculpted by an Italian artist who goes by the name Alfonso Lanelli. The primary reason for their existence was to fulfill the Midway Gardens in Chicago, and there they stood until they mysteriously disappeared. Shortly after their reappearance in 1945, that is still unknown to this day; they were collected by Mrs. Raab and Frank Lloyd Wright just to be re-gifted to the Arizona Biltmore.
Gold Room: Photo by Pinterest
The Gold Room:
It is no Taj Majal, but it is close to it. In 1929, the Arizona Biltmore’s Gold Room held the second most gold leafing in the world, approximately 38,000 square feet of it, just behind the Taj Majal. 90-years-later, the original dining room of the resort still stands tall and ready for action. With a history of being classified as elegant and refined, it has become one of the most perfect wedding reception areas in the world. Some say they can still hear sounds of the orchestra bouncing in the air.
Mystery Room:
This whiskey-colored room is sometimes called the Men’s Smoker Room, but according to the Arizona Biltmore, the official adopted name of the area is the Mystery Room. This strange block of the hotel can never be found intentionally, but always at the grandest of times. According to the hotel staff, “This secret chamber was a place where gentlemen could retire to smoke cigars and pipes, receive stock market updates and drink during prohibition” (Arizona Biltmore). Some notable features of the Mystery Room are the secret entrances, the hidden bookshelves, and the spotlight on the roof- all contributing to the privacy of the chamber.
Location and contact:
- 2400 E Missouri Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Sources:
https://www.arizonabiltmore.com
https://waldorfastoria3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/arizona-biltmore-a-waldorf-astoria-resort-PHXBMWA/index.html
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