| Hotel Valley Ho | |
|---|---|
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 Hotel Valley Ho | |
  Location within Arizona | |
| General information | |
| Location | 6850 East Main Street, Scottsdale, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 33°29′37″N 111°56′0″W / 33.49361°N 111.93333°W |
| Opening | December 20, 1956 |
| Management | Benchmark, Pyramid Luxury & Lifestyle |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 7 |
| Floor area | 220,000 square feet (20,000 m2)[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Edward L. Varney (1956) Allen+Philp (2005) |
| Main contractor | Kitchell-Phillips Contractors Inc. (1956) |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 241 |
| Number of restaurants | 1 |
| Website | |
| https://www.hotelvalleyho.com | |
Hotel Valley Ho is a historic hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. Also called the Valley Ho and, for 28 years, the Ramada Valley Ho, the hotel was originally designed by Edward L. Varney. It first opened in 1956[2] with a forward-looking and futuristic design.[3] Movie stars and famous baseball players stayed, and the building quickly became known for its trendsetting guests and its fashionable atmosphere. The success of the venture resulted in expansion in 1958, with two additional two-story wings of guest rooms extending to the north. Though initially proposed by Varney, a central tower of guest rooms, rising over the lobby, was not built.
The property was bought by the Ramada hotel chain in 1973, and was redecorated to cover the 1950s design, seen at the time as outdated. No longer in vogue, but centrally located, the hotel remained prominent for years, and hosted conferences, business meetings, and vacationers. Under Ramada management, however, the property began to show a lack of maintenance, and its popularity declined. It closed in 2001 and its demolition was considered when no purchase offers were received. Admirers of the hotel's exemplary architecture and its local history rallied to save it, and it was placed on the Scottsdale Historic Register.[4]
In 2002, the hotel was bought by Westroc Hotels & Resorts and underwent a renovation, which was completed in 2005.[5] Conceived anew by the architectural firm Allen+Philp, a seven-story tower with guest rooms and condominiums was built above the lobby, in the spirit of Varney's proposal. New restaurants were incorporated, including a retro-chic seasonal-American restaurant (ZuZu), and a Trader Vic's franchise at the northeast end of the property (closed in 2011). The hotel's original jet-age design was restored as much as possible, augmented with 2000s-era fixtures.
The Hotel Valley Ho is a AAA "Four Diamond Award" winner. Author and architect Alan Hess called the hotel "one of the best-preserved mid-century hotels in the country".[1]
- ^ a b Finnerty, Megan. The Arizona Republic, December 20, 2005. "One-time star spot Valley Ho is back." Retrieved on December 29, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ Travel + Leisure, 2009. "Hotel Valley Ho." Retrieved on December 29, 2009. Archived February 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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SHRwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ The New York Times, Where To Stay. "Hotel Valley Ho." Retrieved on December 29, 2009. Archived March 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine