Biltmore Area / Central Phoenix

Arizona Biltmore, LXR Hotels and Resorts

★★★★★

The Arizona Biltmore is Phoenix's grand resort and its most important historic hotel. Opened in 1929 and designed by Albert Chase McArthur, a former student of Frank Lloyd Wright, with Wright himself consulting, it is built from the famous Biltmore Block: cast concrete blocks in a repeating geometric pattern inspired by the trunk of a palm tree, which give the long low wings, lobby and ballrooms a texture unlike any other resort in the country. For nearly a century it has hosted presidents, Hollywood stars and generations of winter visitors, and after a major renovation program the resort now operates as Arizona Biltmore, part of Hilton's LXR Hotels and Resorts collection. It is big — about 700 rooms in several types, including suites, one- and two-bedroom villas and standalone cottages — spread across beautifully kept grounds in the Biltmore area of central Phoenix, with Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak as the backdrop. Pools are a headline: the Paradise Pool has a 65-foot triple waterslide, a children's splash pad and air-conditioned cabanas; the Saguaro Pool is adults-only with weekend music; and the historic Catalina Pool, tiled in the resort's original style, is the most photogenic swimming spot in Phoenix. Dining spans McArthur's for all-day meals, Renata's Hearth for fire-cooked meats and vegetables with mezcal flights, and the Wright Bar, which claims to be the birthplace of the Tequila Sunrise. The resort spa offers desert-botanical treatments, and two golf courses border the property.

The appeal is the combination of real architecture and real resort. Walking the lobby, with its gold-leaf ceiling, art-glass and patterned block walls, feels like visiting a museum of American design, and the resort leans into its history with displays and stories for guests who want them. At the same time it is a full-service vacation machine: families gravitate to the Paradise Pool and slide, couples to the adults-only pool and the spa, and golfers to the neighboring courses. Rooms vary considerably by wing and era, so read descriptions carefully; the newer and recently refreshed categories, the villas and the cottages are the pick for space and privacy, while standard rooms in the main building put you closest to the lobby and restaurants.

Location suits a first visit. The Biltmore area sits between downtown Phoenix and Scottsdale, about fifteen minutes from Sky Harbor Airport, with the upscale shopping and restaurants of the Biltmore district a short ride away and Camelback's Echo Canyon trailhead and Old Town Scottsdale within easy driving distance. You will want a car or rideshares to explore, but the resort is self-contained enough that many guests spend whole days on property. Expect resort fees and premium pricing in the peak season from January to April, with better value in late fall and early winter.

Who should stay: anyone who wants a single hotel to capture the glamour of desert-resort Phoenix, architecture lovers following the Wright trail to Taliesin West, multi-generational families who need pools for every age, and couples celebrating something. Who might not: travelers wanting an intimate boutique or walk-everywhere urban base. For them, Scottsdale and downtown options make more sense; for everyone else, the Biltmore is the Phoenix original.