Arizona Biltmore

Book excerpt: During the late 1920s, brothers and Arizona businessmen Charles and Warren McArthur had a dream fostered by their growing success in providing elegant "Wonderbus" touring and camping services for the booming number of tourists to the Sonoran Desert. To realize their vision of a luxury resort hotel in the remote desert and mountains outside Phoenix, the pair enlisted a third brother, Albert Chase McArthur--architect and Frank Lloyd Wright protégé. In 1929, Albert, with the counsel of Wright, set about designing and constructing an architectural masterpiece. After the unprecedented short construction schedule of only six months, the Arizona Biltmore Hotel opened to rave reviews, was anointed with the title "Jewel of the Desert," and immediately achieved status as an "American architectural treasure." Initial ownership association with chewing gum magnate and baseball owner Charles Wrigley enhanced Arizona Biltmore's allure with the celebrities, sports figures, the wealthy, and the "glitteria" of the day. Through the ensuing decades the posh resort in the desert continued to attract the "Who's Who" of American society, film, and political circles, including such luminaries as Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Irving Berlin, President and Jackie Kennedy, Nancy and Ronald[also "President," or was this before?] Reagan, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Marilyn Monroe, and an endless register of notables seeking the tranquil setting, fine cuisine, and social swirl of the Arizona Biltmore. Today, the Waldorf Astoria group of luxury resort hotels continues to steward the historic legacy of the McArthurs' dream and provide an unprecedented luxury experience, gourmet fine dining, and outdoor activities in a bucolic and tropical garden oasis. ARIZONA BILTMORE: Jewel of the Desert is a portrait of the legacy and continuing colorful story of Arizona Biltmore and the succession of events that have contributed to the legend.