HOTEL VALLEY HO REVIVES DOWNTOWN SCOTTSDALE WITH VH SPA, RED FLOWER ORGANIC TREATMENTS
By Bernard Burt
Rediscover the excitement and glamour of Arizona. Just beyond the posh communities and resorts at Camelback Mountain, rests the downtown Hotel Valley Ho, a recent addition to Arizona’s spa scene. Thanks to enhancements like the VH Spa, a poolside scene at Café ZuZu, and the return of Trader Vic’s Restaurant, this mid-century hotel offers a new take on southwestern chic.
Taking mid-century design to a new level, Hotel Valley Ho emerged from an $80-million makeover with original features intact, plus a new seven-story tower with luxury condominiums and a roof-terrace lounge. Architectural historians are mad for mid-century buildings and furniture, a sleek modern style that emerged in the 1950s post-war era. When the owners of the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain found the faded downtown motel, they envisioned an updated classic: expanded suites and cabana rooms, sensuous soaking tubs, and curtained patios overlooking the swimming pool. And affordable rates: Signature rooms start at $299 for two persons this winter through April.
Built in 1956, and reopened in 2005, Hotel Valley Ho has several wings offering spacious guest rooms that feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls opening to either a patio or balcony overlooking the heated swimming pool. Extra luxury comes in the studios (really mini-suites) that feature an open floor plan focused on an oval-shaped soaking tub. These studios are larger than traditional guest rooms, and also have 32″ LCD flat-screen TVs and WIFi internet access.
Entering the hotel’s open-air lobby, waves of color dance across the dining patio of Café ZuZu. Updating a classic all-American restaurant of the 1950s, chef Chuck Wiley designed a menu of comfort food from breakfast through dinner. Once a month, join the chef’s table for dinner with winemakers whose vintages complement a superb tasting of contemporary cuisine.
Feeling romantic? Go Polynesian for dinner at Trader Vic’s, re-creating an American restaurant icon where tropical drinks and hors d’ouevres come with teeny umbrellas, and a massive wood-fired oven turns out steaks as well as roast duck.
Brad Garrett, a veteran spa manager at the Sanctuary, brought new elements of service to the eight-room VH Spa. Step into an airy hideaway with a private sundeck, glass walled workout room with PreCor and FreeMotion equipment, and movement studio for Pilates and yoga. The sun-filled spa is a true sanctuary: Teaming with the producer of Red Flower organic skincare products, Brad introduced a papaya-pineapple enzyme wrap to balance the effects of the dry desert climate.
Surrounding the property in Old Town Scottsdale, art galleries and boutiques extend for several blocks. Dating from early the 1900s, many buildings on Main Street have been restored. A free shuttle bus service loops through Old Town.
This 14-acre resort gives new meaning to “urban sanctuary.” Let the good old times roll.
For more information call (480) 248-2000 or visit www.hotelvalleyho.com
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