History

A Mid-Century Modern Star is Born

The influx of winter visitors and tourists to Scottsdale in the mid-1950s prompted the construction of Hotel Valley Ho, which originally opened on December 20, 1956. It featured ten lush acres and 180 rooms of contemporary design centered on a courtyard and pool that were frequently a hub of activity, hosting events from weddings to fashion shows.

The Valley Ho was the first hotel in Scottsdale to have central air conditioning, and thusly the first to be open year-round. It was also the first to employ southwestern architecture and to feature a European plan.

Hotel Valley Ho was the sister property to the Westward Ho in Downtown Phoenix. The name came from a newspaper contest; inspiration came from the Westward Ho. Husband and wife Robert and Evelyn Foehl were developers and owner-managers of the hotel, and lived on-site in a private apartment with an enclosed garden.

The hotel was designed by local architect Edward L. Varney, who also designed Sun Devil Stadium and the Phoenix Municipal Building. The construction cost was $1.5 million. Each room featured a black-and-white television (which was impressive for the time), and some had kitchenettes. Plans for a tower were drawn but not executed, and two buildings were added at the north end of the hotel in 1961.

Hotel Valley Ho was acquired by Ramada in 1973 and expanded to include the neighboring Ramada Hotel, which was built in 1961. The entire complex was renamed Ramada’s Valley Ho Resort and operated as such until it went up for sale in 2002. The highest offer for the hotel was from a buyer who wanted to tear it down; fortunately, it was saved from the wrecking ball when the owner decided to sell to MSR Properties, a local company that wanted to restore it to its former splendor. The hotel was closed and plans for renovation went underway.

Construction began in 2004, and the hotel reopened on December 20, 2005, 49 years to the date from its original opening. Total renovation costs came to $80 million. 120 rooms and conference space that were built as part of the Ramada Inn to the south in the early 1960s were torn down, as these buildings were not considered historically significant and were not part of the original Valley Ho. Additions included Café ZuZu, the OH Pool, VH Spa, Trader Vic’s (completed in 2006), and The Tower (completed in 2008).

Hotel Valley Ho is now considered “one of the best-preserved mid-century hotels in the country”, according to architect and author Alan Hess. The buildings have been completely renovated, but the hotel still retains its original character and style.

Hollywood Hideaway

Hotel Valley Ho has been a resting stop for many Hollywood stars throughout the years. In the fifties and sixties, the hotel’s style and upscale nature attracted them, as well as its distance from Hollywood, which afforded them more privacy. Many celebrities also came because the Foehls invited them after befriending them at their resort in Southern California.

A young Steven Spielberg romped through the construction site while the hotel was being built, as he told a friend of Mrs. Foehl’s in later years.

In 1957, Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood held their private wedding reception in the hotel’s ballroom. Wagner’s parents had been regular guests at the hotel and thought the pair should be married away from the Hollywood limelight.

Zsa Zsa Gabor and her daughter Francesca rode horses around the hotel. Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Berman, Betty Davis, Marilyn Monroe, and Betty Grable played tennis on the hotel’s courts. Jimmy Durante often came down to the lobby at night when he was unable to sleep and played the piano; guests would hear him and come down for a listen.

Other notable guests seen dining in the hotel’s restaurant or strolling around the manicured lawns included Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, Bing Crosby, Tony Curtis, and Janet Leigh.

Not all celebrity guests came from Hollywood; others included baseball players Ted Williams, Bobby Feller, and Leo Duroscher. Today, Hotel Valley Ho continues to welcome athletes, actors, and musicians alike.

In-The-Past Photographs...