Not that long ago, the young, the beautiful and the hip travelers to Arizona were largely left out in the cold. But with the planned opening in late December of the retro-cool Ho tel Valley Ho in downtown Scottsdale, the stylish crowd will have an other choice in a growing niche of hotels whose designers have shunned bland rooms and Southwestern motifs for urban chic. Scottsdale-based Westroc Hospitality, which led the trend in 2002 with its Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain resort, is going back to the future with its $80 million Valley Ho project. The hotel, with its midcentury modern architecture, is being restored to its original '50s fabulousness and adding 21st-century amenities and a seven-story tower to Scottsdale's emerging sky line. The Ho its inevitable nick name will join the Sanctuary in Paradise Valley, the nearly 2-year-old James Hotel in Scottsdale and the recently refurbished Clarendon Hotel in downtown Phoenix among the new offerings. The W Scottsdale Hotel will open about a year from now. Downtown Scottsdale, with its restaurants, galleries and nightclubs, is at the nucleus of this new hospitality niche. "A lot has happened in the neighborhood" since Westroc bought the down-on-its heels Valley Ho in 2002, company partner Bill Nassikas said. "We looked at ourselves as pioneers. We loved the notion of restoring the hotel," he said, adding that "everything comes back to the beginning." In this case, back to downtown Scottsdale, where the city's $2.6 billion tourism industry is rooted and where $1 billion in private and public investment is transforming the central district. The Valley Ho of 2006 at 68th Street and Indian School Road will be a rewed-up version of the 1956 hotel, which in its day hosted the nuptials of Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner and was one of the city's first year-round resorts. Most notable among the changes is a seven-story tower that will house the VH Spa, rooftop deck for events and 37 luxury condominiums with prices up to $1.5 million. The 194-room hotel is set to open in late December, while the condos will be completed over the next year. Westroc, led by Nassikas and Scott Lyon, has nearly doubled the size of the Valley Ho, adding 20 hotel rooms, new ballrooms and a business center. The hotel is scheduled to open in December and construction on the condo interiors will continue through the year. Laura McMurchie, Scotts dale Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman, said the Valley Ho, James and W hotels are part of downtown renaissance that gives visitors updated options to the traditional Sonoran Desert resorts. "The type of clientele we're going after is baby boomers, who have been our bread and butter, and we're also keeping an eye on the Gen X ball, so to speak," she said. "Many of those visitors are looking for more urban experience." The Valley Ho's neo-modern hotel rooms have a stylish, bachelor-pad feel with the latest amenities LCD televisions, Bose Wave stereos, es- Hotel Valley Ho Cost of the renovation: $80 million. Cost to build the hotel in 1956: $1.5 million. Number of stories in the new 37- unit condominium tower: 7. Number of hotel rooms and suites: 194. Size of a standard room: 420 square feet, plus an 80-square- foot balcony or patio. Expresso coffeemakers and Wi-Fi computer connections. An air-vent scoop looks as if it could have come off a Stude- baker grill. Andrew Chippindall, Valley Ho general manager, said the room's "wow factor" will be created by a blue-light glow from frosted glass bathroom walls. Rates will start in high sea son at $289 a night for a stand ard room and rise to $1,500 for a two-story, 2,000-square-foot suite. Kitchell Contractors, which built the hotel a half-century ago, has sought to maintain the historical integrity of the building during the renova tion. Sometimes referred to as the "Baby Biltmore," the Valley Ho's signature design elements include decorative concrete panels that suggest the influences of Frank Lloyd Wright, and a crescent-shaped, two-story wing of hotel rooms. As with the James Hotel, less than a mile away, the Val ley Ho will try to lure locals and create a buzz with its res taurants, lounge and a lively pool area, Nassikas said. Cabanas and the OH Pool Bar will replace a grassy courtyard and concrete shuf- fleboard court from the origi nal Valley Ho. New dining options include Cafe Zuzu, an all-day restau rant with alfresco dining, plus a stand-alone Trader Vic's res taurant on the northeastern edge of the 10-acre property. The Polynesian-themed restaurant was a fixture on Scotts- dale's Fifth Avenue from 1962 to 1990. Valley Ho is going after slightly older crowd than the James Hotel and its J Bar, which caters to 20- and 30- year-olds. Since it opened in 2004, the James Hotel has earned praise from Travel + Leisure maga zine as "the sexiest resort in the American Southwest" and just recently by the New York Times, which called the James "party central" for a nipper, happening Scottsdale. Westroc is encouraged by the acclaim. "We're excited about the recognition that the James has received," Nassikas said. "It's brought some credibility to hotel redevelopment and re-es tablished old Scottsdale as an important alternative" in the local market. The hotel is set to open Dec. 20, while the staff will move into the administrative offices Nov. 1. Construction will continue on the condo interiors over the next year. By Peter Corfaett