The Tucson-based Arizona Inn marks 85 years of hospitality, and it will celebrate the momentous occasion with throwback menus, events and special touches to commemorate its storied history.
With 2016 rates starting from $129, the Arizona Inn offers a glorious getaway for any season, and one that only seems to get better with age.
As the Inn celebrates 85 years, the dining room is offering a menu featuring innovative interpretations of classic dishes alongside favorites that date back to opening day, such as Vichyssoise and Shrimp Scampi.
Having served as an unforgettable setting for thousands of occasions, the Arizona Inn is inviting those who have enriched its history over its 85 years to share their most memorable stories and photos from the Inn via its Facebook page. The Inn will re-share its favorite submissions with fans each month throughout the year, selecting one winning entry in December to receive a grand prize two-night stay, including meals. To learn how to participate, visit the Arizona Inn on Facebook.
Other highlights include mini BLTs served on house-made cheddar chive biscuits with tomato chili jam and bacon mayo; Duck a la Orange has become Duck with Orange Gastrique, Citrus Slaw, Forbidden Rice and Sugar Snap Pea Saute, and what was once Lamb Chops is represented by a Lamb T-Bone with North Carolina BBQ Sauce. Rounding out the menu are the Inn’s ever-popular Burger as well as vegan and gluten-free options.
Meanwhile, in the lounge-style Audubon Bar, guests will feel restored to a simpler time, as they unwind with the sounds of lively piano and a Prohibition-inspired cocktail menu. Here, bartenders stick to slinging the classics, veering only to offer slightly varied interpretations of the old fashioned (one using Rogue dark rum and Luxardo cherries, for instance), the martini, the manhattan and the margarita (including a version made with local prickly pear and agave nectar).
The Arizona Inn, built in 1930 by Tucson architect M.H. Starkweather, is an oasis of calm and relaxation, and is still the only luxury resort hotel in the heart of Tucson.
The Inn has went largely unchanged since it opened, and it continues to exude Spanish Colonial romance and the glamour of a bygone era, infused with modern day amenities.
In the words of founder Isabella Greenway, who was Arizona’s first Congresswoman, the Arizona Inn remains “a simple, home-like, cottage hotel, complete in its luxuries and convenience of service, and built with the desire to give its guests privacy, quiet and sunshine.”
Family owned and operated since its inception, four generations of the Greenway family have lovingly protected, renovated and restored the Inn, which has played host to a who’s who of celebrities and public figures over the years, including the Kennedys, Katharine Hepburn, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Frank Lloyd Wright, Howard Hughes, and many others.
Casita-style rooms and suites have been meticulously maintained and restored, keeping their original warmth, privacy, comfort and charm and even many of the original furnishings. The Inn has 14 acres of manicured lawns, mature trees and lush, flowering gardens spill over onto winding brick walkways and intimate courtyards.
While the Inn offers easy access to Tucson’s best dining, cultural and outdoors experiences, hotel guests can retreat from life’s hectic pace with an abundance of classic recreational activities – from a library that provides the ideal setting for a fireside read, cocktail or game of chess, to complimentary tennis, croquet, ping pong and badminton.
Guests can explore surrounding historic neighborhoods on one of the Inn’s complimentary bicycles. The Inn’s stunning 60-foot heated pool beckons guests to relax and refresh with poolside dining and cocktails while soaking up the year-round sunshine and beautiful weather.
