Condé Nast Traveler today announced the results of its 30th annual Readers’ Choice Awards with The Hermosa Inn recognized as No. 9 of the 10 Best Hotels in the U.S. and No. 1 in the Top Hotels in the Southwest and West, with a score of 97.38.
“We are thrilled that the Condé Nast Traveler readers have chosen The Hermosa Inn as their favorite hotel in the Southwest and West,” said Managing Director Stephen Ast. “This recognition speaks volumes about both the enhancements that ownership has made in the hotel and especially the hospitality and service provided by our remarkable team who create authentic and memorable guest experiences that are unmistakably Arizona.”
Over 300,000 readers submitted millions of ratings and tens of thousands of comments, voting on a record-breaking 7,320 hotels and resorts, 610 cities, 225 islands, 468 cruise ships, 158 airlines, and 195 airports.
In 2015, shortly after the hotel was purchased by Allred Capital LLLP, a partnership led by Ron and Mike Allred, a two-part enrichment plan was initiated, beginning with a complete renovation of all the existing accommodations. “We are passionately committed to retaining the legacy and historic charm of the original home and studio built by Arizona’s famed and first cowboy artist, Lon Megargee, in the early 1930’s,” said Ron Allred.
This boutique hideaway completed the second phase of the $5.5 million-dollar renovation earlier this year, which included the addition of 10 deluxe hideaway casitas and the complete restoration of 12 historic rancho casitas, increasing the hotel’s number of hacienda-style accommodations and casitas to 43.
Complementing the rooms addition and further paying homage to Megargee’s love for a drink with fellow cowhands, the Allreds also expanded the much loved and lauded hotel bar: LON’s Last Drop, appropriately named after Megargee’s most famous painting: “Last Drop From His Stetson,” which was commissioned by the Stetson Hat Company in the 1920’s, and to this day still appears on the inside of every top-of-the-line Stetson hat. LON’s Last Drop doubled its interior seating capacity with low slung leather seating clusters that encourage guests to unwind and reconnect over signature cocktails or an Arizona wine or beer on tap. Consistently revered as the ‘best dining patio in the Valley,’ the outside patio also doubled in capacity, adding five more fireplaces and cozy conversational couches, making it the ultimate gathering spot with the simplest of ingredients – creative cocktails, globally-inspired Arizona fare, unrivaled views of Camelback Mountain and perfect Arizona temperatures.
The Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry and are commonly known as “the best of the best of travel.” Under Editor in Chief Pilar Guzmán, the Readers’ Choice Awards have become more selective and specific to the passions that inspire today’s travelers.
The Readers’ Choice Awards are announced in the November issue of Condé Nast Traveler, on newsstands nationwide on October 24, 2017. The full list is published exclusively online, at www.CNTraveler.com/rca.
