New Windsor Hotel
Phoenix, AZ s
Photo courtesy Gorb70

Check out the New Windsor Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. This old hotel still features its blade marquee that lights up the neighborhood. 03-06

See more at Roadside Peek's Spotlight on the New Windsor Hotel.

Hotel San Carlos
Phoenix, AZ
Photo and info courtesy Gorb70

Here's a shot of the Hotel San Carlos in Phoenix, AZ.

A to the Hotel San Carlos website, the hotel was built in 1928 on the site of an old schoolhouse which originated as a one room adobe structure. In 1916, the schoolhouse was condemned. When the hotel construction was completed, "the San Carlos was touted as one of the most modern hotels in the Southwest being the first high-rise, fully air-conditioned, luxuriously appointed and elevatored hotel of that day." 03-06

The property has an interesting history predating the hotel. Phoenix’s first schoolhouse, a one-room adobe structure built in 1874, originally occupied the site. The school later expanded but was condemned in 1916 and eventually cleared for construction of the hotel.

Hotel San Carlos marquee
Phoenix, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

When the San Carlos opened in March 1928, its elevators, steam heat, circulating ice-water taps, and modern air-cooling system represented the height of luxury. The hotel attracted prominent guests over the years, including Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Mae West, Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow, and Humphrey Bogart. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Like many historic hotels, the San Carlos has its share of ghost stories. The best-known concerns Leone Jensen, a young woman said to have jumped from the roof only weeks after the hotel opened. Guests and employees have since reported seeing a mysterious woman dressed in white along the upper floors, although the sightings remain part of hotel folklore.

UPDATE : The San Carlos Hotel opened in 1928 and was a state of the art hotel in downtown Phoenix. The hotel hosted many celebrities including Clark Gable, Carole, Lombard, Marilyn Monroe and Mae West amongst others. The location is said to be haunted by ghosts and according to a recent Ghost Adventures episode, the San Carlos is known as one of the most haunted hotels in America. As the only operating historic boutique hotel in Phoenix, the Hotel San Carlos was recognized as an Arizona State Historic Landmark in 1974. The hotel is also member of the Historic Hotels of America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 07-23

UPDATE: The Hotel San Carlos remains open and is undergoing an extensive restoration intended to preserve its historic architecture while modernizing its guest rooms and building systems. Its familiar neon and downtown presence continue to survive. 09-26

Grand Canyon Hotel
Williams, AZ
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

The Grand Canyon Hotel sits right along Route 66 in downtown Williams, ready for another round of travelers headed toward the canyon. The old brick building had recently been renovated when this view was taken, while a nearby cocktail-glass sign had found new life advertising a Chinese restaurant. The exact connection between that sign and the hotel remains a little fuzzy, but it certainly added to the roadside scene. 08-06

C.E. Boyce opened the hotel in 1891, long before the Grand Canyon became a national park and 35 years before Route 66 received its number. It is often described as Arizona’s oldest continuously operating hotel building.

Business really picked up after the Santa Fe Railway completed its branch from Williams to the South Rim in 1901. Travelers arriving on transcontinental trains could stay downtown before continuing toward the canyon. In those days, the final part of the trip involved something a bit slower and dustier than a tour bus.

The hotel’s heavy brick and volcanic-stone walls also proved useful during the fires that repeatedly swept through Williams around the turn of the century. When flames destroyed much of the town’s old Saloon Row, the Grand Canyon Hotel helped stop the fire from spreading farther west.

Grand Canyon Hotel
Williams, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Over its long life, the building has held much more than guest rooms. Portions of the ground floor have served as a drugstore, grocery market, dance hall, curio shop and meeting place for the Knights of Pythias. A family group purchased the property in 2023 and began another major renovation, preserving old floorboards while adding a Victorian-style parlor, library and gathering rooms.

UPDATE: The Grand Canyon Hotel s known as the oldest hotel in Arizona. Opened in 1891, the Grand Canyon Hotel has served as a overnight place to stay for over a hundred year for folks heading up to the Grand Canyon. When the Interstate 40 was built bypassing Williams in 1970, the hotel closed it doors like many of its neighboring businesses. Fortunately, the hotel was restored and opened back up in 2005. The hotel appears popular today. 09-21

UPDATE: The Historic Grand Canyon Hotel remains open as a boutique hotel. Its refreshed rooms welcome Route 66 and Grand Canyon travelers, while weekend ghost tours and occasional ballroom line dancing add a little extra life to the 1891 building. 09-26

Hotel San Carlos (Closed)
Yuma, AZ
Photo courtesy Bill Herzog

Here's the famous Hotel San Carlos in old town Yuma. The coffee shop is gone but the hotel is still in operation. A local told me they had a suite on the top floor where John Wayne would often stay. Many thanks to Bill Herzog for info. 12-06

Hotel San Carlos stands tall in downtown Yuma, still displaying its old painted “Air Cooled” lettering for travelers passing through town. Completed in 1930, the five-story Art Deco hotel contained 107 guest rooms and cost about $300,000 to build.

“Air Cooled” was quite a selling point in the days before modern air conditioning. Water drawn from a deep basement well was combined with large blower fans to send cooled air through the building. During Yuma’s hottest months, some local residents reportedly rented rooms just to escape the heat.

The San Carlos also opened during Yuma’s days as a quickie-wedding destination. California once required couples to wait three days for a marriage license, while Arizona did not. That sent many impatient couples across the Colorado River to get married in Yuma, bringing plenty of business to downtown hotels. Guests through the years reportedly included John Wayne, Ty Cobb, Herbert Hoover, and Marilyn Monroe. Despite a persistent local tale, Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were married in San Francisco, not at the San Carlos.

Hotel San Carlos
Yuma, AZ
Photo courtesy Bill Herzog

The hotel closed to travelers in 1962 and was later restored as affordable senior apartments. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

UPDATE: After decades as affordable housing, the Hotel San Carlos was sold to private developers in 2025. Plans call for another round of rehabilitation and a new mix of commercial, dining, and entertainment uses. The landmark building and its familiar “Air Cooled” lettering remain standing. 09-26