The criteria for designation as an American Historic Hotel is to be at least fifty-years-old. The first ten hotels are Historic and the next seventeen are notable for unique features. Arizona is a unique state with characteristics not found elsewhere in America or the world. There are beautiful natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon, early Western history is recreated at dude ranches, and there are even historic “treatment” facilities such as the Castle Hot Springs Resort. Historic hotels capture earlier times. This comprehensive guide describes rooms, rates, and amenities. It includes details of movie locations, famous guests, and notable recipes. This history of Arizona includes hotels famous for the “Five C’s of Arizona:” Cattle, Citrus, Climate, Copper, Cotton, and even an extra C for Convalescence since doctors prescribed a visit to Arizona as treatment for many ailments. Guests armed with this knowledge can better enjoy their visit to all parts of Arizona.

The evolution of an arid desert area into the verdant oasis that is the Wigwam Resort was ultimately brought about by an unlikely crop needed by an important American corporation in the early 20th century. The crop was long-staple cotton and the corporation was the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture discovered that Arizona's Salt River Valley was an ideal location to domestically grow long-staple cotton, Goodyear purchased 16,000 acres in the desert west of Phoenix to cultivate the crop for their newly developed pneumatic tire. The company built a three-room lodge, originally called the "Organization House," for the executives that came to oversee the farming operations. The location became a popular winter retreat within the company, and in 1929, Goodyear expanded the facilities and opened "The Wigwam" as a hotel. As the years progressed, amenities such as golf and fine dining were added, and the Wigwam Resort became one of the premier luxury destinations in the Southwest.

On the corner of Central Avenue and Monroe Street, in the center of downtown Phoenix, is the historic Hotel San Carlos. Local Native Americans once worshipped a god of learning in this same area, and so early white settlers chose the site for the citys first school, the Little Adobe School, in 1873. After the Little Adobe School, the location served as a ballpark, a brick schoolhouse, the Central School, and finally the Hotel San Carlos, which opened in March 1928. The first hotel in Phoenix to boast steam heat, elevators, and air-conditioning, Hotel San Carlos has a remarkable story and has even seen its share of movie stars, including Mae West, Gene Autry, and Marilyn Monroe. Clark Gable always stayed in the same corner room on the fourth floor so he could people-watch. Even the friendly ghost of Leone Jensen, who appears regularly at the foot of the guest beds, has added to the unique legacy and continuing popularity of Hotel San Carlos.

Valuing food quality as much as quality service, Harvey Houses changed the culture of western railroad towns. After Fred Harvey's death in 1901, sons Ford and Byron expanded the family business along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail lines. El Tovar opened in 1905 on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, signaling the arrival of the iconic brand to Arizona. New railroad depots and Harvey establishments reminiscent of the Spanish Colonial-Indian pueblo style of architecture followed. Well-paid European chefs trained every kitchen, and waitresses hailed from every walk of life. Author Rosa Walston Latimer celebrates hospitality the "Fred Harvey way" through the personal stories of the famous Harvey Girls and staff of luxury Harvey hotels in Ash Fork, Seligman, Williams, Winslow and beyond.

Having played host to more than 60 Hollywood productions--from the early years of cinema through the 1970s--Sedona, Arizona's impact on the film industry is revealed here for the first time. Detailing its role as a silent but stunning backdrop to all types of movies, this volume covers the silent films, B westerns, World War II propaganda, and film noirs filmed on location in Arizona. Lavishly illustrated, this reference tells the story behind an anti-American Nazi propaganda western; the true history of filmmaking in Monument Valley; the first-ever inclusive guide to the location filming of Stagecoach; and descriptions of each Arizona production from conception through reception by critics and audiences, with plot summaries and complete details of cast and crew.

In terms of design, scale, and blending of ecologicical and aesthetic function, Amsterdam’s seventeenth-century Canal District is a European marvel. Its survival for four centuries is a testament to its ingenuity, reflected in its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. The Canal District today is an extraordinary example of resilient historic design and cultural heritage in a living city, but it is not without present-day challenges: in recent years, its urban ecology has become subject to severe pressures of global tourism and supergentrification. This edited volume brings together seventeen reputable scholars to debate questions about the origins, evolution, and future of the Canal District. With these differing approaches and perspectives on the Canal District the contributions render a collection where the whole is much more than the sum of the parts. The book breaks new ground in our understanding of the District’s historic design, its evolution over four hundred years, and the fundamental issues in future-facing strategies and policies. While the main focus is clearly on Amsterdam, the discussions in this collection have an important bearing on broader questions of urban historic preservation elsewhere, and on questions about enduring urban design.