Royal Palms Resort and Spa is a historic hotel in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. It was built in

Spanish Colonial The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish architecture in general. These ...

style in 1929 as a retirement home for New York businessman Delos Cooke, who died unexpectedly in 1931, and his wife. It opened as a hotel in 1948. It is a member of the

Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program identifies hotels in the United States that have maintained authenticity, sense of place, and a ...

program of the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

. The hotel's mahogany front doors are original. It has an almost-unique imported Spanish tile mural called the " Lady of Spain". Its Mansion Courtyard has 24 tiles in its archways, each representing a Spanish province; these are also original to the estate. The resort has almost 200 examples of palm trees, in 14 varieties. The 1992 TV movie ''Sunstroke'', with

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, repertory theatre, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 19 ...

(in his last TV role) and

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...

, was filmed at Royal Palms. Seymour's character, after a bitter divorce, sought to regain custody of her daughter in a

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

journey; Ameche played a Scottsdale motel manager. There are 24 fountains, and 73 fireplaces (some inside guest rooms), and 193 palm trees. The resort was sold for $88.25 million in 2016. The resort finished a $3.7 million renovation in 2017. The historically sensitive renovation addressed all 119 guest rooms, the resort's lounge area with its "Mother-of-Pearl"-tiled swimming pool, its event lawns, and landscaping which includes almost 200 palm trees across its nine acres. In 2018 the resort celebrated its 70th anniversary. There was a "Royal Palms 70th Anniversary Party" on September 20, 2018. Tickets were $50 and guests were invited to wear 1940s resort wear. The resort was listed as one of the most romantic hotels in the world by ''Luxury Travel'' magazine in 2022.

References

External links

Royal Palms Resort and Spa
(official site) *{{Commons category-inline, Royal Palms Resort and Spa Hotels in Arizona Phoenix, Arizona Historic Hotels of America Buildings and structures completed in 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in Arizona