Hotel Valley Ho

The Hotel

Hotel Valley Ho opened in 1956 as Scottsdale's first luxury resort and quickly became the desert retreat of Hollywood's golden age — Natalie Wood, Kim Novak, and Janet Leigh all stayed here when Los Angeles needed a counterpoint. The building's Mid-Century Modern architecture, designed by Edward Varney, was restored in 2005 with the kind of fidelity that respects the original rather than nostalgically embellishing it. The pool area — centred around a large courtyard pool in the MCM style — is the most photographed hotel environment in Old Town.

The 241 rooms span the original 1956 building and a 2005 addition, with the Tower Suites in the original structure providing the best combination of MCM character and contemporary comfort. The rooms themselves are properly resolved — bold colours, period-appropriate furniture, and the specific material palette of 1950s Scottsdale rendered in materials that last. Bathrooms have been modernised without the restoration losing its nerve.

Zuzu, the hotel's restaurant, has maintained a position as one of Old Town's best hotel dining experiences through a menu that keeps pace with Scottsdale's food scene rather than resting on the hotel's reputation. The bar programme, particularly on weekend evenings, makes the Valley Ho's social positioning explicit — this is Scottsdale's gathering hotel, where the pool party ends and the cocktail hour begins without interruption.

The Old Town location is the property's primary competitive advantage — the concentration of Scottsdale's art galleries, independent restaurants, and weekend nightlife is immediately walkable. Unlike the resort properties on Scottsdale's northern perimeter, the Valley Ho places its guest at the centre of the city rather than in deliberate retreat from it.

Best for Solo Retreat

The Valley Ho solo stay is for those who define retreat as urban engagement rather than desert isolation. The Old Town art walk, the independent restaurant circuit, and the pool scene provide daily structure without requiring a resort programme. The hotel's social energy rewards those who enjoy the feeling of a city at its most animated without the obligation to participate in any of it.

Best for Bachelor/Bachelorette

Hotel Valley Ho is Scottsdale's most coherent group celebration hotel without being a party hotel in the pejorative sense. The pool, the bar, the walkable proximity to Old Town's nightlife, and the suite configurations that accommodate pre-dinner group gatherings make the Valley Ho the base-camp address for the Scottsdale weekend group trip. The concierge team has arranged enough of these events to know which venues work and which sound better in advance than they prove in practice.

Rates from $249/night. Check availability directly.