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50-466: Many employees have said that they have seen ghosts at the hotel, the most commonly mentioned being that of Leone Jensen . This caused the Travel Channel to dedicate part of their show World Travels to the hotel. This feature on the hotel was premiered on Monday, January 19, 2004. Whether the ghost sighting theory is a promotional stunt is debatable. The site where the hotel sits was the location of

100-613: A 1929 feature article in Architectural Record magazine. The two architects are a study in contrast with the famous and outspoken Wright being self-taught and never licensed as an architect in Arizona. The more soft-spoken McArthur was Harvard-trained in architecture, mathematics, engineering, and music. McArthur obtained an architect's license in Arizona, number 338, in 1925, the year he arrived in Phoenix to begin his practice. Adding to

150-405: A 70% ownership stake in the channel in 1997, and subsequently acquired the remaining 30% interest from Paxson in 1999. In May 2007, Discovery Communications sold Travel Channel to Cox Enterprises subsidiary Cox Communications as part of a larger multibillion-dollar transaction. On November 5, 2009, Scripps Networks Interactive acquired a 65% ownership interest in the network for $ 1.1 billion;

200-560: A secret passageway to the Mystery Room. The room is now used for meetings and conferences. Clark Gable and friends used to dine in the Gold Room. The 7,000 square foot ballroom could accommodate 480 guests. The Gold Room, with the gold leaf ceiling, was the original dining room of the Biltmore. It featured dancing and a live orchestra every night. The gold leaf ceiling and windows are from

250-554: A signature element of the hotel's appearance. The hotel has similarities to several Wright buildings, especially in the main lobby, owing to a strong imprint of the unit block design that Wright had utilized on four residential buildings in the Los Angeles area six years earlier. McArthur is indisputably the architect as original linen drawings of the hotel in the Arizona State University Library archives attest, as does

300-715: A similar shift to paranormal programming themselves. Certain Travel Channel shows (such as Bizarre Foods , its spinoff series Bizarre Foods Delicious Destinations , Man v. Food , Food Paradise , Hotel Impossible , and Xtreme Waterparks ) would move to either Destination America or Cooking Channel . On January 12, 2021, it was reported that there were plans for selected Travel Channel programs to premiere exclusively on Discovery+ as timed exclusives. On March 22, 2012, Scripps Networks Interactive announced that it had agreed to pay £65 million (equivalent to US$ 102.7 million) to acquire Travel Channel International Limited,

350-405: Is Albert Chase McArthur (brother of the hotel owners), yet the design is often mistakenly attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright . This is due to Wright's on-site consulting for four months in 1928 relating to the "Textile Block" construction used in the hotel. Albert McArthur had been a draftsman for Wright, and specifically asked Wright to assist with implementing the textile block system, which became

400-409: Is located on the third floor. In the room there are displays of not only historical artifacts related to the hotel's history, but also the early furnishes which were once used. Among the historical artifacts on display is a wooden key which Scenic Airways dropped on the roof of the ballroom on February 23, 1929, the opening day of the hotel. The key is on display above the room's fireplace. On

450-568: The Biltmore Hotel chain. Actors Clark Gable and Carole Lombard often stayed there and the Tequila sunrise cocktail was invented there. It is part of LXR Hotels & Resorts. Warren McArthur , Jr., and brother Charles McArthur along with John McEntee Bowman , the entrepreneur behind the Biltmore Hotel chain, constructed the Arizona Biltmore. The Arizona Biltmore's architect of record

500-554: The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation . Hilton operated it as a member of their luxury Waldorf-Astoria Collection until May 2024, when it was transferred to their LXR Hotels & Resorts line. In 2004, while doing a campaign stop in Arizona , United States president George W. Bush slept there, under strict security measures. Over 200 policemen, Secret Service agents and bomb-sniffing dogs were at hand. On November 4, 2008,

550-518: The McCain/Palin campaign hosted its final party at the hotel. Sen. John McCain , the Republican candidate for president, conceded defeat when he spoke to reporters and disappointed supporters on the hotel's lawn. Some supporters watched McCain's speech via closed circuit TV from the ballroom. Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer acted as master of ceremonies for the evening's entertainment earlier in

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600-715: The Radisson Bahia Mar Resort and Yachting Center and Grande Oaks Golf Club. The company also owned the Florida Panthers Hockey Club and had interests in the operations of the National Car Rental Center located in Sunrise, Florida and the Miami Arena . In December 2000, Boca Resorts, Inc. sold the hotel for $ 335 million to KSL Recreation, Inc . KSL retained the hotel until April 2004, when it

650-616: The 109-room Terrace Court Wing was added, a Taliesin design similar to the existing architecture. General contractor for the Terrace Court was D. L. Construction. In 1979, the hotel was taken over by the Rostland Corporation . In 1983, it became a Leper DBL Biltmore Association property, and in 1992 it was re-sold, to the Grossman Properties . A spa was opened in 1998. In July 1999, Florida Panther Holdings, Inc. acquired

700-491: The 1915 Midway Gardens project in Chicago are placed around the property. Also, the original hotel solarium was converted to a restaurant in 1973 and since the mid-1990s has been named 'Wright's'. Three onsite restaurants bear Wright's name: Wright's at the Biltmore, The Wright Bar, and Frank & Albert's. Three construction crews worked 24 hours a day to complete the hotel. S. M. Benet & Company of Beverly Hills, California

750-654: The Babbitt family (relatives of Bruce Babbitt , former Arizona Governor and Secretary of the Interior), who intended to build a hotel. The San Carlos Hotel project was finally begun by Charles Harris and Dwight D. Heard who purchased the property from the Babbitts. Harris and Heard formed the Hotel San Carlos Company and construction began in 1927. The hotel was designed by nationally known architect George Whitecross Richie in

800-815: The Hotel San Carlos remains a popular tourist destination in the heart of downtown Phoenix, six blocks from Chase Field (home of the Arizona Diamondbacks ), five blocks from Talking Stick Resort Arena (home of the Phoenix Suns ), and less than three blocks from the Dodge Theatre , Symphony Hall Phoenix , Orpheum Theatre , the Phoenix Convention Center and the Herberger Performing Arts Center . The hotel can be briefly seen in

850-515: The Italian Renaissance style. Construction was undertaken by Kinnie & Westerhouse General Contractors. The hotel was state of the art with air conditioning (the first in Phoenix), elevators, circulating chilled water in the rooms and steam heat. The hotel grand opening was on March 19, 1928. The hotel was built at a cost of nearly $ 850,000. Charles Harris was the co-owner and managing partner of

900-636: The San Carlos, and took over full-time management of the San Carlos after the original manager, Dwight Heard, died in 1929. Harris moved his family into the roof-top bungalow (or penthouse) and worked diligently to keep the San Carlos Hotel open during the Great Depression. The hotel remained in the Harris family until 1967 when Harris' widow, Elsie, sold the property to an investment group. The investment group

950-749: The UK-based broadcaster which operates across the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific markets, but had no direct relation to the American television channel until then. The deal was completed on May 1, 2012, following regulatory approval. In Canada, Travel Channel's programming has aired on T+E , and later, DTour . Arizona Biltmore Hotel The Arizona Biltmore is a historic resort located in Phoenix near 24th Street and Camelback Road. Designed by Albert Chase McArthur , it opened on February 23, 1929, as part of

1000-411: The blaze. Thirty-five (35) firetrucks and a hundred and fifty (150) fire fighters responded to the 6-alarm fire which resulted in $ 2.5 million of damage. It was announced immediately by the new owners that this famed hotel would be rebuilt in 90 days and opened on schedule for its regular winter season the last week of September 1973. The prompt re-building included new custom designed carpets throughout

1050-518: The building of the Arizona Biltmore, near Phoenix, I have done for Albert McArthur himself at his sole request, and for none other. Albert McArthur is the architect of that building – all attempts to take the credit for that performance from him are gratuitous and beside the mark. But for him, Phoenix would have had nothing like the Biltmore, and it is my hope that he may be enabled to give Phoenix many more beautiful buildings as I believe him entirely capable of doing. The Biltmore History Room

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1100-611: The channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in Manhattan , with offices in Silver Spring , Maryland and Knoxville , Tennessee , U.S. Travel Channel features documentaries , reality , and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows on African animal safaris , tours of grand hotels and resorts, visits to significant cities and towns around

1150-477: The confusion, Frank Lloyd Wright influences have been added to the property over the years. This includes a stained glass window design entitled "Saguaro Forms and Cactus Flowers" that Wright designed as a magazine cover for Liberty Magazine in 1926. It was fabricated by Taliesin students and installed during the 1973 hotel renovations and restoration. Reproductions of the geometric 'sprite' statues originally designed by Wright and sculpted by Alfonso Iannelli for

1200-476: The deal closed in January 2010. Following the purchase, Travel Channel began to add programming from sister networks such as Food Network In 2015, Scripps relocated the channel's headquarters from Chevy Chase, Maryland to Knoxville, Tennessee. On February 25, 2016, SNI acquired the remaining 35% stake in Travel Channel from Cox Communications, giving it full control over the network. Discovery regained ownership of

1250-518: The evening, in the ballroom. In 2009, the Arizona Biltmore marked its 80th anniversary with two additions that reinforced the history and architectural legacy of the resort. Ocatilla at Arizona Biltmore – a 120-room addition offering the resort's most enhanced guest services, many complimentary amenities, club accommodations and Wright-inspired décor – was named for a compound Wright built in Phoenix's South Mountains to serve as his secluded, inspirational workplace. A new restaurant, Frank & Albert's,

1300-466: The final carpets were laid and the deadline had been met by a partnership of the owner, Talley Industries, the general contractor, J.R. Porter Construction Co., and the architect, Taliesin Associated Architects . After the 1973 fire the hotel began planning for an expansion. The 89-room Paradise Wing completed in 1975 was the first major expansion of the hotel since it had opened. The new wing

1350-399: The first school in Phoenix. The 4-room adobe school was inaugurated in 1874 and was replaced with a larger structure in 1879. The school was enlarged several times in subsequent years but was condemned in 1916, with construction of a luxury hotel in mind. In addition, many area children died during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic that attacked the United States. In 1919, the land was bought by

1400-482: The guests in the room saw the light, they would return to their rooms through secret passageways. What is now an entry door to the room used to be an exit door behind a wall sealed off from the rest of the hallway so that police wouldn't see guests leaving. Actors Clark Gable and Carole Lombard would often stay in room 1201 (now known as the Clark Gable room) which was right next door to the Mystery Room. Their room had

1450-658: The hotel's roof. The Hotel San Carlos in Phoenix, a member of Historic Hotels of America , a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation , underwent a $ 1-million remodel in 2003 and work continues on the historic boutique hotel. The hotel faces stiff competition from such five-star hotels as The Phoenician , Arizona Biltmore Hotel the Ritz Carlton , many Hilton Hotels and the Hyatt Regency Phoenix . However, as downtown Phoenix continues its dramatic growth

1500-407: The hotel, new furniture for guest rooms and public areas, new restaurant kitchen equipment, and renovated public interiors throughout the hotel. "Saguaros", a design by Wright for the cover of Liberty Magazine, was fabricated by Taliesin students during the remodeling of the hotel and was installed in the lobby. Three separate crews were employed around the clock. In the wee hours before opening day,

1550-409: The hotel. Another ghost frequently mentioned by hotel employees is a little girl, possibly around six to nine years old, who is rumored to visit hotel rooms at night and sit crying. Believers think she was probably one of the area children affected either by the school's closing or the flu epidemic. On December 9, 2004, yet another death occurred at the San Carlos, when an unidentified man jumped from

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1600-531: The network on March 6, 2018, after acquiring SNI. Available data shows that viewership peaked in Spring 2008 at 27.78 million views per 7 days, and has been in decline ever since. As of Spring 2017, the channel got 17.25 million views. On October 1, 2018, Travel Channel revealed a new logo stylized as Trvl Channel , and shifted its programming to focus on "the paranormal, the unsolved, the creepy and terrifying". From 2015 to 2017, Destination America had undergone

1650-415: The opening shot of Alfred Hitchcock 's 1960 film Psycho as the camera pans the skyline of downtown Phoenix. Travel Channel 38°57′44.7″N 77°5′6.8″W  /  38.962417°N 77.085222°W  / 38.962417; -77.085222 Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery , who previously owned

1700-509: The original structure. There are two murals on the walls: "Legend of the Sun" and "Warrior Twins" by Maynard Dixon (a 20th-century American artist whose body of work focused on the American West ) which were done on Belgian Linen. The Aztec Room was the original ballroom of the Biltmore. The 2,800 square feet room has a gold leaf ceiling and copper beams. Frank Lloyd Wright was instrumental in

1750-640: The property from Grossman Company Properties for $ 228.5M ($ 126M cash, $ 100M Florida Panther stock, and $ 62.5 debt assumption). Also, in 1999 Florida Panther Holdings, Inc. changed its name to Boca Resorts, Inc. At the time, Florida Panthers Holdings, Inc. also owned the Boca Raton Resort & Club , the Registry Resort, the Edgewater Beach Hotel, the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 Resort and Marina,

1800-517: The resort. Their favorite cottage in the resort was Cottage I. In 1970, the Wrigley family sold the hotel to the Talley family. 1973 almost spelled doom for the hotel: a large fire erupted on June 21, destroying interiors of large parts of the 3rd and 4th floors and tremendous water damage on the 2nd and ground floors. Investigators discovered that an arc from a welder installing a sprinkler system had started

1850-421: The room there was a bar behind a revolving bookcase where the illegal alcoholic drinks were served. The hotel placed a beacon light (spotlight) atop the hotel whose official purpose was to alert the speakeasy guests in the event that the police arrived to raid the place. A hotel employee would be stationed on the roof and if he saw any police cars he would flash the spotlight on the skylight of the Mystery Room. When

1900-538: The room's design which had few or no adjustments. In 1940, the Catalina Pool aka Marilyn Monroe's Pool and the Cowboy Bunkhouse areas opened. These became favorite areas of Hollywood celebrities. The Catalina Pool was Marilyn Monroe 's favorite and she was often seen around the pool area sunbathing. Catalina pool supposedly is where Irving Berlin penned the iconic song “White Christmas”. Martha Raye

1950-402: The second floor of the hotel there was a room known as the Mystery Room. It was called the "Men's Smoking Room" where supposedly the men who were guests went to smoke cigars. This was during the days of Prohibition (1920 to 1933) and the name of the room was a disguise because its true function in the night was that of a speakeasy . Only the guests that knew the secret password were allowed in. In

2000-518: The site of what once was Phoenix's first radio transmitter and whose list of clientele include such celebrities as Jack Dempsey and John F. Kennedy . The San Carlos had its share of celebrities such as Mae West , Clark Gable , Carole Lombard , Marilyn Monroe and Gene Autry . On May 7, 1928, The Arizona Republic reported the death of Leone Jensen at the hotel. The article's headline read "Pretty blonde jumps from (the) San Carlos (hotel) early today." Based on what she wrote in her suicide note, it

2050-537: The world, programming about various foods around the world, and programming about ghosts and the paranormal in notable buildings. As of November 2023 , Travel Channel is available to approximately 67,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2011 peak of 96,000,000 households. The Travel Channel was launched on February 1, 1987; it was founded by TWA Marketing Services (a subsidiary of Trans World Airlines ). The channel's name

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2100-564: Was believed the 22-year-old woman was physically abused by her boyfriend, a bellboy at the Westward Ho. Speculations have been made regarding whether Jensen was pregnant and/or her boyfriend was having an affair with another hotel worker. Because of these theories, the way she died is also debated. While most evidence pointed to suicide, others postulated she could have been pushed by her boyfriend or her boyfriend's other girlfriend. There have been numerous reports of sitings of Leone Jensen's ghost at

2150-467: Was contractor with L. D. Richardson serving as project superintendent. The hotel opened on February 23, 1929. In 1930, the McArthurs (the owners) lost control of the property to one of their primary investors, William Wrigley Jr. , who became full owner. The nearby Wrigley Mansion was built in 1931 and now operates as a private club. In March, 1952, Ronald and Nancy Reagan spent their honeymoon at

2200-563: Was derived from the travel-related filler programming that aired between programs on the Home Theater Network . TWA purchased the name rights from Group W Satellite Communications in 1986, and took over HTN's transponder spot following the shutdown of the premium cable channel in January 1987. In 1992, the network was sold to Landmark Communications , then-owner of The Weather Channel ; five years later, Landmark sold it to Paxson Communications . Discovery Communications acquired

2250-514: Was designed by John Rattenbury of Taliesin Associated Architects. M. M. Sundt Construction Company was general contractor for the new Paradise Wing and used precast concrete planes which are 18 square feet. The forms for the concrete panels were crafted using the "Biltmore blocks" forms to achieve a uniform look with the original building. In 1979 the Taliesin-designed 120-room Valley Wing and a 39,000 square foot conference center opened. In 1982

2300-614: Was inspired by and named for Wright and McArthur. A menu was created – of comfort foods and American classics with an Arizona twist – reflecting the dual influences of the two architects. The Arizona Biltmore was designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride and was listed in the Phoenix Historic Property Register in July 2009. Authorship of the hotel's design is not a new dispute. Wright wanted square blocks as opposed to McArthur's mathematically proportioned rectangle block that

2350-453: Was photographed playing chess on a large chessboard around the Cowboy house. The Tequila sunrise is an alcoholic cocktail whose ingredients include tequila, Crème de Cassis, fresh squeezed lime juice and Club Soda. It was invented in the late 1930s by bartender Gene Sulit. Sulit was attending customers in the hotel's "Wright" bar when one particular customer asked Sulit if he could come up with

2400-454: Was sold to the Orlando, Florida -based REIT, CNL Hotels & Resorts as part of the corporate acquisition of six of KSL's seven resort assets. CNL was sold to Morgan Stanley in 2007. In 2011, lenders including Paulson & Co. , Winthrop Realty Trust and Capital Trust foreclosed on 8 of the former CNL hotels. in 2013, the owners reached a deal to sell the Biltmore and three other properties to

2450-411: Was unsuccessful and in 1970 sold the San Carlos to Gregory Melikian. Over the past 43 years, Melikian and his family have owned, operated and lovingly restored the San Carlos Hotel to its original splendor. The Melikian family has been instrumental in saving many historic properties in Phoenix. The hotel competed with the posh Westward Ho hotel completed nearby the following year, which was located on

2500-595: Was used. The pre-cast blocks which McArthur used became known as the “Biltmore Blocks". The blocks had a diverse geometric design and were made on site from desert sand. Wright had condemned McArthur's use of the block system and publicly claimed credit for the building's design. Nonetheless, Wright issued a carefully worded letter in 1930 that was published in The Architectural Record (quoted in Brendan Gill 's Many Masks ): All I have done in connection with

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