Biden will stay in Phoenix tonight. Here's a history of where presidents stayed in Arizona
President Joe Biden will stay overnight in Phoenix on Tuesday, March 19, on a two-day visit as part of his re-election campaign, his third visit to Arizona in seven months.
His previous two overnight stays in Arizona broke with traditions of where presidents stay when they visit Phoenix and the Grand Canyon.
He didn't stay at the Grand Canyon hotel most famous for hosting presidents when he visited in November 2023 to dedicate a new national monument in northern Arizona.
He skipped El Tovar's presidential suite and its balcony overlooking the canyon — a favorite of at least six presidents, as well as Oprah Winfrey and Paul McCartney — in favor of a resort in nearby Tusayan.
And no U.S. president since George W. Bush has stayed at the Arizona Biltmore, which had been the Phoenix hotel of choice for visiting presidents.
The iconic Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired hotel has hosted U.S. presidents ever since Herbert Hoover dropped by in April 1932, three years after the Biltmore opened.
Every president stayed there until Barack Obama broke the streak in 2009. He and his successor, Donald Trump, stayed at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia.
Biden stayed at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown during a 2023 visit.
Here's a look at Arizona hotels where presidents have stayed.
Renaissance Phoenix Downtown hosted Joe Biden
Biden stayed at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown when he visited in September 2023 for a private fundraiser and a public tribute to the late Sen. John McCain that included announcing the McCain National Library at Arizona State University.
The Renaissance Phoenix Downtown, known for its distinctive exterior features and the speakeasy Melinda's Alley, has 521 guest rooms including 83 suites. Its largest suite is smaller compared to other hotels that hosted presidents — the Renaissance's executive king suite, which goes for around $560 per night during the high season, is just under 800 square feet.
Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia hosted Donald Trump and Barack Obama
During overnight trips to Phoenix in 2009 and 2015, Obama stayed at the InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa (now the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia) and the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort (now Hilton Phoenix Resort at the Peak), respectively.
When Trump visited Phoenix in August 2017, he too stayed at the opulent Montelucia, where the 2,800-square-foot presidential suites go for as much as $5,000 a night.
Trump typically stays at one of his branded resorts, but a $167 million Trump hotel project initially proposed for the Camelback corridor in the early 2000s was never built.
In 2012, Forbes Travel Guide named the Biltmore and the Montelucia among the 11 most presidential hotels in America.
Obama and Trump bucked tradition when they skipped a stay at the Arizona Biltmore and its Grande Dame Signature Presidential Suite (which goes for around $1,000 a night in the fall). Every president from Hoover to George W. Bush had stayed at the Biltmore up to that point.
The Biltmore also hosted Ronald and Nancy Reagan for their honeymoon in 1952, long before he was elected president.
Besides the hotel's elegant surroundings and central location, the layout allows security to block off the entire presidential wing for privacy and safety, according to the Biltmore.
Presidents like the Arizona Biltmore golf course
Past presidential guests were known for hitting the links, particularly Bill Clinton who, in November 1996, shanked one into the backyard of a home on the 17th hole of the Adobe course. The home belonged to Dodie Londen, who was the state GOP chairwoman, The Arizona Republic reported at the time.
Clinton briefly stopped the presidential golf-cart-cade to make sure everything was OK, and while the president's demeanor was extremely friendly, Londen said she’d still be voting for his Republican opponent Robert Dole.
Where do presidents stay at the Grand Canyon?
The Biltmore was not Arizona’s first hotel to host a sitting president. In 1909, Teddy Roosevelt stayed at El Tovar on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, returning in 1913 after Arizona had achieved statehood.
Other presidents who stayed at El Tovar include Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, Dwight Eisenhower, George H.W. Bush and Clinton.
When Joe Biden visited the Grand Canyon in August 2023 to designate a new national monument nearby, he stayed at the Squire Resort at the Grand Canyon in Tusayan, about 7 miles from the South Rim. The 322-room resort with a desert-inspired design has four dining options, indoor and outdoor pools and a six-lane bowling alley.
Ancestral Footprints of Grand Canyon: What to know about Arizona's newest national monument
Scott Craven contributed to the reporting of this story.
Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: US presidents stayed at these Phoenix and Grand Canyon hotels
