Scottsdale's hotels and resorts are well known for their plush accommodations, turquoise pools and top-tier spas. But what few people know is that many are home to outstanding art collections that would rival a museum. Here are just a few resort art collections to enjoy during your stay:
JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa
Take a stroll along the winding pathways at the legendary JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn and you're likely to come across at least one of property's monumental bronze sculptures by the late artist Dave McGary. Known for his exquisite attention to detail, McGary created his bronze sculptures of Native American figures with deep respect for cultural accuracy and an eye for the natural movement of feathers, leather and fabric.
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch
Visit the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale’s Native American Learning Center for a unique opportunity to learn about the traditions and culture of Arizona’s Native American communities. The center was developed to provide information about Native history, culture and teachings through masterworks of Native artists in both traditional and experimental media, exhibits and a reference library. The resort also offers a renowned art collection highlighted by a life-size bronze Ghan Dancer and Cliff Dweller, a sculpture rendered in paper mache over cedar wood by Clyde Connell to evoke the imagery of the Southwest.
Talking Stick Resort & Spa
Stitch together the past and present of the nearby Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) at the resort’s Cultural Center. The Center houses a priceless collection of Native American art, including pottery, jewelry and baskets, as well as a talking stick, a custom piece from which the resort gets its name. Most of the art included in the displays was created by members of the SRPMIC and reflects the community’s Pima and Maricopa heritage. Other mediums of art featured throughout the resort include historic Arizona photos, textiles, contemporary Native American paintings and more.
Hotel Valley Ho
Scottsdale’s only historic hotel and regarded as one of the best mid-century modern landmarks in the country, Hotel Valley Ho offers expert-led architectural walking tours of the buildings and grounds. Designed by Edward L. Varney, this restored 1950s gem has hosted Hollywood luminaries such as Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe and Zsa Zsa Gabor, as well as the 1957 wedding reception of teenage heartthrobs Robert Wagner and Natalie Woods.
Hilton North Scottsdale at Cavasson
The Hilton North Scottsdale at Cavasson, one of the city's newest hotels, pays homage to Western culture and the Sonoran Desert landscape with a robust art collection that features sculptures by Frederic Remington and oil paintings like “Sonoran Splendor” by Kirk Randle.
Hermosa Inn, a boutique hideaway
The Hermosa Inn is built on the grounds of famed cowboy artist Lon Megargee’s hand-built ranch home. Starting in the 1930s, Megargee – who also worked as a cowboy, bronco buster and poker dealer and studied architecture in Spain – used adobe blocks formed onsite and beams recovered from an abandoned mine to create an artist studio and home he dubbed, Casa Hermosa or “beautiful house.” Today, this refined resort incorporates elements of the original structure, while the restaurant, Lon’s, features various Megargee paintings and self-portraits.
