The COVID-19 pandemic has caused harm to many businesses including the historic hotels of downtown Phoenix.
One of these historic hotels is the Hotel San Carlos located on Central Avenue, which first opened in 1929.
“We were struggling for a bit. We relied heavily on the convention center crowds,” Tony Lickiss, a worker at the Hotel San Carlos, explained.
Many of the historic hotels downtown rely on events around the city and in nearby locations to draw in customers. But the pandemic has shuttered a large portion of these events such as conventions and concerts.
This shift in business strategies has forced some businesses to find different means of making money. This hotel, unlike many others, has been able to use its status as a historic hotel to get more customers.
“History and the paranormal side of our business has really been what has kept us open and going through the pandemic,” Lickiss explained.
The first construction on the site was a one room adobe schoolhouse, which was used to teach local Native American children, according to Historic Hotels of American. It does not disclose which tribe used the schoolhouse or where it received this information.
The building was expanded over the years as the population of children in Phoenix grew.
The hotel was then home to several smaller businesses before it was remodeled into the Italian Riviera style building it is now, according to Historic Hotels of America.
It has hosted celebrities such as Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Mae West. It is also host to several rumors of the paranormal.
The Hotel is iconic for its reports of sightings of children, who are believed to have been from the schoolhouse period of the building.
The Hotel is also known for the story of Leone Jenson, a young woman from L.A, who jumped from the roof of the hotel to the street below. She wrote several notes before, including one that was delivered to hotel staff. The story was published by the media during the time extensively.
“We get people coming in here all the time for the paranormal side and tours,” Lickiss said.
Another historic hotel in Phoenix is The New Windsor Hotel located on Adams.
The hotel originally opened in 1893, predating Arizona statehood by 19 years. This also one of the few remaining hotels in downtown Phoenix that was open during the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918 to 1920.
The hotel has undergone several remodels over the years, including one in the 1950’s where it gained its now iconic neon lighting and midcentury front. It also features several vintage advertisements, such as being “Air Cooled” and having a “Public Telephone.”
When asked for a more recent update on the hotel, the management declined to comment.
With the easing of restrictions placed to slow the spread of the pandemic, these hotels have been able to go back to normal.
“Absolutely,” exclaimed Lickiss when asked if the hotel has seen an uptick in customers.“The first of the year reservations are entirely booked up for the month.”
This uptick in business shows that with the return of customers, downtown Phoenix will continue to be home to historic hotels.
Contact the reporter psmithga@asu.edu.
