Hermosa Inn

Last updated
Hermosa Inn
Hermosa1.jpg
The Hermosa Inn
General information
Location5532 N Palo Cristi Rd., Paradise Valley, Arizona, USA, 85253 [1]
Opening1936
OwnerRon D. Allred
Other information
Number of rooms43 casitas
Website
hermosainn.com

The Hermosa Inn is a small boutique hotel located in the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley near 32nd Street and Camelback Road. Though not as well known as some of the larger resort hotels in Phoenix,[ original research? ] the Hermosa Inn has been highly rated by AAA [ citation needed ] and Fodor's. [2]

Phoenix, Arizona State capital city of Arizona, United States

Phoenix is the capital and most populous city in Arizona, with 1,660,272 people. It is also the fifth most populous city in the United States, and the only state capital with a population of more than one million residents.

Paradise Valley, Arizona Town in Arizona, United States

Paradise Valley is a small, affluent town in Maricopa County, Arizona. It is the wealthiest municipality in Arizona. The town is known for its luxury golf courses, shopping, real estate, and restaurant scene. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town was 12,820. Despite the town's relatively small area and population compared to other municipalities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Paradise Valley is home to eight full-service resorts, making it one of Arizona's premier tourist destinations. It is also known for expensive real estate.

Contents

The Hermosa Inn has been ranked #1 Hotel in the Southwest in 2017 and 2018 in the Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards.[ citation needed ]

<i>Condé Nast Traveler</i> American travel magazine, first published 1987

Condé Nast Traveler is a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine published by Condé Nast. The magazine has won 25 National Magazine Awards.

History

Lon's at the Hermosa Hermosa2.jpg
Lon's at the Hermosa

Cowboy artist Alonzo "Lon" Megargee purchased 6 acres (24,000 m2) of land in what is now considered Paradise Valley in 1935. He built his studio of adobe bricks in the middle of the site and kept adding to it, calling his home Los Arcos and later Casa Hermosa, meaning "beautiful house."

Megargee had no formal plans for the building. Influenced by architecture he had studied in Spain and Mexico, he used old wooden beams from an abandoned mine and poured a mixture of oil and ash from the roof to age the exterior walls. Due to the extended length of the stays of many of his guests, Megargee began running a guest ranch to supplement his artist's income. Local law enforcement suspected that Megargee used the ranch for illegal gambling, so he constructed a tunnel from the main building to the stables to provide an easy escape into the desert should the law make a surprise visit. [3]

Spain Kingdom in Southwest Europe

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a European country located in Southwestern Europe with some pockets of Spanish territory across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean. Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula. Its territory also includes two archipelagoes: the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The African enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country (Morocco). Several small islands in the Alboran Sea are also part of Spanish territory. The country's mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and northeast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean.

Mexico Country in the southern portion of North America

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost 2,000,000 square kilometers (770,000 sq mi), the nation is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the 13th largest independent state in the world. With an estimated population of over 129 million people, Mexico is the tenth most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world, while being the second most populous nation in Latin America after Brazil. Mexico is a federation comprising 31 states plus Mexico City (CDMX), which is the capital city and its most populous city. Other metropolises in the country include Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, and León.

The Hermosa Inn is allegedly haunted by the ghost of its original owner, Alonzo Megargee. Guests and hotel staff have reported seeing the lanky cowboy in the inn. He is also believed to be the culprit behind toilets flushing on their own, he’s also known to break glasses and bottles late at night. Staff have reported encountering the ghost of “Lon”, appearing as a shadow wearing a cowboy hat. [4]

Succeeding owners renamed the property Hermosa Inn, and added a pool, tennis courts, casitas, and villas. In 1987, a fire severely damaged the original building.

The property was purchased by Fred and Jennifer Unger in 1992. Following restoration of the adobe walls, charred beams, and ironwork in the main building, the property re-opened in 1994, again as the Hermosa Inn, with a restaurant - "Lon's at the Hermosa", named for Lon Megargee - occupying the original building. In 1995 the Hermosa Inn was featured in Waiting to Exhale. Whitney Houston's character celebrates New Year's Eve in Lon's main dining room.

In May 2015, the Ungers sold the resort to Allred Capital LLLP, a partnership led by Ron Allred and Mike Allred. While still retaining the historic charm of the original hacienda built by the cowboy artist as his home and studio, the Allreds have improved upon the overall guest experience for future generations by adding a new entryway, resort lobby, a renovation to the historic rancho casitas, an expansion to LON’s Last Drop and the addition of multiple casitas, bringing it to its current total of 43 accommodations. [ citation needed ]

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References

  1. "Hermosa Inn by AreaG2". AreaG2, Inc. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  2. "Hermosa Inn at Fodor's Online Travel Guide" . Retrieved September 6, 2007.
  3. "The History of Lon Megargee" . Retrieved September 5, 2007.
  4. http://www.hauntedrooms.com/the-hermosa-inn-paradise-valley-arizona

Coordinates: 33°31′07″N112°00′17″W / 33.5185°N 112.0048°W / 33.5185; -112.0048