Saturday, November 7, 2026

Question: What is the oldest, still-operating hotel in downtown Phoenix?

Answer: Hotel San Carlos. Opened on March 19, 1928, the historic Hotel San Carlos featuring Italian Renaissance/Desert Renaissance Revival architecture, was celebrated as the most modern hotel in the Southwest at its opening and was the first air-cooled, high-rise hotel in Arizona. Over the decades, it hosted numerous Hollywood icons and figures, including Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Mae West, Carole Lombard, and Gene Autry.