Crossing the threshold of a Valley resort during the analog era signified a clear transition from work to play. Sure, the stay might involve dodging the occasional call from the office, but even those were usually brief, since long-distance rates weren’t cheap. It was a time for unfolding lounge chairs, not laptops. Vintage marketing from these desert retreats depicts a carefree, giddy-up lifestyle, showcasing Western adventures paired with poolside lounging. There was no social media to share the exotic escapades. Instead, the resorts offered plenty of striking complimentary swag to impress friends upon returning home.
Arizona Sunshine Credit Card
The Arizona Development Board practically guaranteed sunburns for Valley visitors who spent their vacations swimming, golfing and horseback riding by introducing a Sunshine Credit Card in the late 1950s. This promotional postcard proudly advertised 307 days of cloud-free living each year, a claim supported by no less than the federal government.
Arizona Biltmore
When it opened in 1929, the resort spotlighted its cowboy connection, featuring a stable for trail rides in the surrounding pristine desert. Decades later, marketing evolved to showcase Albert Chase McArthur’s Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architecture, including the Gold Room. This elegant dining space once offered nightly dancing to an orchestra and is now a wedding venue.
John Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch
Guests at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain resort now tote artisanal cocktails instead of wooden racquets, and a luxurious infinity pool has replaced the famed tennis center court. Still, the Paradise Valley vista remains as breathtaking as when John Gardiner opened his racquet-inspired retreat at the site in 1970, featuring renowned pros teaching eager celebrities how to execute topspin backhands.
Royal Palms Inn
While the inn now known as Royal Palms Resort & Spa’s oldest buildings date to 1929, its architecture and gardens transport visitors to the 8th century, when the famed Alhambra fortress flourished in Granada, now part of Spain. At the time of this 1961 brochure, the resort featured a stable, a 9-hole golf course and a heart-shaped swimming pool designed to inspire honeymoon-type activities.
Jokake Inn
The emblematic belfry towers of this winter hideaway were added a few years after the tearoom-turned-resort was launched in 1928, making it one of the first on Camelback Mountain. The Pueblo-revival-style building survived the inn’s demolition in the late 1970s and was integrated into The Phoenician, the luxury resort that debuted on-site in 1988.
