The Roaming BoomersA Night at the Historic La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona
The La Posada Hotel, in Winslow, Arizona, is very popular among baby boomer travelers as it gives them a luxurious and nostalgic step back in time.
America’s Roaring 20s was a time of opulence in the hotel industry, and Northern Arizona’s La Posada Hotel thankfully remains as a glowing testament to the era of railroads, the Harvey Girls, and in its heyday was a favorite destination of the Hollywood jet set.
Former guests include the likes of Charles Lindbergh, Gene Autry, Howard Hughes, Jane Russell, John Wayne, Dorothy Lamour, James Cagney, Clark Gable, and a long list of presidents and foreign dignitaries.
Fred Harvey, known as the man who “civilized the west”, was legendary for developing grand luxurious hotels and restaurants along the Santa Fe Railroad. Ultimately building an empire that spanned the continent.
“In the 1920s, the Fred Harvey Company decided to build a major hotel in the center of northern Arizona. “La Posada”—the Resting Place—was to be the finest in the Southwest. Construction costs alone exceeded $1 million in 1929. Total budget with grounds and furnishings was rumored at $2 million (about $40 million in today’s dollars). They chose Winslow, then (as now) the Arizona headquarters for the Santa Fe Railway. Winslow was ideally situated for a resort hotel since everything to see and do in northern Arizona is a comfortable day’s drive. They asked renowned architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter to design the new hotel.
Colter worked for the Fred Harvey Company from 1905 until her retirement in the 1950s. Although famous for her magnificent buildings at the Grand Canyon, she considered La Posada her masterpiece. Here she was able to design or select everything from the structures to the landscape, furniture, maids’ costumes, and dinner china. Many people consider this the most important and most beautiful building in the Southwest.” (via La Posada website)
In the early 1990s, the hotel was slated to be demolished. However, a caring group of folks stepped in to save the hotel, and after a $12 million refurbishment, the hotel again stands in all of its former glory.
We arrived at the La Posada Hotel after a long day of driving as we explored the nearby Petrified Forest National Park, the world-famous Painted Desert, and greatly enjoyed the views offered by Flagstaff’s snow-capped San Francisco peaks in the distance.
From the moment we walked in the front door, we were taken back by the newness of everything, yet we felt as though we had just stepped back in time a hundred years.
Here we are exploring the hotels museum area…
The La Posada’s hotel rooms are very attractively priced, yet offer the luxury traveler all of the expected amenities.
We enjoyed a night in room 126, named the Tom Ford Room, after the American fashion designer and film director.
Our room featured a king sized custom bed, a 44 inch LCD TV, a hand-painted bureau, and a hand-painted talavera sink and jacuzzi tub. Plus, we also enjoyed comfortable living space with a couch, desk, and two comfy chairs. Very nice!
Besides a fabulous place to spend a night or two in Northern Arizona, dining in the hotel’s renowned Turquoise Room is also an absolute must. The restaurant is owned by the James Beard nominated chef, John Sharpe.
Everything is baked and cooked from scratch, and offers a fabulous taste of southwestern cuisine. You can read about our dining experience here.
Listen, if you’re making a trip down Arizona’s stretch of Route 66, headed for the Grand Canyon, or simply exploring Northern Arizona, do yourself a favor and spend some time at the La Posada Hotel. There isn’t much in Northern Arizona that will give you this kind of luxury experience. Plus, its a hoot walking around in all of this history.
Photography by David A. Porter.
Disclosure: our wonderful experience was provided by the kind folks at the Las Posada Hotel. Thanks!
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14 Comments on “A Night at the Historic La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona”
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Please check your history. Fred Harvey died in 1901, so he actually had nothing to do with the building of La Posada which opened in 1929. The company was known as “Fred Harvey”, but the person who established the company passed away 28 years prior to the opening of the hotel in WInslow.
Ofelia,
Thank you for pointing out that distinction. We’ve corrected our piece.
The article is informative and loved the pics. Loved staying there and enjoying the culture and the wonderful Torquise room dining. Plan on being there in about 3 weeks. Rich history abounds there. The article should have stated that “in the 20’s the Fred Harvey Company decided to build a major hotel”. My booklet, actually purchased there at La Posada, says that Mary Coulter was hired by the Fred Harvey Company in 1903 to design fine hotels, restaurants, and gift shops along the Santa Fe Railway. La Posada opened in 1930, at the start of the great depression, and never prospered. It closed in 1957. And there is much more…. it’s restoration is a labor of love. Allan Affeldt, owner said that “we save great buildings in the same way we save families, cities and nations: one day at a time, with constant investment and courage, undaunted by naysayers and long odds.”
Hi Susan,
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your concerns. It seems that the company’s website may have a few items of contradiction with this booklet that you mention. I took my information and dates directly from the company’s website: https://www.laposada.org/hotel_history.html
On the website, it says “Colter worked for the Fred Harvey Company from 1905 until her retirement in the 1950s”. This is also where we got into the Harvey distinction problem, as the website states, “In the 1920s, Harvey decided to build a major hotel in the center of northern Arizona”.
In any event, we share your love of La Posada, and are very grateful that you took the time to share a few thoughts with us. Happy traveling!
Stayed in the Lindbergh room in 2001 — loved it! We still talk about the margaritas!
You know, we didn’t have any margaritas when we visited. Sounds like we might have missed out on something?
Stayed in the Howard Hughes room – for the fireplace – November 2017. Beautiful hotel. Delicious experience, especially the dinners. My spouse, a foodie who lived in several places in the South and in Texas, deemed the breakfast “the best grits I ever ate in my life” (75 years). Service attentive without hovering.
Check out the nearby state parks. Dress in layers.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your love of the La Posada and their grits. 🙂
Stopped by for quick lunch and ended up staying several enchanted hours. Amazing place and food. Awesome historical guest rooms.
Such a fine sight to see!
Hi Kim,
Thanks for stopping by your comments about La Posada and Winslow, AZ. It is such a fine sight to see. 🙂
I forget which room we stayed in (a standard with two double beds upstairs in the front), but my wife, then 9-year old daughter and I loved our stay there in July 2016. We only stayed one night on a driving trip from Houston to camp on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and then down to stay at the Camelback Inn in Scottsdale (another really nice historic hotel frequented by Golden Age Hollywood), but that afternoon, evening, and a little bit of next morning at La Posada was one of the highlights of our trip (especially the excellent food in the Turquoise Room).
Hi Markin,
My girlfriend and I drove through to checkout Standin’ on the Corner. As we drove by La Posada, we decided we had to at least stay the night to experience this beautiful structure. This was January 2016 and very few guests were there, maybe 6-7 cars in the lot. After checking in, being “bar people “ we immediately ran to grab a seat. Beautiful bar hidden around the corner off the dining room near the hostess stand. There was a young girl bartending for the first half an hour then she switched out with a 20 something young man. Since my girlfriend and I were the only ones at the bar the whole time we were sitting there, a few hours I’m thinking, we had a very lengthy conversation with this kid. For someone so young he had stories of traveling the world and finally coming back home to Winslow where he belonged. He seemed very wise and worldly wide for such a young guy but very interesting to say the least. As we were sitting there voices from the dining room were gradually getting louder and louder. I said to the bartender, “where is that noise coming from? “ He said “ the dining room on the other side of the wall” . I replied, “ is there a back entrance to the dining room” and he replied “ no, just the main entrance “. This was very strange to us including him because the bar is right next to the hostess stand which is right in front of the entrance and we saw nobody walk past the whole time we were sitting there and we were both facing the entrance as well as he was looking that way too. My girlfriend had to go to the bathroom which was around the corner by the dining room I told her “ on the way, tell me how many people are over there”. When she came back to the bar she said it was full. My guess is that dining room from recollection held at least 50 or 60 people. Next it was my turn to use the bathroom, As I walked past I noticed nobody was even looking in my direction even out of curiosity to see who was walking by. I decided to cough loudly and clap my hands once to see if anybody would react and no one did. Where I am somewhat of a conductor for weird experiences, this completely thrilled me. Call them what you want but I believe these were past visitors to this please from other times and we were fortunate enough to experience them. Like I said earlier in this story they were only A handful of cars in the parking lot so if someone wants to debunk what I said explain to me where that many people come from without a bus in the lot. Planning to visit again this year or early next year to see if we can relive the magic. Pardon any mistakes where I am voice texting.
Next time take the Amtrak or some other means of transportation that doesn’t involve a personal vehicle there and stay overnight, you’ll be one of the 50 or 60 ‘past visitors’ yourself!!!
I bet another couple, probably the from or the 7 or 8 cars who drove to hotel will be able to tell a similar story as yours..