Sightseeing stints in Washington DC and San Diego now done and dusted, it was time for the actual work part of this Touchwork US trip to begin, and as such Johann and I found ourselves catching a morning flight out of San Diego and over the desert to land in Phoenix Arizona, where we would be meeting up with our colleague Erica to prepare for our little showing at the NACAS C3X 2019 Conference and Expo.
Johann had managed to secure us accommodation at the historic Hotel San Carlos, a downtown Phoenix hotel (and these days tourist attraction) that has been in operation since 1928. Famous for leaning into its haunted history as well as its popularity with celebrity stars like Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Mae West, Gene Autry and Marilyn Monroe during Hollywood’s Golden Age, the hotel is somewhat of an oddity with its keeping of many of its historic (though often charming) fittings, décor, and signage intact.
Funnily enough, when the hotel did first open in 1928, it was the most modern hotel in the Southwest being the first air-conditioned, high-rise hotel with elevators in the state of Arizona. These days Hotel San Carlos is of course outshone by all the new shiny hotel options scattered around downtown Phoenix, but it still has a few tricks up its sleeve, like a lovely rooftop pool and the very enjoyable Centrico, a modern Mexican fusion restaurant down below.
The stay was more than comfortable enough, and super interesting for those who don’t mind every now and then trading in a bit of modernity for something a little more vintage and with a whole lot of stories to discover.
Next up, a quick stroll around downtown Phoenix and then on to the NACAS expo itself!
Related Link: Hotel San Carlos | Wikipedia | Phoenix | #USA2019