Frommer's Review
The El Tovar received a $4.6-million-dollar renovation for its 100th anniversary in winter 2005. Its hunting-lodge style serves as a dark, cool counterpoint to the warm, pueblo-style buildings of Mary E. Jane Colter. Completed in 1905 to accommodate the influx of tourists on the Santa Fe Railroad, the El Tovar is roughly 100 yards from the rim and casts a long shadow over Grand Canyon Village. A pointed cupola sits like a witch's cap above its three stories of Oregon pine and native stone, and spires rise above an upstairs deck.
Inside, moose and elk heads hang on varnished walls, dimly lit by copper chandeliers. Minus the modern-day tourists, the El Tovar looks much as it did at its inception, when it offered guests all manner of luxury, including a music room, art classes, and a roof garden.
While these amenities have gone the way of the Flagstaff-to-Grand Canyon stagecoach, the hotel remains the most upscale at the canyon and the only one to offer room service and a nightly turndown. During the recent renovation, standard king rooms were given a significant face-lift, adding CD radios and prints of the Grand Canyon, and upgrading the bathrooms with pedestal sinks, beveled mirrors, and hair dryers. The deluxe rooms offer more space, and some have balconies. Twelve individually-themed suites, including the Zane Grey Suite with a porch, and the Charles Whittlesey Suite, named after the hotel's architect and displaying blueprints of the building's original design, cost about $246. The most stunning accommodations by far are the three view-suites, each of which has a sitting room and a private deck overlooking the canyon. These suites, which cost $315, often fill up a year or more in advance.
Facilities:
Restaurant (international) in a stunning dining room; lounge with veranda overlooking the rim; concierge; tour desk; room service
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
