HISTORY OF THE HOTEL

The Westward Ho was one of the biggest luxury hotels in the country when it opened its doors in 1928. It was a majestic and grand building with intricate embellishment and artwork adorning the walls and the rooms. It was 15 floors tall and stood at what was then a humongous 208 feet, holding the record for the tallest building in Arizona until 1960. At the time of its opening, the hotel charged an exorbitant $2 a night, while competitors charged 25 cents. A restaurant, operated on the 15th floor, offered a beautiful view of the city.

In 1949, a broadcast tower was mounted on top of the Westward Ho, and was leased by KPHO-TV until 1950. The tower itself added another 268 feet to the height of the already impressive structure.

Located in the central business district, the Ho attracted business people and politicians as well as vacationers escaping to the warm Phoenix climate in the winter. The hotel entered the limelight when President John F. Kennedy made a speech there during his presidential campaign. Several celebrities visited the hotel and the hotel itself has been featured in many movies. The high profile of the hotel led to many legends, myths and rumors.

In 1979, the hotel closed down due to a rapidly decreasing clientele and reopened as low-income housing for senior citizens in 1981.The Westward Ho still retains glimpses of its former splendor, with most of the architectural features intact. It was acquired by the Phoenix Preservation Partnership in 2003 and is now managed by the Property Management Group. It is a protected historic building.

The property now houses around 300 residents who are 65 years or older. They live in 289 studio and one bedroom apartments and one two-bedroom apartment. They come to live at the Ho after approval by the government and pay up to 30% of their incomes as rent.

The video offers a tour with unofficial historian Erling Eaton. He compares the present with the past and talks about the building's architecture. Eaton preserves many pieces of memorabilia, some of which are displayed in this site's memorabilia section.