The Royal Palms Hotel Overview:
Sheer Elegance and Exquisite Accommodations

By Robert Lewis

Located at the foot of Camelback Mountain, the Royal Palms combine the graciousness and sophistication of a Spanish-Mediterranean estate with the intimacy and privacy of a secluded retreat.

Guests enter the resort through a driveway lined with regal palm trees and are greeted by a 250-year-old fountain in the circular porte cochere.

The experience is enriched the moment you walk into the majestic resort. It’s as if you are no longer in a desert. You feel like you were just transported to one of Europe's most discriminating luxury resorts.

The Royal Palms caters to travelers of all types, including honeymooners and executive business travelers staying for extended stays.

Graced by an old world ambiance, wall tapestries, antique furniture, huge stone fireplaces, views of tranquil gardens and natural lighting from the numerous Mediterranean-arched windows and doors, attendees have the feeling they are the honored guests of a grand estate.

The hotel's conference services and venues have been designed to provide a "residential" experience for meeting attendees rather than the traditional commercial ambiance that one feels from the typical resort.

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Anything but the typical, you will revel in the luxury of a great resort while feeling like you really are at home. Yet, as you enjoy the splendid settings and amenities of this 1929 built mansion, The Royal Palms will invigorate any guest with a sense of old world romanticism.

Decorated with antiques and exquisite paintings, the rich color scheme and plush furniture call forth images of a lavish private residence. Graced with Italian-stained walls, mahogany and iron double doors at the entry way, outdoor fireplaces, stone fountains including a 250 year-old fountain that greets guests at the entrance, you will come to understand that living and traveling in luxury begins with a stay at the Royal Palms.

The History - A Grand Tradition

Booming with history throughout this 20,000 square foot facility, you will come to see why celebrities such as Groucho Marx and Helena Rubenstein began making the Royal Palms their preferred address.

In the mid-1920s, Delos Willard Cooke, a New York industrialist, chose a 65-acre parcel and built El Vernadero, his winter haven. Cooke filled the 3,500-square-foot Spanish Revival villa with treasures from near and far.

He added rare flora, including 900 palms, many imported from Egypt. This original mansion is at the center of the Royal Palms today.

Anticipating a tourism boom after World War II, a group of investors, headed by former big band leader Al Stovall, added 15 hotel rooms to the west of the original Cooke home, and converted the main home into more guest rooms, a reception area and dining room.

The Royal Palms Inn, named for the towering palms lining the entryway, opened to guests in the winter of 1948. Royal Palms later restored and re-opened in 1997 with 116 lavishly appointed casitas.

Lodging

With a choice in accommodations, the choice traveler will enjoy a wide selection in lodging: Plaza Rooms and suites, casitas, deluxe casitas, the Camelback Villa as well as the Honeymoon Villa. Click here for more information.

The casitas greets you with views of Camelback Mountain, stylish appointments, French doors leading to patios and custom-designed furniture. You will sleep under hand-wrought iron canopy beds and fireplaces. The Plaza rooms and suites all overlook the swimming pool and tennis courts. Honeymooners will enjoy a 900-square foot suite that features a patio that spans the living room

Dining

Great dining is a must for the luxury dining experience.

Under the direction of Executive Chef Derek Morgan, Royal Palms offers one of Phoenix/Scottsdale's best restaurants with T. Cook's.

Gourmet magazine honored T.Cook's restaurant in 1998 as number two among the top 20 restaurants in Phoenix/Scottsdale in its third annual "America's Top Tables" readers' poll, and gave it accolades as "Tops for Special Occasions."

T.Cook's offers artistic, intriguing Mediterranean style cuisine with rotisserie specialties prepared at the restaurant's centerpiece 1930's fireplace. Entrees range from $17 to $29 for dinner.

Desserts and pastries are exquisitely prepared by Executive Pastry Chef, Pierino Jermonti.

Located in the mansion, T. Cook's provides 130 seats in two- and four-tops, and two large round wooden tables, each seating up to 9 people.

Suspended from the vaulted wood-beamed ceiling over each table is a dramatic wrought iron chandelier, the circumference matching the size of the wooden table. Iron floor lamps enhance the intimate atmosphere with soft lighting. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer a stunning view of Camelback Mountain.

"This spectacular Mediterranean restaurant boasts excellent rustic dishes, a fantastic romantic bar and an inviting dining room with a hunter's lodge fireplace used to spit-roast meats; in short, a wow from beginning to end." (2000 Zagat Survey: Southwest Top Restaurants)

Conference and Meetings

The Royal Palms specializes in small to medium-sized meetings.

In the world of meetings today, most small conferences often take a back seat to larger, concurrent meetings in expansive convention hotels and resorts.

However, smaller hotels are seldom equipped to offer the full range of conference services and expertise necessary for a flawless gathering.

The hotel features 9,083 square feet of indoor function space, and 11,370 square feet of outdoor function space, for a total of 20, 453 square feet of distinctive meeting and event venues.

Striking architecture and landscaping, superb culinary service, and 116 elegantly designed guestrooms, suites, casitas and villas make this award-winning hotel the perfect choice for unforgettable meetings. Click here for more information.

Recreation - Croquet anyone?

The Royal Palms offers a swimming pool with private cabanas, whirlpool spa, tennis court and a croquet lawn.

The Fitness Center is equipped with the highest quality Cybex training equipment.

A superior selection of treadmills, Lifecycles, Stairmasters and free weights are available, as well as fresh fruit and juice, an abundant selection of music, and a television set. The facility has natural light from several windows and doors, and shares the same artistic flair as the rest of the hotel.

Whether it's a luxury golf vacation or a desire to experience the Valley at its finest, you will leave Royal Palms refreshed and invigorated.

A courteous, professional staff is always there, not just to service you, but also to remind you of what a luxury travel experience is all about. One visit to The Royal Palms Hotel will leave you longing for your next visit.

The Royal Palms
5200 East Camelback Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85018
Phone: (602) 840-3610
Fax: (602) 840-6927
Reservations: (800) 672-6011

Guests are within minutes of Scottsdale and its shopping, art galleries, entertainment and world-famous golf courses.

The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is only 20 minutes from the hotel.