Allan Affeldt, co-owner of the historic La Posada hotel in Winslow, Arizona, announced Tuesday night in a Facebook post that he signed a contract to buy the historic Plaza Hotel in downtown Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Affeldt’s wish to own the Plaza Hotel had been known for weeks. He had said owning the Plaza would complement his recent purchase of the long-closed Hotel Castaneda, a former Harvey House a mile away across town. Affeldt had explained that modernizing Castaneda — basically adding bathrooms to every room — would give it only 20 guest rooms and wouldn’t be economically viable by itself. So Affeldt wanted Plaza Hotel for more revenue.
The Plaza Hotel had been in bankruptcy receivership since 2012, although it had continued to run. Deemed “The Belle of the Southwest,” the hotel was built in 1882. It underwent a $1 million renovation in 1982, and in 2009 bought the next-door Charles Ifeld Building for more guest rooms, a ballroom and meeting areas. The hotel also is home to the popular Landmark Grill, and has hosted everyone from western star Tom Mix to scenes in the Oscar-winning film “No Country for Old Men.”
In fact, in Affeldt’s Facebook post, he posted a photo of a film crew preparing to shoot a scene for the A&E network’s western series, “Longmire.”
Affeldt completed the purchase in April of Hotel Castaneda, which was built in 1898 and closed as a hotel more than 60 years ago. Because of Affeldt’s well-known success in reviving La Posada, the town and state officials celebrated the purchase of Castaneda, including a visit from the governor just days after the deal closed.
Affeldt bought La Posada, built in 1929, during the 1990s and restored it into one of the most popular and praised lodging properties in the Southwest.
Las Vegas sits a few miles from old Route 66, but has become a popular side trip for travelers on the Mother Road’s Santa Fe Loop.
(Image of the Plaza Hotel by S.A. Sanabria via Flickr)