The popular and highly praised Little America Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona, recently marked its 50th year in business.
As the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff tells it, the hotel is the second such hotel and resort built by the Holding Family in the Little America network that originated in 1952. There now are eight such hotels in the regional chain.
Carol Holding, who co-founded the chain with her late husband Robert, is 93 years old and still heavily involved in the company, said general manager Fred Reese.
The Flagstaff facility was heavily renovated between 2016 and 2018, with more Southwest decor.
“It’s that Flagstaff feel. You see the turquoise, you see natural colors, you see things that are very indigenous to the area and you see the beautiful stone pieces that came from the Morenci Mine in southern Arizona,” Reese said, gesturing around the hotel. “It’s the way [the Holdings’] manage all their hotels. They take a painstakingly approach to the artwork, the carpet, just everything they put into their properties. It’s got to be just right. But on top of that is the people, the people that we hire to take care of our customers.” […]
His favorite event they host are some of the well-known holiday meals in the Silver Pine restaurant within the hotel, for Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving.
Reese said possible additions in the future include an indoor pool, a spa and pickleball courts.
The hotel at 2515 E. Butler Ave. technically isn’t on old Route 66 in Flagstaff. But it sits just off Interstate 40 and was recommended in the out-of-print “Route 66 Dining and Lodging Guide” once published by the National Historic Route 66 Federation.
(Image of the entrance to the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona, by Cheryl Colan via Flickr)