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Wigwam Golf Resort Joins Destination Collection
Third Phoenix Property in its Portfolio
Englewood, CO – August 5, 2010 – Charlie Peck, president and chief operating officer for Destination Hotels & Resorts, recently announced that the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa in Phoenix joined the company’s exceptional portfolio of properties. Destination is working closely with new owners JDM Partners, LLC to make significant improvements to the property. As previously reported, Destination was hired as the interim management company for the Wigwam in 2009 between owners.
“It’s our goal to turn these short term management opportunities into long-term relationships,” said Peck. “We were happy that JDM Partners, LLC, was pleased with the work we did for the Wigwam as an interim management company and saw the potential we had for managing the property into the future.”
Destination has had a presence in the Phoenix area for more than 30 years managing the award-winning Royal Palms Resort and Spa, as well as the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and Conference Center. Destination has tapped a number of long-time Phoenix area hoteliers to lead the property with Greg Miller as the vice president; Miller oversaw operations at Royal Palms for more than a decade including the property’s successful restoration. Charles Naberhaus returns to Phoenix as the hotel’s managing director; he held the same title at Pointe South Mountain Resort for seven years. And, Director of Sales & Marketing Frank Ashmore joins the Wigwam team after a recent assignment in Italy and 15 years in the valley at The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix and Montelucia.
The AAA Four Diamond-rated Wigwam joins Destination as the property celebrates its 80th anniversary as one of Phoenix’s first iconic resorts. The Wigwam features 331 rooms and 72 suites on more than 440 acres of lush green grass with winding walkways lined with vibrant floral landscaping. The authentic Arizona resort offers amenities such as the AAA Four Diamond-rated Red’s Steakhouse, a Signature Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa and the regions only 54 holes of on-site resort championship golf.
Rich in golf traditions and legacies, the Wigwam’s three golf courses are recognized internationally as top golf experiences in the Southwest. The first 18 holes were created by then golf pro V.O. “Red” Allen in 1935 who was later inducted into the Arizona PGA Golf Hall of Fame. In 1964, Allen later worked closely with Robert Trent Jones, Sr. to expand the golf experience with newly designed courses featuring expansive, lush green fairways, cascading canals, streams, spectacular views and landing strip tee boxes the iconic Jones was known for.
With a rich history that dates back to the early 1900s, the Wigwam resort is one of the last standing developments of Arizona’s early cotton ranch development. Built in 1918 as a guest ranch retreat for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company executives visiting area ranchers, the original accommodations featured guest rooms for just six people and upon check-in guests received a horse with their room key. As the noted retreat expanded, amenities were added and the grounds were polished with trees and shrubs and popularity amongst guests ballooned with several returning to the resort with their families for winter vacations. On Thanksgiving Day 1929, the Resort opened its doors as a guest ranch fit for up to 24 guests and just one year later the legacy of golf was born at the Wigwam with the addition of a nine-hole golf course.
For more information on the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, please visit www.wigwamresort.com.
Destination Hotels & Resorts is the fourth largest independent hospitality management company in the United States with more than 30 luxury and upscale hotels, resorts and conference centers. The company has developed a variety of initiatives to better serve its communities, stakeholders and customers including Destination Earth, an environmental sustainability program, and the Destination Delivers guest loyalty program, which provides the best available offers to members. Destination operates properties in key metropolitan areas and resort markets including Washington, D.C., Denver, San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Aspen, Palm Springs, Houston and Lake Tahoe. Destination is a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based investment, development and management firm Lowe Enterprises. For more information on the properties in the Destination Hotels & Resorts collection, please visit www.destinationhotels.com or to join Destination Delivers, visit www.destinationdelivers.com.
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