Hyatt Regency and its rotating restaurant mark 40 years in Phoenix
The Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix — and especially its landmark rotating restaurant — has hosted many special engagements, but now the hotel itself is the subject of celebration.
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the hotel opening and the start of the restaurant revolving 317 feet above the city.
"I can’t believe it has been 40 years," said Christine Mackay, community and economic development director for Phoenix.
Mackay said she remembers when the hotel was built in the mid-1970s. The Phoenix building was designed by Charles Luckman and Associates, who also designed the Phoenix Convention Center and Phoenix Symphony Hall, but the hotel may be the most recognizable of those to people less familiar with downtown.
"The Hyatt has been such an iconic part of the Phoenix skyline for so many years," Mackay said.
The hotel, completed in 1976, has hosted numerous conventions, weddings and served as a headquarters for major sporting events. The hotel was even spotted in feature films "The Gauntlet" in 1977 and "A Fire in the Sky" in 1978. The downtown area has changed dramatically since it opened, becoming a nightlife destination rather than a ghost town.
“I feel like Phoenix has grown up around us,” said Danyell Schastny, director of sales marketing for the hotel. The hotel held an event Jan. 21 to mark the occasion.
To many, the building is best known for Compass Arizona Grill, which sits atop the hotel.
“It’s the only place where you can see the 360-degree beauty of Phoenix,” said David Krietor, president and CEO of Downtown Phoenix Inc.
Schastny said the restaurant opened as a club lounge, and progressed to a three-meal restaurant serving breaking, lunch and dinner. The restaurant now serves drinks, dinner and dessert from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
“It’s always revolved and it’s always been a landmark,” Schastny said.
It is the only restaurant in the state that revolves. It has two speeds and can rotate in two directions. The restaurant sticks to a slower speed with a full rotation taking about 52 to 54 minutes. The higher speed would shave about 10 minutes from the ride.
Downtown Phoenix wasn’t always a hub of activity, due partly to a lack of hotel space, Krietor said. The Hyatt helped create foot traffic through the area by providing a space for visitors to stay as one of the first convention center hotels built downtown.
"You’ve seen it grow from local events now into nationally recognized events," Mackay said. "The Hyatt has been through it all."
Its neighbors now include other Phoenix landmarks, including Chase Field, the Phoenix Convention Center and the downtown arts district known as Roosevelt Row, as well as many new surrounding towers.
“As one of downtown Phoenix’s first convention hotels, the Hyatt has played an integral role in the growth and development of Arizona’s tourism economy over the past 40 years," said John Chan, Phoenix Convention Center director, in a statement.
But as the hotel marks the milestone, it faces much stiffer competition for guests. The Hyatt Regency is now a neighbor to several large-scale hotels, including the Westin Phoenix Downtown and the Sheraton Grand Phoenix just blocks away. A 320-room Marriott hotel also is under construction downtown.
Strategic Hotels and Resorts owned the Hyatt from 1998 until July 2008, when it was sold to the Los Angeles-based real-estate investment firm DiNapoli Capital Partners for $96 million.