Renovated Scottsdale Hotel Banks on New Food and Drink Strategy

In the complex formerly known as Hotel Theodore and, prior to that, the Mondrian, the newest incarnation was developed by Sydell Group, the company behind other quirky hotels in California and New York. Boutique hotel operator Joie de Vivre (JDV) will manage the new brand in Scottsdale.

Perhaps the most noticeable change in The Saguaro are the brightly colored exterior walls painted yellows, oranges and pink, picked specifically to match the wild flowers of Arizona, according to management, a contrast to the stark white of its predecessor.

"When we go into a town we try to learn as much as we can about the town," said Andrew Zobler, Sydell Group founder and CEO. "I think the most important part of travel these days is going to a hotel that has a real sense of the place. It's not that interesting to go to a hotel that feels like it could be anywhere and hopefully through the use of bright colors and southwest style food [and decor], we hope that we have done a bit of that."

The Saguaro is the first hotel to be owned by the Sydell Group in Arizona, and according to Zobler, they plan to do things a little differently. The complex's previous tenants branded the hotel as a nightlife destination for locals, but Saguaro management hopes to expand the hotel's reach in the area.

"We think that the last incarnation of the hotel may not have been the best execution for the Scottsdale market," Zobler said. 

For a long time, there has been a paradigm for hotels to serve as nightclubs, Zobler said, but the times have changed and the Sydell Group is working under a more progressive model that will operate The Saguaro more as a community gathering place that people can visit at any point throughout the day, as opposed to something that only comes to life after dark.

"That doesn't mean it shouldn't work well at night," Zobler said. "We will definitely cater to people at night and make it a fun environment for people to go and have drinks and hang out into the early morning hours, but we see that it's very important that the hotel be very much alive during the day."

The Saguaro is located just off Drinkwater Boulevard and is adjacent to the Civic Center Plaza. Zobler said they hope to attract visitors from the nearby Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts and predict that working professionals in the area will help spread the word that The Saguaro is a good destination location.

To aid in its appeal, the Sydell Group and JDV have brought on chef Jose Garces, one of seven featured chefs from Food Network's popular food competition show "Iron Chef." Two of the hotel's three dining spots are Garces concept restaurants. Distrito, which opened its doors last week, is a Mexico City-style street cuisine eatery featuring around 200 different tequilas; and Old Town Whiskey, a saloon-inspired gastro pub that was developed around the idea of making a classical, prohibition-era bar.

"The whiskey theme is so American and Old Town Scottsdale is so American with its cowboy theme," said Marc Grika, The Saguaro restaurant general manager. "We thought the brown spirits were perfect for here."

OldTownWhiskey carries over 100 varieties of whiskey, bourbon, rye and scotch, plus a good list of specially-crafted cocktails and local craft beer. 

"It was a great marriage that came together between the owners and Jose," Grika said.

OldTownWhiskey, hidden from street view, is one of those places to be discovered and Grika believes that good things await the Garces-operated pub. "I think Old Town Whiskey will become a cult classic."

Only time will tell if The Saguaro will outlive the hotel's defunct predecessors, but the owners are hopeful. 

"We wanted to do a place that was really inviting to the whole community so we wanted something that was cheerful and welcoming and ultimately we thought having great food was a part of that," Zobler said.