27 Best Hotels in Tucson, Arizona

This hotel, built in 1919, has been artfully restored to its original Western version of art deco; it's now the center of Tucson's hippest scene and a great place for younger and adventurous travelers to stay. The gangster John Dillinger was almost caught here in 1934—apparently his luggage, filled with guns and ammo, was suspiciously heavy. Each room has a black-and-white tile bath and the original iron bed frames. The convenient location Downtown means it can be noisy, so make sure you don't get a room over the popular Club Congress (a nightclub with dance parties) or Century Room (a jazz lounge with live music nightly), unless you plan to be up until the wee hours.

Although near the university and many sights, the beautifully landscaped lawns and gardens of this 1930 inn seem far from the hustle and bustle. The spacious rooms are spread over 14 acres in pink adobe-style casitas—most have private patios and some have fireplaces. The main building has a library (high tea is served here November to March), a fine-dining restaurant, and a cocktail lounge where a jazz pianist plays.

This award-winning resort draws an international crowd of well-to-do health seekers to its superb spa facilities on 70 acres in the desert foothills. Two activity centers include an enormous spa complex and a health and healing center where dietitians, exercise physiologists, behavioral-health professionals, and medical staff tend to body and soul. Just about every type of physical activity is possible, from Pilates to guided hiking to Watsu treatments, and the food is plentiful and healthful. Rates include all meals, activities, taxes, and gratuities.

Set amid saguaro forests and mesquite groves in the Tucson Mountains (yet only 15 minutes from Downtown), the city's largest resort has massive sun-bleached stone walls that blend rather than compete with the natural surroundings and stunning views from the interior dining areas and lounges. Outside terraces, with chairs and sofas clustered around kiva fireplaces, overlook the pools, golf course, and vast desert valley. Complimentary tequila shots, along with a dramatic recitation of the story of Pancho Villa, liven up the bar nightly during happy hour.

This is one of the most luxurious and prettiest of the big resorts, with dramatic stone architecture and an 80-foot waterfall cascading down the mountains. Rooms, facing either the Catalinas or the golf course and city, are modern and elegantly furnished in muted earth tones and light woods; each bathroom has a miniature flat-screen TV and a double-wide tub. Dining options range from poolside snacks at Bill's Grill to Southwestern cuisine at the Flying V Grill (try the fresh guacamole made table-side here). The scenic Ventana Canyon trailhead is steps away, and there's a free shuttle to nearby Sabino Canyon.

A 3,000-acre working cattle ranch run by the hospitable True family since 1965, this place is the real deal, satisfying for families as well as singles or couples. You can ride up to four times daily, hike in the mountains, enjoy a hayride cookout, and compete in team cattle penning. Most rooms retain their original Western furniture, and newer deluxe rooms have whirlpool baths or fireplaces. A spa and fitness center bring even more comforts to this highly civilized but authentic setting. Rates include all meals, riding, and entertainment such as weekend rodeos, country line dancing, telescopic stargazing, and campfire sing-alongs. Economical room-with-breakfast packages are available during summer months.

If you're seeking the convenience of Downtown with ultramodern style, vibe, and amenities, this Marriott boutique hotel fits the bill nicely.

In the historic, residential Sam Hughes neighborhood, this well-maintained inn just east of the university is within easy walking distance of shops and restaurants. The comfortable rooms in this 1933 adobe home vary in size and amenities. Some have beehive fireplaces and stained-glass windows, two have kitchenettes, and one is an upstairs suite with its own balcony. Breakfast dishes like Southwestern soufflés or blueberry pancakes, always served with fruit and muffins or scones, are enjoyed in a dining room overlooking the bougainvillea-draped pool area.

Although this quiet, friendly B&B is directly off the highway frontage road, it feels worlds away. The inn resembles a late-19th-century ranch house, but its soaring ceiling and contemporary Southwestern art make the interior distinctly modern. Western-theme rooms have a view of the gardens and the Santa Rita Mountains. A full, hot breakfast and afternoon wine are included.

Historic charm meets modern luxury in this beautifully renovated 1875 adobe home, walking distance to Downtown sights, dining, and nightlife. Enjoy the many inviting indoor and outdoor common areas, or hop on one of their complimentary bicycles to explore the charming Armory Park and Barrio Viejo neighborhoods. The Inn owner, an 8th generation Tucsonan and great-great-granddaughter of one of the city's founding pioneers, will happily share her tips on the best of Tucson.

For a more authentic desert experience, head to this intriguing complex of lodgings, a café, a trading post, and an observatory, set on over 5 acres just off the main road to the Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park. Some rooms have mountain views and a wraparound porch, while others share a flower-filled courtyard; all are colorfully decorated with indigenous art and include a voucher for each guest for breakfast at the adjacent Coyote Pause Café. Say hi to Juanita, the resident desert tortoise, as you meander through the desert gardens and labyrinth. Stargazing with an astronomer through a 14-inch Celestron telescope (for an extra fee) is a rewarding on-site activity in this dark sky zone.

A sprawling, 1970s-era hotel and conference center, the Doubletree sits directly across the street from Randolph Park, Tucson's best municipal golf course and tennis facilities, and Reid Park, which houses the city zoo, a lake with paddleboats, and numerous play areas. A pleasant jogging/walking trail encircles both parks. The hotel property is well tended though generic-looking.

A hidden gem in the Downtown district, the Clifton exudes cool, retro energy and delivers with spacious, attractive rooms that won't bust your budget.

A stone's throw away from campus, the Graduate is the newest and hippest hotel in the University area. The youthful, college-y vibe is felt from the lobby's coffee bar and lounge area, with multiple workstations, to the top (14th) floor, where you can soak in spectacular mountain-city-sunset views from both the rooftop pool and Moonstone, the hotel's swanky bar with a wraparound patio. 

This 32-acre hideaway in the Santa Catalina Foothills is a charming and more intimate alternative to the larger resorts, combining luxury with Southwestern character. Designed in classic Mexican hacienda style, this former finishing school for girls was converted to a guest ranch during World War II and attracted stars like Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy. Expanded in recent years, the lodging options range from smaller, historic rooms, some with fireplaces and private porches, to spacious, newer rooms boasting private outdoor showers or views of the mountains and city lights.

A huge copper mural of cowboys and cacti and a wide view of the Santa Catalina Mountains grace the lobby of this friendly upscale golf and tennis resort. The property draws families and conventioneers, some taking advantage of low summer rates for the excellent sports facilities, the spa, and the pool complex with a 140-foot waterslide. Rooms are either in private one-bedroom casitas or in the main hotel building, and more than half of them have kiva-style fireplaces.

Set in a chic shopping plaza filled with boutiques, galleries, good restaurants, and a weekend farmers' market, this all-suites hotel provides a range of amenities, including a complimentary hot breakfast daily, bicycles, and a complimentary happy hour every Wednesday. Each 500-square-foot suite has a small living room, wet bar, and two TVs. Choose a room with a view of the pool and fountain rather than the parking lot.

This 1960s motor lodge has been reborn as a Santa Fe–style boutique hotel with a Latin theme. Though most rooms in the three-story building have Saltillo-tile floors and hand-painted Mexican headboards, a few are whimsically decorated with blue-and-lime-green–checkered bedspreads and curtains, along with kitschy furniture and lava lamps, as a tribute to the hotel's past life. Upper-floor rooms have balconies with mountain and city views. A full breakfast at the on-site restaurant, Gringo, is included.

A charming hacienda-style hotel built in the 1930s offers modern comfort in an old-world setting. Many rooms have fireplaces and private patios, and the lovely gardens (croquet, anyone?) are a midtown oasis. A restaurant, bar, and meeting rooms are also on-site.

This New Age health spa 30 miles north of Tucson, popular with celebrities, has a secluded desert setting and beautiful Southwestern rooms. Most of the spa services and wellness programs, based primarily on Eastern philosophies, aim to put you in touch with your inner self. Choices include being pampered with a hot stone massage or seaweed body mask, and participating in fitness, meditation, equine, and nature activities. All gratuities and meals, including tasty buffets (with calories and fat content noted), are included.

Perfect for groups or couples with differing ideas on how to spend a vacation, the friendly Omni Tucson National is both a premier golf resort and a full-service European-style spa, where you can be coiffed, waxed, and wrapped to your heart's content. With five restaurants to choose from, you may not even want to leave the property. Most of the rooms, although not technically suites, are spacious, with separate sitting areas. Some casitas have full kitchens and dining rooms.

The most elegant and exclusive of Tucson's golf and tennis resorts is the ever-posh Ritz-Carlton, set in the rolling hills of Marana, about 20 miles northwest of Central Tucson. The hotel has modern Southwestern-style rooms and casitas with featherbeds and Jacuzzi tubs, a fabulous spa, and an indoor-outdoor restaurant, CORE, with excellent food and spectacular desert views. Guests have privileges at Dove Mountain's 27-hole, Jack Nicklaus–designed golf course. The resort highlights the Indigenous people of the region, with Native American art, a library filled with books on the area's cultural and natural history, and a sunset celebration each evening outdoors in which notes played by a Native American flutist float into the petroglyph-studded hillsides.

The most upscale of Tucson's guest ranches and one of the oldest in the country, the Tanque Verde sits on 640 beautiful acres in the Rincon Mountains next to Saguaro National Park East. Rooms in one-story casitas have tasteful Western-style furnishings, fireplaces, and picture-window views of the desert. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets are huge, and the spa will help remedy sore muscles. Horseback excursions are available for every skill level, and children can participate in daylong activity programs, leaving parents to their leisure. Frugal travelers seeking a ranch stay can get room-and-breakfast-only rates (with meals and riding as optional add-ons).

Down the lane from the shops and eateries of Tubac village is this charming two-story inn, tastefully decorated in contemporary Southwest style. The rooms are more like suites, with sitting areas and kitchenettes, and the common outdoor space is a tranquil desert flower garden with willow chairs and a Mexican fireplace. Each morning a breakfast basket of muffins, cheeses, fruits, and juice is brought to your door.

With the University of Arizona less than a block from the front door, this clean, albeit generic, Marriott hotel is a convenient base when visiting the campus. Recently renovated rooms are nicely furnished, and the staff are friendly. The open, atrium-filled lobby's small restaurant and bar provide a welcome stop after a long day of business or touring.

Popular with business travelers and families, this sprawling resort, with grand views of the Santa Catalina Mountains and the city below, specializes in relaxation, with an emphasis on fun. The huge pool complex has an impressively long waterslide, as well as a swim-up bar and grill for those who can't bear to leave the water. Kids' programs, including weekly "dive-in movies" during summer months, make for a vacation the whole family can enjoy.

Originally the 1912 homestead of William and Mary Watson, this laid-back lodging with gorgeous city views and desert gardens has Southwestern character and all the amenities you expect at a major resort. The Watsons' original living room, with beautiful, dried ocotillo branches draped along the ceiling and antique furnishings, is now a comfortable library-lounge. The couple probably never envisioned anything like the Sonoran Spa, with hot desert-stone massages and three-mud body masks. Spacious rooms have wrought-iron beds and Mission-style furniture.