PHOENIX — Arizona restaurateur Sam Fox is opening a luxurious hotel in Phoenix.
Called The Global Ambassador, the 141-room, internationally-inspired hotel "will inspire and draw travelers from all over the world to explore Phoenix in a new way," Fox said in a statement Monday announcing the news.
It will be located within "The Grove," a new development under construction near 44th Street and Camelback Road, in Arcadia. It's the same area where the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury opened a new training facility.
The hotel is anticipated to open in fall 2023.
News of Fox's project first surfaced in 2019 after public documents were filed with the City of Phoenix, though details on what the hotel would look like, the amenities it would have, and the timeline wasn't known.
It is one of two projects under his newly-formed hospitality company, Author & Edit Hospitality. Last month, Fox opened The Twelve Thirty Club, a luxury restaurant and lounge, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Fox also founded Fox Restaurant Concepts and opened several restaurant brands, including North Italia, The Henry, Flower Child, Culinary Dropout, and, most recently, Dough Bird and Fly Bye To Go. The Cheesecake Factory bought Fox Restaurant Concepts in 2019, though Fox still runs the hospitality company.
"With The Global Ambassador, we are evolving luxury hospitality at every level and from every perspective in order to deliver something truly remarkable for the well-traveled set who is looking to be inspired and intrigued in an authentic and unexpected way," Fox said.
The hotel will also feature:
- Five restaurants influenced by the Mediterranean region, such as Greece, Italy, and Morocco.
- An 18,000-square-foot rooftop restaurant -- billed as the largest rooftop restaurant in the state -- that will overlook Camelback Mountain
- A wellness center with fitness, an outdoor yoga deck, spa, and an exclusive member's club
“This is so much more than a hotel – it’s a luxury lifestyle brand that we hope will inspire and draw travelers from all over the world to explore Phoenix in a new way. The Global Ambassador is the natural evolution of my passion for creating memorable hospitality experiences," Fox said.
He has partnered with Common Bond Development Group, Nelsen Partners Architects, Berghoff Design Group, and Testani Design Troupe on the project.
It is one of a number of luxurious hotel projects under construction in the state:
- The new Ritz-Carlton, Paradise Valley Resort at The Palmarie is under construction in Paradise Valley. The hotel is expected to open in fall 2021.
- Ambiente Sedona, billed as the first landscape hotel in Arizona, is under construction in Sedona. That hotel is expected to open in fall 2021.
- Caesars Republic Scottsdale is Caesars' first non-gaming hotel. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in early 2020 in Scottsdale north of Scottsdale Fashion Square mall, but construction hasn't progressed. A spokesperson recently told ABC15 that the project was moving forward and that a statement would be released soon. The hotel will have two restaurants from Giada De Laurentiis, as well as Seven, a poolside bar from Riot Hospitality Group (Riot House, Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row, El Hefe). However, updated construction and opening time frames are not known.
