TUCSON, Ariz. — It didn’t take long for the Mt. Lemmon Hotel to get fully booked for the summer. You’ll likely need to make a reservation for September or October soon if you want to stay in one of their cabins.
“I think I booked it two months ago and all the weekends, Fridays and Saturdays were already gone,” said Kari Marano. She took a few days off during the week to enjoy to the mountain with her family.
“Just a short walk to trails, it's convenient and has all the luxuries of home. Wi-Fi, refrigerator, stove, everything you need.”
Owner Justin Hafner credits the weather for the surge in reservations.
“As soon as we hit 100 degrees in Tucson we just got booked up. That was the trigger for most people,” he said.
After months of wildfire and pandemic-related setbacks, he’s thankful things are off to a good start.
“At the end of the day if you are willing to put in the hard work and the grit things will pay off.”
Hafner says construction on a couple shops and new cabins will begin soon.
The neighboring Mt. Lemmon Lodge is set to open in 2022 as well.
“Business has been very busy, and I know we are getting some business from the hotel and we’re very grateful for that and very excited it booked up,” said General Store Owner Teri Carpenter.
For surrounding businesses, it is nice to see more customers, and residents also seem to feel the renewed energy after a tough year.
“It’s a success story,” said Resident Jill Kennedy. “It’s a great community and everyone works together.”
