An Italian Renaissance-style pile which was the first high-rise hotel in Phoenix and first in the state of Arizona to have elevators (which were hand-operated), was the go-to place for Hollywood celebrities when it opened in 1928. Marilyn Monroe and other movie stars and dignitaries who frequented the Hotel San Carlos over the years are memorialized by copper stars set in the sidewalk. Guests today enter the same limestone-tiled lobby with its original carved crown moldings, elaborate crystal chandeliers, and other architectural features that once greeted movie stars.

Read more in Tripatini member Victor Block's post Sleeping with History at 7 of the USA's Most Historic Hotels.

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