The Weatherford Hotel

The Weatherford Hotel was built by John W. Weatherford, an early Flagstaff entrepreneur, and opened on January 1, 1900. The hotel was, in its era, one of the finest accommodations in northern Arizona — a substantial hotel for a frontier town that was still establishing itself as a regional center.

The hotel opened in the era before Route 66 — Flagstaff was a railroad town and a regional commercial center, and the Weatherford served the travelers, businessmen, and visitors that the railroad brought. When Route 66 was commissioned in 1926, the Weatherford was already a 26-year-old established hotel, and it continued to serve Mother Road travelers through the Route 66 era.

Across more than 120 years, the Weatherford has experienced the full arc of Flagstaff history — the railroad era, the Route 66 era, the post-interstate period, and the contemporary revival of both Flagstaff and Route 66 tourism. The hotel's survival and restoration make it a genuine link to that long history.

The hotel's most famous space is the third-floor Zane Grey Ballroom, named for the Western novelist Zane Grey, who was associated with the hotel. The ballroom, with its wraparound balcony overlooking downtown Flagstaff, is a genuine historic space and one of the hotel's defining features — used as a bar and event space.

The hotel's guest rooms preserve genuine period character. Historic hotels offer something chain hotels cannot — each room has its own character, the building has genuine age and history, and staying there is an experience rather than merely a transaction. Travelers should understand that historic hotels also have the quirks of old buildings; the Weatherford is a historic property, not a modern chain hotel, and that is precisely its appeal.

The hotel includes on-site restaurant and bar facilities. The combination of historic rooms, the famous ballroom, on-site dining and drinking, and the genuine downtown location makes the Weatherford a complete historic-hotel experience.

The Weatherford's location on Leroux Street places it in the absolute heart of downtown Flagstaff — walking distance from the Route 66 corridor through the city, the historic downtown district, the train station, and the concentration of downtown restaurants, bars, and shops.

Pricing typically runs in the mid-range — generally $100-$180 per night depending on room and season, reasonable for a historic hotel in a prime downtown location. Travelers should book directly or via the hotel website and should understand they are booking a historic property with genuine character and the corresponding quirks of an old building.

For Route 66 travelers, the Weatherford is the choice for travelers who want genuine historic character and a true downtown location over the standardized predictability of a chain hotel. Staying at a hotel that has welcomed travelers since 1900 — through the entire Route 66 era — is itself part of the Mother Road experience.