Hotel Building Streetview

History and Origin

The Grand Canyon Hotel opened its doors in January 1891. It outlasted all of its predecessors to claim the title of the oldest hotel in Arizona. Williams was a logging, ranching, mining, and fur-trapping town. In 1905 the Santa Fe railroad opened a spur up to the Grand Canyon, making Williams "The Gateway to the Grand Canyon." 

We display the guest registers from 1904, and in these registers are such famous patrons as General Pershing (who was a Captain at the time) and The Vanderbilts. The King of Siam and John Muir (founder of the Sierra Club) stayed here 4 times. Other guests from the ‘40s and '50s reveal the rooms were rented more than once the same night (Ummm).

After interstate 40 bypassed Williams in 1970, the hotel sat empty for 35 years until the intrepid Amy Fredrickson brought this historic landmark back from the dead with a complete remodel in 2005. In 2023 she sold it to a group of childhood friends from Phoenix with a vision for restoring the hotel's Victorian era charm.

We hope you find your stay with us as memorable as this old hotel.

The Historic Grand Canyon Hotel is located in the center of Williams at the crossroads of Route 66 and Second street.