The Scottsdale-based hospitality group behind celebrated hotels and restaurants in Arizona and California including the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa, The Scott Resort & Spa and the El Chorro Lodge, has changed its name to pay tribute to the love story that launched the business.
Classic Hotels & Resorts is now Marc & Rose Hospitality. CEO John Grossman said the new name is a salute to his parents, who once owned the Arizona Biltmore hotel and oversaw its major early 1990s renovation.
Marc and Rose are the middle names of Classic Hotels’ founders, Samuel Marcus Grossman and Peggy Rosalie Jacobsen.
“They were unconventional and inspiring leaders who paved the way for us to continue creating unforgettable experiences for adventurers, explorers, and tranquility seekers,” Grossman said in a statement about the name change.
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Who are Samuel Marcus Grossman and Peggy Rosalie Jacobsen?
The couple met in 1959 on a beach in Hawaii, where Jacobsen was modeling and the elder Grossman was recruited to join a shoot with her. After getting married and traveling the world, they found a shared passion in the hospitality industry.
“Their partnership in life and business has been really fruitful, and they lived an inspiring life,” John Grossman told The Arizona Republic.
Their first independent hotel project was buying and remodeling the Arizona Biltmore in 1992, John Grossman said.
The $62.5 million renovation of the historic hotel, first opened in 1929, involved developing 122 new guest rooms, 80 luxury villas, a new conference center and a new spa. The renovation was highly successful, receiving accolades such as the Urban Land Institute’s Heritage Award of Excellence, according to Grossman Company Properties.
The Grossman Company sold the Arizona Biltmore in 2000 for $362 million. Today, the hotel remains one of metro Phoenix’s top resorts; U.S. News & World Report named it one of the best hotels in Arizona, and it’s a longtime favorite of U.S. presidents.
Why is Classic Hotels now Marc & Rose Hospitality?
John Grossman continued the family legacy when he began working for Classic Hotels in 2009, taking over as CEO in 2020.
With the rebrand from Classic Hotels to Marc & Rose, he wants to reflect a more personal connection with guests, while also honoring his parents, who he consulted throughout the process of rebranding.
How will the rebranding impact the guest experience?
Guests at Marc & Rose’s resorts and restaurants will notice a greater emphasis on bespoke luxury experiences, Grossman said.
“What you will see is new investment in our existing properties,” he said.
This includes upcoming renovations of two of its California resorts, La Playa Hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea and The Inn at Laguna Beach in Laguna Beach, as well as expanding a concept that launched in Flagstaff, High Country Motor Lodge, to other Northwest and Southwest locations including in Montana, Idaho and Colorado, Grossman said. He didn’t immediately offer details on future plans for Arizona properties.
“We’ve been Classic Hotels and Resorts for 30 years, since (my parents) operated the Arizona Biltmore,” Grossman said. “Classic Hotels had served us well for those years, but when we started focusing on boutique and hotel operations, it became clear to us we wanted to connect more deeply with them as people.”
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Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.
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