The best value boutique hotel in central Phoenix — a mid-century-influenced property in Midtown with a rooftop pool that has become a legitimate social destination, proximity to both the downtown cultural institutions and the Arcadia restaurant scene, and rooms that reflect a design sensibility unusual at the price point.
Why We Chose It
The Clarendon occupies a mid-century motel building in Phoenix's Midtown corridor and has been transformed into an interesting boutique hotel that punches well above its price point. The rooftop pool is the property's defining feature and a gathering place for the Midtown creative community. The location — on 3rd Avenue between Camelback and Indian School — positions guests equidistant between Roosevelt Row's restaurant scene and the Arcadia corridor's neighborhood restaurants, and within easy reach of the Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, and downtown's cultural institutions. The rooms reflect a colorful, eclectic design sensibility that distinguishes the property from the corporate anonymity of chain hotels at comparable prices.
What Stands Out
- Best value boutique hotel in central Phoenix — design sensibility above the price point
- Rooftop pool: a genuine Midtown social destination, not just a hotel amenity
- Midtown location: equidistant between Roosevelt Row and Arcadia restaurant corridors
- Proximity to Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, and downtown cultural institutions
- Colorful, eclectic rooms that distinguish it from chain anonymity at similar prices