Hilton Hotels Tuck You In In Phoenix

In the World War II flying epic "Flight of the Phoenix," filmed in the 1950's, stars Jimmy Stewart and Ernest Borgnine resurrect their Sahra desert crashed aircraft just like the mythical bird, the Phoenix that rises from the ashes, to fly again.

In the World War II flying epic "Flight of the Phoenix," filmed in the 1950's, stars Jimmy Stewart and Ernest Borgnine resurrect their Sahra desert crashed aircraft just like the mythical bird, the Phoenix that rises from the ashes, to fly again.

Flying into Phoenix, Arizona, is an easy adventure for the leisure or business travel, far removed from the movies, and the Hiltons in the area have you covered - tucking you in whether in the country's sixth largest city for fun or profit.

The Spanish settled in the area in 1752, and today with over three million people in the Greater Phoenix area, spread out over 2,000 square miles, it is no bewilderment why Phoenix Magazine readers voted the Hilton Airport Phoenix the best hotel in town, and often rated one of the best business hotels in the country; the hotel offers a free fitness and business center, and you down have to run to the airport with the free shuttle to your flight out of Sky Harbor Airport, (www.phxskyharbor.com) serving 36 million passengers annually. (Airport parking Services are 602/683-3615; Ampco System 602/273-4545; info on airport construction and garage closures: 602/273-0954.) Sky Harbour is five minutes from downtown Phoenix and the Hilton airport facility is only 1.5 miles from the landing lights.

Phoenix means business and this regional center is home base for America West Airlines, and the hub for many others, including AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air Jamaica, Alaska Air, America West, America West Express (Mesa), American, American Trans Air, British Airways, Continental, Delta, Delta Connection (Skywest Airlines) Frontier, Lufthansa, Midwest Express, Northwest, Scenic Air (Grand Canyon Flights), Shuttle by United, Southwest, Sun Country, United and USAirways.

You, and the Phoenix Hiltons are in the American portion of the Sonoran Desert, stretching all the way down into northern Mexico. Living in the desert means Phoenix, at an elevation of 1, 117 feet, only gets an average rainfall of 7.66 inches per year, with an annual high mean temperatures of 85 degree with 300 annual days of sunshine.

If the Airport Hilton is voted one of the best hotels in town, the town itself was selected the "Best Run City in the World," by the Carl Bertelsmann Foundation, and the Best Managed City by Governing Magazine. Inc. Magazine judges Phoenix the best spot to start and operate a business. All the area and suburb Hiltons host business meetings for executive from around the world. One of the top management schools in the world, Thunderbird School of Management, also shares it's campus here.

The Metro Phoenix area has over 26,000 hotel rooms, with none outmatching the Pointe Hilton resorts Tapotio Cliffs and Squaw Peak. Squaw Peak was the first all suite resort in the United States. Tapotio is built reminiscent of a Tuscan, Italy hill town. Hilton also offers the Hilton Suites, also close to the airport, for business travelers needing a quiet, relaxing, but convenience home away from home for doing business in high tech and manufacturing, tourism and construction, the top Phoenix industries.

Suburbs of Phoenix include Tempe, Carefree, Cave Creek, Chandler, El Mirage, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Sun City, and Taliesen (cliffs or brow in Scottish). Taliesen is the winter home of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

There are 190 golf courses for the snowbirds in Phoenix. The annual PGA Phoenix open is held here and the Standard Register Turquoise Classic LPGA and the Tradition Senior PGA make it their home as well. The Tapotio Cliffs and Squaw Peak share the facilities of the Hilton owned Lookout Mountain Golf Club, one of the top ranked courses in the country.

There are seven Major League Baseball teams - part of the Cactus League - offering spring training camps in the area: the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and Anaheim Angels. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and the Chicago White Sox train in Tempe, a suburb.

And the trivia question of the day: Which Phoenix pitcher is the only pitcher ever to hurl a perfect game in the World Series? Answer - Don Larsen, in the late 1950's, pitching for the Phoenix Giants.

THE POINT HILTON TAPATIO CLIFFS

My favorite Hilton in Phoenix is the 583-room/suite resort Tapatio Cliffs, with a close second, its nearby colleague, The Pointes at Squaw Peak, sharing some management and staff services. The Tapatio Cliffs is a AAA 4 Diamonds, Mobil 4 Star Resort.

For business or pleasure, the Tapotio

Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com