Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa

Chandler, AZ

As soon as we walked into the lobby, we were greeted by a panoramic view of the rugged, rust-colored Sierra Estrella Mountains -- part of the high Sonoran desert that we came to the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa to savor. From the wall-size glass window, we spotted the small break between the rocky slopes of the Estrellas and the nearby South Mountain. In the 1800's, thousands of stagecoaches carrying hopefuls to California led their horses through this pass, cutting nearly 60 miles from their journey west. That explains the "pass" in the hotel's name.

Even in that era, the land's occupants -- the Akimel O'othom, called the Pimas by the Spanish, and the Pee Posh tribes, known as the Maricopas -- provided food, safe haven and water from the flowing Gila River to dusty, buckboard sore travelers. The tradition of hospitality continues with the resort, owned by the Pima and the Maricopa's Gila River Indian Community and situated on the tribes' 372,000-acre reservation. Starwood Hotels & Resorts manages the 500-room, adobe-colored resort, which opened in October 2002 and cost $170 million to build, not counting the land.

A stay comes with upscale comforts, puts you within an easy drive of Phoenix and offers you and your kids a greater understanding of the Native Americans who have inhabited this region for centuries.

Aspects of the Pima and Maricopa culture are woven into the resort. The domed center of the lobby is reminiscent of a traditional native roundhouse or Olas'ki. The colorful frieze that rings the base of the lobby's dome depicts tribal members weaving baskets (a Pima specialty), fashioning pottery (a Maricopa specialty), hunting and carrying out other traditional tasks. Native American art graces the public areas, and storytellers engage winter guests with traditional tales. Year-round, a cultural concierge answers questions and leads complimentary tours of the lobby's artifacts, which detail some of the tribes' history. These initiatives, combined with such ecologically sensitive programs as recycling and energy-efficient lighting, create what the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass calls a "GeoGreen" property -- one that combines cultural sustainability with environmental stewardship.

Pima native Ginger Sunbird Martin, the cultural concierge, told us that the tribes' history is intimately connected to water rights. By 1887, the Gila River was dammed, and the tribes suffered many decades without adequate water. On December 10, 2004, President George W. Bush signed the Gila River Water Settlement Act, the culmination of what has been called one of the largest and longest running court cases -- one that continued from 1887 to 2004. As a result, the tribes now control 52 percent of the water in Arizona. Because the Gila River is so important to the tribes, the resort created a 2.5-mile interpretive trail that edges a man-made stream symbolizing the Gila River. Fifty plaques along the path describe aspects of the tribes' history and their use of the plants on the banks. A faux waterfall (somewhat tacky) gurgles on the lobby's lower level.

It wouldn't be the west without horses, and more than 1,500 wild stallions and mares still roam the reservation, kicking up whirlwinds of dust as they gallop across the open ranges. (That accounts for the other part of the hotel's name.) The best way to catch sight of these icons is on a guided horseback ride arranged through the stable. Typically, when children check in, a member of the Clubhouse -- the kids' program -- greets them in the lobby and gifts each youngster with a plush wild horse and an activity brochure.

Don't confuse this Sheraton resort with the chain's mid-level, serviceable-but-bland-and-boxy airport hotels. Ginger told us that the elders chose Sheraton to manage the property because the company was the only one that would deviate from its standard procedures to accommodate the ways of the tribe. It's a winning arrangement that's racked up accolades. In addition to the property's Four Diamond/Four Star rating, the resort's signature restaurant, Kai, is one of only 14 U.S. AAA Five Diamond- and Mobil Five Star-rated restaurants. Kai also ranks as Arizona's only restaurant to win that rating -- quite an achievement in a state that blooms with luxury resorts.