The Arizona Biltmore's holiday page lists gingerbread classes, Nutcracker Tea, Letters to Santa and Friday music at the Wright Bar. It also lists "Jazz Nights at Wrigley Mansion, Thursday Nights at 7 PM," with a link that leaves the resort's website and goes up the hill.
The two properties now have one owner. A neighbor who follows that link will find that the Mansion still runs as a private club, as the city requires, so this holiday season the way into the Mansion half of the combined property is a membership.
The Sale That Put the Hill Back With the Hotel
On October 1, the ownership group behind the Arizona Biltmore bought Wrigley Mansion for $17 million, according to Maricopa County records cited in Phoenix Business Journal reporting republished by KTAR. The sellers were Jamie Hormel and the Hormel family, who had owned the property since 1992. The October 2 announcement lists the owners as Henderson Park in a joint venture with Western & Southern Financial Group and funds managed by Hamilton Lane, South Street Partners and Pyramid Global Hospitality. Pyramid will run both properties.
The Mansion and the resort started out together, and that history explains why the knoll matters to the neighborhood:
- February 23, 1929. The Arizona Biltmore opens. William Wrigley Jr. buys it that same year, according to the resort's own history.
- 1931. Wrigley completes the Mansion, designed by architect Earl Heitschmidt and called La Colina Solana, as a 50th wedding anniversary gift for his wife, Ada.
- 1973. Talley Industries buys Arizona Biltmore Estates, which includes the hotel, the Mansion, the Adobe Golf Course and about 900 acres of undeveloped land.
- 1976. The first development parcel, later the Cloisters, is sold.
- 1992. Geordie and Jamie Hormel buy the Mansion and save it from demolition.
- 2024. Henderson Park buys the Arizona Biltmore, with Pyramid managing the resort.
The fourth and fifth entries matter most to the people who live nearby. Much of the residential Biltmore area was built on land carved out of the same estate as the hotel and the house on the hill, as the Biltmore Area Partnership's account of the reunion lays out. The Mansion sits among homes, and that is the reason it runs as a club.
Why the Mansion Still Checks Your Name at the Door
The Mansion's membership page states the rule directly: "Given our residential location, the city requires us to operate as a private club." The Hormels set the entry fee low because they wanted the public to see the house. In a 2022 interview with Phoenix Home & Garden, quoted in the Biltmore Area Partnership's piece, Jamie Hormel recalled, "Geordie wanted the mansion to be a supper club, to be open to the community."
As currently posted, the tiers work like this:
- Social Membership, $20 a year. Access to the Mansion, priority reservations for holidays and special events, member-only invitations and complimentary valet.
- Wine Membership, $75 a year. Everything above, plus first-priority reservations for the annual Festivin celebration and wine-member events.
- For every tier. No card is needed at the door or for parking, and members may bring guests unless an event is restricted to members.
At Christopher's, at least one person in the party must hold a membership. Resort guests get up the hill a different way. The Arizona Biltmore's Wrigley page says transportation to and from the Mansion is available to them through the concierge. So the two properties now share an owner but still have two separate entrances. Hotel guests use the concierge. Neighbors use the $20 membership.
The holiday-priority benefit is the line that matters this month. The Biltmore Area Partnership noted on October 3 that the Mansion was still advertising dining, private events and memberships after the announcement, and it suggested confirming arrangements directly with the property during the transition.
Thursday Is When the Two Properties Overlap
The resort's holiday page promotes only one Mansion event, the Hormel Jazz Series, and it runs on Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. From publish day through the end of the year, the series plays these Thursdays:
| Thursday | Hormel Jazz Series |
|---|---|
| November 12 | Scheduled |
| November 19 | Scheduled |
| November 26 | No jazz, Thanksgiving |
| December 3 | Scheduled |
| December 10 | Scheduled |
| December 17 | Scheduled |
| December 24 | No jazz, Christmas Eve |
| December 31 | No jazz, New Year's Eve |
That leaves five jazz nights before the year ends. The Mansion's contact page lists Geordie's for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. The lounge opens at 4:30 p.m., with aperitivo from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Christopher's serves its Classics Menu Tuesday through Thursday and its Chef Tasting Menu on Friday and Saturday, both 5 to 10 p.m. It is closed Sunday and Monday. In August, Michelin's 2026 Southwest selection named Christopher Gross at Wrigley Mansion a Recommended restaurant. According to the resort's Wrigley page, Jamie's Wine Bar is open Tuesday through Saturday, 4 to 10 p.m., in the Mansion's original library. Hours can shift while the operator changes, so call the Mansion before you go.
After Thursday, the season moves down to the resort. The Wright Bar has live music on Friday nights, and Sparkle & Stroll: Sip & Shop runs Fridays and Saturdays starting November 27. On the holiday calendar, Thursday nights are at the Mansion and Fridays and Saturdays are at the resort.
The Season on Both Sides of Missouri Avenue
Here is the shared calendar through December, with the venue for each event:
| Date | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| November 18, 6 to 8 p.m. | Make-A-Wish Arizona's Trees of Joy tree lighting | Biltmore Fashion Park, Center Lawn |
| November 25 and 26 | Thanksgiving-to-go pickup | Arizona Biltmore |
| November 26 | Thanksgiving brunch and Turkey Trot | Arizona Biltmore |
| November 26, noon to 6 p.m. | Thanksgiving at Geordie's, four courses | Wrigley Mansion |
| Fridays and Saturdays from November 27 | Sparkle & Stroll: Sip & Shop | Arizona Biltmore |
| November 28, December 5, 12 and 19 | Gingerbread decorating classes | Arizona Biltmore |
| From November 28 | Letters to Santa | Arizona Biltmore |
| November 29 and December 13 | Nutcracker Tea | Arizona Biltmore |
| December 6 and 20 | Teddy Bear Tea | Arizona Biltmore |
| December 8, 4 to 6 p.m. | Biltmore Area Partnership holiday celebration | Arizona Biltmore |
| December 24 and 25 | Christmas Dinner To Go pickup | Arizona Biltmore |
| December 31 | New Year's Eve at Spire Bar, 21+, and in the Grand Ballroom | Arizona Biltmore |
A few details shape the planning. Geordie's Thanksgiving is $175++ per adult and $45++ per child ages 5 to 12, and it is a limited-choice menu. It is a members' meal at a members' club, and the social tier includes priority reservations for holidays. The resort's Nutcracker Tea features performances inspired by The Arizona Nutcracker, presented with The Madison Center for the Arts. The Christmas Dinner To Go serves four to five people, is priced from $270 to $299+, and must be ordered in advance. Le Petit Chef & Friends, a four-course dinner with 3D projections, is listed at the resort through December.
Down Camelback, a Lawn Rebuilt for Nights Like This
The calendar's first entry is at the shopping center on Camelback Road. Biltmore Fashion Park recently finished renovating its Center Lawn, widening the walkways and replacing the turf, and the center says the changes make more room for events, according to In Business Magazine. Make-A-Wish Arizona's Trees of Joy tree lighting takes place on that lawn on November 18, from 6 to 8 p.m.
The center at 2502 E. Camelback Road has two new tenants within walking distance of the lawn. La La Land Kind Café held its grand opening on October 31, and Vuori opened in mid-October.
Back up the hill, Pyramid Global Hospitality's CEO, Warren Fields, said in the October 2 announcement that the company was "ready to work alongside the talented associates who have built its reputation." For now, the membership page, the Thursday jazz and the Geordie's Thanksgiving menu are all still posted on the Mansion's website, and a $20 social membership is how neighbors get in.
For many people in the Biltmore area, these two landmarks are part of what makes home feel like home. If you would like to talk through how the Biltmore area's history and its new chapter show up in your own plans, ROCO Luxury Homes is glad to have that conversation. Book a Private Consultation.
