Tourism is one of the top ten industries in Phoenix, welcoming over 16 million visitors per year. The city is home to more than 62,000 hotel rooms across 500 hotels and 40 resorts, many of which are Five Star hotels. These properties require an unmatched level of construction expertise and exceptional attention to detail in order to achieve that status. This list introduces you to some of the contractors who have proven to be able to deliver just that. About half of the companies on the list have been around for over a century, building many of the landmarks the city is known for.
Sundt Construction
2620 S. 55th St., Tempe, AZ 85282
The Canopy by Hilton Tempe is the lifestyle hotel brand’s first location in the Southwest at 136,000 square feet, 200 guest rooms and 14 stories. It features a lobby-level café, a gym, a rooftop pool with a terrace bar, cabanas, a firepit, and over 3,000 square feet of meeting space.
Sundt Construction completed the $40,000,000 project in 2020. Sundt was founded in 1890, and has since built a broad portfolio of large-scale projects in the southwest U.S. At the head of the company’s strategic operations as president, CEO and chairman of the board is G. Michael Hoover, who has been in the industry for over 40 years. Hoover previously served as the company’s Executive Vice President and COO, during which he led the company’s expansion to the Irvine, Salt Lake City, and Dallas-Fort Worth markets. An experienced hospitality contractor, Sundt also built the 750,000-square-foot, 750-guest room and 32-casita suite, Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, and the 54,000 square foot, 16 guest suite, 26 luxury villa Miraval Resort in Tucson.
Chanen Construction
3352 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 85018
At the heart of the Talking Stick Entertainment district stands the 15 story Talking Stick Resort. With a 240,000 square foot gaming floor, 13,000 square foot spa and 100,000 square foot conference center, it’s easy to see why the AAA Four Diamond hotel has become one of the top destinations in Phoenix. There are also eight restaurants, ten lounges, three pools, two multi-level parking garages, and retail shops on the property.
Chanen Construction completed the $450-million-dollar project in 2010, a portion completed three months ahead of schedule, allowing an advanced opening. Chanen has been building stand-out structures across the US since 1955. Herman Chanen founded the company on a $1,000-microloan, and has grown it into one of the largest privately held general contracting and construction management firms in the US, where he now serves as chairman of the board. Considered one of the drivers of growth in the southwest U.S., Herman has also served on numerous Arizona building and business organizations alongside his son, Steve, who now sits as President and CEO of the company. Some of the firm’s other landmark projects include Sky Harbor Terminals 2 and 4, and the Warner Bros. headquarters in Burbank, California.
Lloyd Construction
2180 North Wilmot Rd., Tucson, AZ 85712
AtThe first hotel to be built in downtown Tucson in over forty years, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Gold Certified-AC Hotel Tucson stands at eight stories tall, with 4,500 square feet of ground floor retail space, and a four level 200-car parking garage. The 130 guest rooms, six suites, AC Lounge, fitness center, rooftop pool and 1,500 square feet of meeting space are all built to a sleek European design, blending classic architecture with modern aesthetics. The hotel won the US Green Building Council (USGBC) Heavy Medal Award for Innovative Design, New Construction in 2019.
It was built by Lloyd Construction, which was founded by Bill Lloyd, Sr. in 1969 in Pima County. The firm has completed over $1.25 billion worth of projects throughout Tucson and Southern Arizona. Bill’s sons William and Bradley now serve as the second generation leaders of their father’s firm. Bill Jr. first joined the company as a carpenter, eventually managing many of the company’s high profile projects with a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) certification, and currently serves as president. Bradley serves as vice president, with a Masters Training Certification from the American Concrete Institute, as well as a Project Manager Certification from Fred Pryor Seminars. He also served as the Arizona Building Alliance’s (ABA) State Chairman in 2019.
Caliente Construction, Inc.
485 W. Vaughn St., Tempe, AZ 85283
Caliente Construction has done over 3990 projects throughout the Western United States, including in Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. This women-owned business was established in 1991 by President and CEO Lorraine Bergman, considered one of the most influential women in the industry by the ABA. Caliente has built projects for the retail, restaurant, medical, hospitality and education markets.
The firm renovated the Hampton Inn & Suites Flagstaff, a 126-room hotel that stands a mile from Northern Arizona University and Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, and twenty minutes away from the Lowell Observatory and Walnut Canyon National Monument. The property also has 1,395 square feet of total event space, four meeting rooms, and its largest room is at 675 square feet. The team also worked on a combination of office and hangar building at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.
Hardison/Downey Construction
1707 E. Highland Ave. Suite 125, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Founded in Phoenix in 1985, Hardison/Downey Construction does all kinds of commercial construction, from retail to hospitality, to education, restaurant and office building. Bob Hardison and Pat Downey envisioned the firm to bring the same level of expertise and attention to all projects big and small. Today, President Justin Newman carries on that vision. Newman’s 20 years of construction experience ranges from alternative energy and public works to criminal justice and high-end residential projects. He has also served on the Executive Board of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters.
The firm’s hospitality portfolio in Phoenix includes work on the historic 45,600 square foot, 128 guestroom Hotel San Carlos, the 103,000 square foot, 119-key Royal Palms Resort, as well as the 22,292-square-foot, 43 Hacienda-Style room Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley
W.E. O’Neil
4511 E. Kerby Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85040
W.E. O’Neil has served an impressive array of customers through projects in locations from Connecticut to California since it started in 1925. William O’Neil represents the third generation of leadership in the company his grandfather built, which he first joined in 1967 as a layout engineer, moving on to other field roles before assuming executive positions, most recently as president and CEO, and now finally serves as chairman of the board since 2014. Brian Ramsay followed O’Neil as president and CEO in the same year, bringing his own thirty years of project management experience to the role. Leading the Phoenix & Tucson arm of operations is Bryan Dunn, who himself has over 20 years of successful leadership experience in the construction industry, high credibility and strong relationships with the community.
W.E. O’Neil built the 96,000 square foot, four-story, 156-key Courtyard Scottsdale Salt River hotel and conference center, Marriott’s first property on U.S. Tribal Land, and also the first in its LEED Volume sustainable building program. The firm also built the 92,684 square foot Hyatt Place Mesa and the 310,000 square foot Ritz Carlton Resort at Dove Mountain.
Sletten Companies
2501 East University, Phoenix, AZ 85034
Definitely not your ordinary overnight stay, FOUND:RE is an art boutique hotel in downtown Phoenix. The 86,645 square foot structure features unique artwork not just in its common spaces, but even inside the loft-like guestrooms through a rotating display schedule that aims to support local artists. The custom millwork and floating bed frames lend to the industrial and raw feel throughout the property. The hotel won the AZRE Red Award for Hospitality in 2017.
FOUND:RE was actually transformed from the old Lexington Hotel by Sletten Companies. John Sletten, a carpenter from Montana, began the company in 1928. President Erik Sletten has been the third generation leader of the company since 2004. Erik has been in the construction industry since 1997. The Phoenix office was opened in 1972, and is currently led by Arizona Division Manager KC Dougherty, who has been with the company since 2016, and has over 21 years of experience in the industry, ranging from airport, hotel and casino, and educational facility projects. The company’s other projects in Arizona include the Wild Horse Pass Casino in Chandler, as well as work on Sky Harbor, the University of Arizona, Tempe High School and the Parker Unified School District.
Tofel Dent Construction
1000 25th St. North, Great Falls, MT 59401
Specializing in commercial, hospitality and multi-family housing construction, Tofel Dent Construction has been building since 1984. Based in Tucson, the company has completed a wide range of projects in Arizona, New Mexico, and California. Started by twin brothers Steve and Rich Tofel, Tofel Dent is now led by Rich’s son Jim as Managing Member for Development, alongside Dave Dent, Managing Member for Operations. Both Jim and Dave hold degrees in Engineering and started with the company in the 2000s, working their way up to upper management.
Tofel Dent’s hospitality portfolio includes the Fairfield Inn & Suites Phoenix West/Tolleson, a 59,307 square foot business hotel completed in August 2019. The hotel has four floors, 90 rooms, 26 suites and 513 square feet of total meeting space, as well as an outdoor pool and modern fitness center. The project cost $10.8 million.
Balfour Beatty
3100 McKinnon St., Dallas, Texas 75201
Standing in the shade of Camelback Mountain in Paradise Valley, Mountain Shadows Resort was built in 1959. The property closed in 2004 after being used for a series of TV show backdrops and being expanded and rebranded several times. However, in 2015, Balfour Beatty began construction to bring the resort back to life, reinterpreting its 183 guest rooms and amenities in the spirit of the original structure. Vogue calls its terraced pool one of the best to cool down in among hotels. Hearth ‘61 and its exhibition kitchen was also named one of the Best New Restaurants of 2017 by PHOENIX Magazine. The resort also features a fitness facility and revamped 18-hole golf course, as well as a ballroom terrace, two event lawns, and a 5,000 square foot open roof deck.
Building since 1909, Balfour Beatty consistently ranks on Engineering News Record’s (ENR) list of the nation’s largest building contractors. CEO Leon Blondin leads the team, having been with Balfour Beatty since 2001 first as chief estimator, before heading the National/Federal Group and Mid-Atlantic divisions, and then most recently serving as COO. He also previously served as president of the National Capitol Chapter of the Design-Build Institute of America.
PWI Construction
3903 West Martin Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89118
The JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa is a 316-acre AAA 4-Diamond property. PWI Construction did a large-scale renovation of the hotel over a period of 10 years, reimagining all 869 guestrooms, 81 suites, 241,106 square feet of event space, as well as the Twenty6 lounge bar, Stonegrill restaurant, Starbucks, the Griffin Club concierge lounge, pool bar and suites, and a full exterior 1 million square foot stucco re-skin.
Established in 1985 by President Jeff Price, PWI Construction has worked on over 1,800 projects across 23 states from California to Florida to New York. PWI was also the team behind the complete renovation of the 23-acre Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows. The project covered 203 guest rooms, including two Presidential Suites, three pools, totalling a 55,000-gallon water capacity, nine new buildings, and more than 36,000 square feet of outdoor event and open space, all done on a tight budget during monsoon season. The AAA 4-Diamond resort has earned multiple honors from Conde Nast Traveler.
dck worldwide
6 PPG Pl. Ste. 700, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222
In almost 100 years of building across the globe, dck worldwide has built and renovated over 38,500 hotel rooms. With offices as far as Manila, dck has consistently ranked among ENR’s list of the top 250 largest international general contractors. It has also been listed as the 10th largest contractor in the hotel sector by Building Design + Construction Magazine. Key to this growth and geographic expansion is President and CEO Stephen F. D’Angelo, who has led the company since 2008.
In Arizona, dck built the modern but welcoming 68,245 square foot Aloft Tempe. Located near Sun Devil Stadium, the Phoenix Zoo, Papago Park, and five miles away from the Sky Harbor, the hotel has 136 guest rooms across five stories, plus a pool, exercise room, bar and lounge, as well as a boardroom and office meeting spaces. dck also worked on the W Hotel Residences 34,500 square foot condominium expansion in Scottsdale.
Wespac Construction
9440 N 26th St., Phoenix, AZ 85028
Headquartered in Phoenix, Wespac Construction has been serving Arizona for three decades. Founded by CEO John Largay in 1991, the firm has a wide portfolio of commercial projects large and small, whether from shell construction, tenant improvement or even master-planned communities. Currently overseeing all operations as president is Garrett Nybo, who, like Largay, brings to Wespac over 20 years of hands-on project management experience.
Wespac has worked on a host of hospitality projects across Arizona, with clients from Marriott to Four Seasons. For the occupied renovation of the Wyndham Hotel lobby, the firm reconfigured the layout to connect with the restaurant and bar, adding custom millwork to its finish. The firm has been ranked 15th Top Contractor for 2020-2021 by the Phoenix Business Journal.
The Weitz Company
420 Watson Powell Jr. Way Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50309
Situated on Mayo Clinic’s Phoenix campus, the Residence Inn Phoenix Desert View by Marriott offers sanctuary for patients, staff and visitors alike. The hotel is six stories high, with 208 rooms across 130,000 square feet, as well as conference space, a fitness center, outdoor pool and restaurant. It was voted Best Project of the Year by Marriott International, Inc. upon its completion in 2009.
This hotel is just one of the many projects The Weitz Company has worked on in its over 165-year history. Being the oldest commercial general contractor west of the Mississippi, The Weitz Company serves all 50 states out of ten offices across the US. At the helm is Kevin McClain, who started with the company as a project engineer in 1999, and has served in various operational and executive leadership roles, most recently as COO, before becoming president and CEO in 2017. The Weitz Company also built the 576,000 square foot JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa in Tucson, as well as the 25,154 square foot Sun City Festival Ranch Amenity Center in Buckeye.
Tutor Perini Building Corp.
15901 Olden St., Sylmar, CA 91342
At 31 floors and totalling 1,001,000 square feet, The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel is the tallest and largest hotel in Arizona. With a prime location near landmarks such as the Phoenix Convention Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Arizona State University, the Mayo Clinic and Arizona Mills Mall, the hotel has 952 rooms, 51 suites, and a total of 111,961 square feet of total meeting space across its 26 meeting rooms. ENR Southwest recognized it as the Best Residential/Hospitality project for 2009.
The hotel was completed in 2008 by Perini Building Company, now Tutor Perini Building Corp., a contracting firm with over 125 years of building experience across the US. What began in 1894 as a small, family-owned civil works contractor has grown into a large-scale publicly-owned construction organization with operations in Florida, California, Phoenix, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale and Philadelphia. Leading its Western building operations is Executive Vice President Brian Thomas, who brings 37 years of industry experience to Tutor Perini, including 22 years managing billion-dollar projects as Senior Vice President of Operations for Skanska USA. Tutor Perini’s roster of projects also includes the 700,000 square foot Vee Quiva Casino & Hotel in Laveen and the 31,000 square foot Lone Butte Casino expansion in Chandler.
