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Hospitality leader Michael B. Hoffmann on property at Arizona Biltmore.

 

The hospitality life is not suited to everyone. 

Fast-paced with surprising twists and turns around every corner, it is neither for the faint of heart nor the 9-to-5 employee. 

It is very much, however, for the unflappable and always well-suited Michael B. Hoffmann, who is today the vice president and managing director of Arizona Biltmore, leading the international icon and jewel of the Valley through one of its most dramatic and dazzling eras to date. 

Born in Switzerland, Hoffmann spent his youth traveling the world thanks to his father, an international business consultant. 

“I lived in Switzerland, Canada, France and the U.S. all before I graduated high school,” Hoffmann said. “When you move as often as we did, you spend a great deal of time in hotels, which exposed me to the world of hospitality from a very young age.” 

Hoffmann’s early schooling, like many Swiss natives, was focused on studying banking. He would go as far as to earn a diploma from Neue Schule Zurich in banking and begin his career with a bank when fate stepped in. 

“In Switzerland, you are obliged to perform your country’s duty and serve in the military,” said Hoffmann.

The companies that hire youth out of school understand this and assist with living costs – along with the Swiss government – to ensure a livable wage and job waiting for them when they get back. 

Hoffmann was drafted into the Army and began 17 weeks of boot camp soon after. His bank was very generous, offering nearly his full salary during his service to the country, which allowed Hoffmann to fulfill and exceed the required time in service that would allow him to move from the country as needed without a tax penalty, another law in the country. 

“While serving, I had ample time to really think about what I wanted for my future,” Hoffmann said. “As I neared the end of my duty, I decided to apply to Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, a global leader in education, innovation and consulting for the hospitality and service sector.”

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Arizona Biltmore, which was recently renovated, comes alive at night.

Considered by many as the Cornell for those looking to work in the hospitality field, Hoffmann was accepted into the program and quickly found his calling. He delighted in studying and then working in every position in the industry, even those some may consider less desirable. 

“I happily worked the restaurant shifts overnight, learning quickly tips double after midnight if service stays top notch,” Hoffmann said. “I even worked in a vineyard — growing and harvesting grapes then later bottling and corking the resulting wine — similarly learning quickly just how much hard work goes into a single bottle.” 

Upon graduating from the program in 1983, Hoffmann knew he had made the right choice leaving banking for his true passion when he was hired on by Four Seasons to work in the United States.

“People often ask me my biggest career mistake, and I jokingly tell them it was working for the Four Seasons at such an early age. Talk about setting the bar high from the onset,” laughs Hoffmann, who would move from the Four Seasons to The Ritz-Carlton as the brand began its ascent in the industry. 

Over the next 20 years, Hoffmann would travel the world — even spending significant time in Asia — as he grew his career with the who’s who of resorts around the world, including of course Four Seasons and The Ritz-Carlton group properties but also the likes of Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, California, Carneros Inn in Napa, California, and The Ocean Club in the Bahamas before being recruited to join The Boulders, A Waldorf-Astoria Resort in Scottsdale in 2005. 

“I absolutely fell in love with Arizona at that time, so much so that I spent nearly a decade leading the resort even when the most tempting of offers to again travel the world came calling,” Hoffmann said. 

During his time at the resort, he helped transform it into a national player in the luxury market, leading The Boulders through two head-to-toe brand relaunches and earning accolades worldwide, including in 2012 when the resort earned the highest overall service score across all owned and managed luxury Hilton brands across North America. 

“Even when I moved on from the resort in 2013 to take on The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City and then The Inn at Perry Cabin in Maryland, my wife and I kept our home here, knowing we always wanted to get back,” Hoffmann said. 

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A peek into Arizona Biltmore’s recent renovation from above.

In 2023, Hoffmann got his chance to not only move back to his adopted hometown of Scottsdale, but he got one of his biggest opportunities yet in leading the Arizona Biltmore Resort following the completion of its multiyear, multimillion-dollar re-imaging of the property. 

“Given the resort was built in 1929, our 39 acres set against the breathtaking backdrop of Piestewa Peak was in need of a modern facelift, but without taking away from our Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced architecture and design or old Hollywood glamor,” Hoffmann said. 

“The result is sweeping and stunning, offering sophistication and fun at every turn via new dining destinations; seven incredible pools including an elegant adults-only pool and enhanced family pool with a 65-foot triple water slide; stylish air-conditioned luxury pool cabanas; and refreshed luxury cottages.”

According to Hoffmann, the resort has also debuted a reimagined spa and wellness experience at Tierra Luna Spa and Sol Garden, which has since been named a 2023 and 2024 Four-Star Spa by Forbes Travel Guide. 

“We also now offer the Citrus Club, which is an exclusive haven of luxury — a bit of a boutique resort-within-a-resort concept — providing space for whatever you need most, be that a serene environment for working or an intimate venue in which to meet fellow guests,” Hoffmann said. 

Looking to 2025, Hoffmann is not letting his foot off the gas pedal, dreaming up myriad activations and programming from cocktail and wine pairing dinners to wellness journeys and spa packages that will appeal to locals and visitors alike. 

“The 2025 Arizona Biltmore truly embodies contemporary luxury whilst still honoring the storied legacy of this iconic destination,” said Hoffmann.