Tucson's Hotel Congress - Tucson Arizona

Hotel Congress

Hotel Congress is located at 311 East Congress Street, Tucson, AZ, and is in the center of Downtown Tucson’s nightlife scene. The hotel is know for and prides themselves on "their culture that revolves around a love for Tucson". The historic Tucson landmark celebrated their 100-year birthday in 2019.

About Hotel Congress

The Hotel Congress was built in 1919 and still functions as a hotel today. The well known, Tap Room opened its doors in 1919, and continues to serve customers until this day. When the hotel first opened, it hosted many different types of guests, all which make up the hotels history. The most famous "hotel guest" was the infamous John Dillinger, a notorious and violent thief, that was on the run for robbery, murder, and jailbreaks. Dillinger arrived to Tucson on January, 23rd, 1934 with a crew that all used fake identities. The crew was then recognized by a pair of firefighters who were helping with a fire that broke out in the basement of the hotel. After the police were notified, Dillinger and his men were all arrested separately. The hotel now hosts an annual two-day spectacle called Dillinger Days, to honor the capture of America’s most notorious outlaw. The event takes place in January, and guests are able to experience the re-enactment of John Dillinger's downfall.

Although John Dillingers presence was historic, it is not Hotel Congress is known for.

Hotel Congress in 1919Dillinger Days at Hotel Congress

Hotel Congress Fire

In 1934, a fire broke out in the hotel's basement. This fire quickly spread through the hotel, completely engulfing it in flames. Although the fire leading to the capture of John Dillinger was big news, the fire had made more significant news. The damages to the hotel's interior would cost up to $100,000, equating to 2.2 million dollars today.

Hotel Congress' Sustainability

Sustainability is essential to Hotel Congress as they have been implementing green initiatives to further their efforts in Tucson. In partnerships with organizations such as UA Compost Cats, Ecoblue, and One Less Straw, they can reduce their plastic waste. Below is a video on their efforts.

Hotel Congress' Community Impact

The Hotel Congress is well-known in Tucson for its live music, food, hospitality, and history. Some may not know that the Hotel’s Giving Program is a grant program for nonprofit organizations in the Tucson Community. Their “In-Kind Support” are donations of supplies, food, facilities, and gift certificates to nonprofit organizations in downtown Tucson.

Link: https://hotelcongress.com/culture/community/

You may follow the link above to fill out the form for In-Kind Support from Hotel Congress.

Hotel Congress Today

Hotel Congress is a functioning, and popular hotel today. The hotel offers thirty-eight rooms available to guests, all which encapsulate the original desert ambience from 1919. The "outdated" decor such as, the iron-frame bed and the vintage radio is what sets the hotel apart from others. There are also three different types of rooms offered; The Exterior Rooms, Club Rooms and Cactus Garden Rooms. Hotel Congress is a functioning and lively downtown spot for people to enjoy live music and entertainment. On their website, the Hotel forewarns guests that they are an urban, historic, rock ‘n’ roll hotel, and that rooms may get noisy due to the plaza, nightclub, or street noise. Hotel Congress makes it very clear that the hotel is popular and loud, but they offer ear plugs at the front desk! However, they encourage guests to join in on the fun.

The single king bedroom

Hotel Congress celebrating it's Centennial Anniversary

Club Congress

Club Congress is a popular bar and nightlife scene attached to Hotel Congress that opened in 1985. Club Congress has a few different areas that people can socialize, dance, or congregate to when they arrive. There is a main bar with a dance room, disco ball, and as well as a tap room when you walk into the back of the hotel. The Tap Room opened in 1919, and is one of the oldest bars in Tucson. The Club Congress is unique, because it has a very large outdoor patio with a huge area to dance. The patio is something that can allure all different types of crowds and ages. This is because there is an option to dance, or sit at a table and enjoy. Club Congress offers different types of dance events every night of the week, so that every age can visit. They also provide two different types of music in the outside and indoor areas. On Friday, night there is a popular DJ, El Tambó, who mixes popular music with Latin popular music. Saturday Night at Club Congress features a DJ on two different stages and specials on popular drinks. Karaoke takes place on Sunday nights for free from 10pm to 2am with drink specials to follow. The Club is also known to be very popular on Thursday nights when college students come out for "Opti Club".

Hotel Congress Dining

The Cup Cafe opened in 1990 and is located inside the lobby of Hotel Congress. The restaurant serves brunch from 9am to 3pm and then opens for dinner from 4pm to close. The food is American style cuisine, as well as old school desserts. The hotel also has a commitment to sourcing local beef and Sonoran heritage pasta, along with their own private label of wine. In 2015, The Foodist named Cup Café’s Cast Iron Baked Eggs as the 'Best Dish - Breakfast' in Arizona, and the restaurant overall is rated number 11 in regards to best restaurants in Tucson. The interior of the restaurant matches the rest of the hotels antique-desert vibe, and there is an outside patio where customers can enjoy their food, while watching live music or some of the finest sunsets in Tucson.

Maynards Market and Kitchen

Maynards Market & Kitchen is now open again starting May 28 primarily for take out services and will be offering some outside seating. Capacity is limited, as well as for Cup Cafe and Club Congress in general. Most capaticy will be filled in the outdoor areas for safety precautions and procedures.