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JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa
Tucson, Arizona, United States · JW Marriott · Core Luxury
Richard Starr cut a stagecoach trail through the Tucson Mountains in 1884; the JW took the name when it opened on 26 January 2005 as the first new Tucson resort in eighteen years, 575 rooms on 306 acres inside Tucson Mountain Park. The TPC course hosted the Tucson Open from 1986 to 1996, Phil Mickelson among the winners, before Arnold Palmer refreshed the layout. Saguaro National Park West is next door.
- 575 rooms
- Opened 2005
- Neighborhood: Tucson Mountain Park
About JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa
- Richard Starr cut the stagecoach trail through the Tucson Mountains in 1884, giving the resort its name when Tucson formally adopted Starr Pass for the boulevard leading to the site in 1992.
- The TPC golf course hosted the PGA Tour's Tucson Open from 1986 to 1996, with Phil Mickelson among its winners, before Arnold Palmer renovated the layout in 2005.
- The JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass opened January 26, 2005, as the first new resort in the Tucson area in eighteen years, occupying 306 acres within Tucson Mountain Park.
- The Hashani Spa takes its name from the Native American word for saguaro and incorporates native plants, mineral waters, and indigenous wellness practices into its treatment program.
- Saguaro National Park West lies adjacent to the resort's western boundary, making it the closest major luxury resort to the park in Arizona.
History
The pass through the Tucson Mountains that gives this resort its name was cut by a man named Richard Starr in 1884, who blazed a stagecoach trail through the rugged desert hills as a quick route to Quijotoa, a mining boomtown seventy miles to the southwest. The path became known as Starr Pass, and the name persisted through the landscape's many subsequent transformations, finally being formally adopted by the City of Tucson in 1992 when the owner of what would become the resort persuaded the city council to use the historic designation for the boulevard leading to the site.
The golf course that preceded the hotel opened in 1986, designed as a TPC property by Bob Cupp and Craig Sadler, and immediately established itself as one of Arizona's most challenging desert layouts. From 1986 to 1996 it hosted the PGA Tour's Tucson Open, hosting names including Phil Mickelson among its winners. In 2005, Arnold Palmer undertook a renovation of the course — a light redesign that preserved the original layout while improving conditions. The course's canyon crossings, desert washes, and ravine carries made it consistently ranked among the top ten Arizona courses and among the nation's top one hundred.
When the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort and Spa opened on January 26, 2005, it was described as the first new resort in the Tucson area in eighteen years — a long drought in luxury hospitality that had left Arizona's second city without a proper contemporary resort address. The 575-room property occupied 306 acres within Tucson Mountain Park, with the Sonoran Desert and its saguaro cacti forming both the landscape and the design vocabulary. Three-story windows in the resort lobby open onto panoramic views of the Tucson Valley, and trailheads for hiking and mountain biking originate directly on the property. Saguaro National Park West lies adjacent to the resort's western boundary.
The Hashani Spa — named for the Native American word for saguaro — was designed around treatments incorporating the healing elements of the surrounding desert: native plants, mineral waters, and indigenous wellness practices woven into a contemporary spa program. Seven dining venues, 88,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space including the 20,000-square-foot Arizona Ballroom, and a multilevel outdoor pool with waterslides and a lazy river completed the original offering. A major renovation of the guest rooms was completed in 2019. The Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course was expanded to 27 holes and restored to championship condition in a renovation completed in 2025, with a new clubhouse featuring Creosote Sonoran Kitchen and Cocktails. The JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass holds AAA Four Diamond status and remains the closest major luxury resort to Tucson Mountain Park and Saguaro National Park in the state of Arizona.
Restaurants and bars
- Signature Grill with Patio Dining — Restaurant · American
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Fitness center
- Golf course
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
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