Tucson ยท Downtown
Hotel Congress
Opened in 1919 near the railroad depot; the hotel says a 1934 fire here led to John Dillinger's capture, and rooms keep vintage radios, no TVs.
- Built
- 1919Built 1919; the hotel marks a November 18, 1918 soft opening in its centennial timeline.
- Type
- Boutique hotel
- Area
- Downtown
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Inside a National Register historic district
The story
Hotel Congress opened in 1919 near the railroad depot and its Tap Room opened the same year. A 1934 fire at the hotel led to the capture of John Dillinger in Tucson (hotel). Muralist Larry Boyce painted the lobby, the bar was renamed Tiger’s Tap Room for longtime bartender Tiger (Thomas Ziegler), and the hotel celebrated its centennial in 2018-19. Rooms keep vintage radios and no televisions.
The ghost story
Lore holds that four rooms are the most active: the hotel's own Haunted Rooms page says guests report a woman in a long white dress watching them sleep in Room 242, restaurant butter knives turning up around Room 220 since a long-term resident died in 2001, a Victorian gentleman at the window of Room 214, and a locked door in Room 212 that guests keep finding open again. Visit Tucson also lists the hotel among the city's haunted places.
Source: hotelcongress.com
Good to know
- Address: 311 E. Congress St., Tucson, AZ 85701
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Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.