The Catalina Mountains provide a dramatic backdrop for the 400-room Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. Working with a team of environmental specialists in the mid-‘80s, careful attention was spent in siting the hotel to minimize any impact on the surrounding Sonoran Desert. The design included re-vegetation of native desert plants and transplanting of over 200 native saguaro cacti. Adjacent to a Tom Fazio golf course, the project was awarded numerous national awards including a Merit Award from the ASLA, an award from the American Association of Nurserymen presented at the White House for outstanding landscape design in 1990, and the Gold Medal Award from the National Spa and Pool Institute.