Sam Fox, restaurateur and creator of Fly Bye, Twelve Thirty Lounge, Flower Child and more is entering the luxury hotel business with The Global Ambassador in Phoenix, the entrepreneur announced last week.

“The Global Ambassador is a deeply personal, legacy project for me that furthers my pursuit of combining unmatched hospitality with culinary excellence,” Fox said in a statement.

Fox will own, operate, develop and manage the 141-room hotel under his newly formed Author & Edit Hospitality company. Fox collaborated with business partner Brian Frakes, who worked with him to open Culinary Dropout in Tempe, Ariz., to purchase and develop the hotel.

The Global Ambassador will host five original dining concepts highlighting the hotel’s global influences with cuisine influenced by the Mediterranean region including Greece, Italy and Morocco.

“This is so much more than a hotel – it’s a luxury lifestyle brand that we hope will inspire and draw travelers from all over the world to explore Phoenix in a new way,” Fox, left, said. “The Global Ambassador is the natural evolution of my passion for creating memorable hospitality experiences.”

The Global Ambassador will have a Wellness Center with a fitness level and spa. In addition, a Member’s Club will be the first of its kind in Arizona with limited membership.

When The Global Ambassador opens in 2023, it will have the largest rooftop in the state of Arizona at 18,000 square feet overlooking Camelback Mountain. Concepts for the rooftop have yet to be announced.

“With The Global Ambassador, we are evolving luxury hospitality at every level and from every perspective in order to deliver something truly remarkable for the well-traveled set who is looking to be inspired and intrigued in an authentic and unexpected way,” Fox said. “This is a convergence of significance found in hospitality, wellness and culture.”

Fox hired Nelsen Partners Architects as the lead architect with Berghoff Design Group overseeing the landscape architecture. The interiors will be done by Judith Testani of Testani Design Troupe, who has designed the majority of Fox’s projects, both personally and professionally.

Fox, an 11-time James Beard Award semifinalist for Restaurateur of the Year, is known for growing and creating concepts Blanco Tacos & Tequila, Flower Child, True Food Kitchen and North Italia. He most recently opened Twelve Thirty Lounge in Nashville in April with business partner and musician Justin Timberlake. Fox Restaurant Concepts, Fox’s restaurant company, was sold to The Cheesecake Factory in 2019.