Video View
For lots of things to see and do, visit Downtown Phoenix: It’s Cooler Than You Think at
bit.ly/YZLfsP.
Phoenix
The 242-room Hotel Palomar Phoenix debuted last spring at CityScape Phoenix, the new downtown district for shopping, entertainment and dining. The property has 10 meeting rooms, a rooftop pool and bar, and a restaurant, Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails.
Now under construction is the Vee Quiva Casino, owned the Gila River Indian Community. The venue, to debut later this year, will include a 70,000-square-foot casino with more than 900 slot machines, 50 table games, a 750-seat bingo hall and a 90-room hotel with 3,000 square feet of event space.
Meeting Hotels
Properties include the 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, 950-room JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, 740-room Arizona Biltmore, 740-room Arizona Grand Resort, 712-room Hyatt Regency Phoenix, 643-room The Phoenician, 584-room Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, 563-room Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort, 527-room Renaissance Downtown Phoenix and 242-room Westin Phoenix Downtown.
Convention Center
Phoenix Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 872,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 109; (602) 262-6225; phoenixconventioncenter.com
Airport Transit
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, about three miles east of downtown Phoenix. Transfer cost by taxi, $15-$20 to downtown; by shuttle, from $12
Taxes
Room tax, 5%; sales tax, 8.27%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13.27%
Group Venue
Kai, at the Sheraton Wildhorse Pass Resort & Spa within the Gila River Indian Community, is the area's top-rated eatery, including a Five Diamond designation bestowed by the AAA. The innovative restaurant, open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, features locally sourced ingredients and dishes influenced by Native American traditions, such as the Local Pecan Crusted Colorado Lamb With Native Seeds and the Grilled Tenderloin of Tribal Buffalo. Groups of up to 80 are accommodated, while a private dining room caters to up to 16. (602) 385-5726; wildhorsepassresort.com
Contact
The Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, (602) 254-6500 or (877) 225-5749; visitphoenix.com
Homeland
Arizona has the largest percentage of designated Native American Tribal land in the United States.
Scottsdale
The 649-room Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has modernized its Princess
Conference Center, a 23,000-square-foot ballroom and meeting facility,
and unveiled its new $20 million, 52,331-square-foot Palomino Conference
Center as part of a multimillion-dollar renovation project. The
Palomino Center brings the resort’s total meeting and event space to
approximately 156,000 square feet.
The W Scottsdale unveiled six new suites this month. The accommodations,
in a private wing on the hotel’s sixth floor, feature décor by designer
Theresa Fatino and bring the property’s total number of guest rooms to
230.
The 453-room JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in
Paradise Valley currently is upgrading its guest-room bathrooms with
modern features, including walk-in showers, large shower heads and
lighted mirrors. The property has 40,000 square feet of meeting and
event space.
The 191-room Hotel Valley Ho in downtown Scottsdale has transformed two
of its guest rooms and one suite into a new 760-square-foot meeting room
and an adjoining 930-square-foot hospitality suite. The latter features
a wraparound patio and floor-to-ceiling windows with dramatic views of
the city. The property’s total of indoor/outdoor event space now comes
to 37,500 square feet.
Scottsdale’s section of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve is set to undergo a
major renovation over the next two years. The city is investing $4
million to repair and reroute trails through this scenic attraction.
Next month, North America’s largest butterfly pavilion will debut at
Butterfly Wonderland. Populated with butterflies from the rainforests of
the world, the 10,000-square-foot pavilion is the first of a
four-phase, $170 million entertainment complex being built by the Salt
Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Odysea Aquarium, a 12-acre freshwater
and saltwater facility, will open during the second phase, slated for
2015, and include shark tanks, a king penguin exhibit, an underwater
theater and a display of the Great Barrier Reef. Phases three and four
(completion dates still to be announced) will feature the addition of a
Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum and the Arizona Experience, an
interactive exhibit that will depict Arizona’s colorful history from the
time of the Spanish Conquistadors to the advent of the Wild West.
The 490-room Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch has
unveiled a new 30-foot, three-story waterslide. The slide is the focal
point of the resort’s 2.5-acre “water world.” The property also has a
new pool area that features cabanas and a sand beach, along with the
Grotto Bar.
Meeting HotelsProperties with meeting space include the 732-room Westin Kierland
Resort & Spa, 649-room Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, 647-room
Phoenician, 490-room Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey
Ranch, 453-room JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa,
404-room Scottsdale Plaza Resort and 210-room Four Seasons Resort
Scottsdale at Troon North.
Outside the city is the 497-room Talking Stick Resort, a gaming property.
A more complete listing of Scottsdale hotels can be found at mcvenues.com.
Airport TransitPhoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, about 10 miles southwest of
downtown Scottsdale. Transfer cost by taxi, $20; by shuttle, from $21
TaxesRoom tax, 5%; sales tax, 6.5%; total tax on hotel rooms, 14.92%
(includes 1.77% Maricopa County transaction excise tax and 1.65% City of
Scottsdale transaction tax)
Group VenuesThe underground Wine Cellar at the Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley is one
of the best places for small groups to chill out in the warmer months.
The room, which seats 12, displays 1,500 of the hotel’s 5,000-bottle
wine collection. (602) 955-8614; hermosainn.com
Larger groups can enjoy casual fare at the Citizen Public House, a
gastropub on Craftsman Court in Old Town Scottsdale. The hip eatery,
which houses a trendy cocktail lounge, Citizen RnD, on the second floor,
accommodates groups of up to 200 people for receptions and 150 for
seated events. (480) 398-4208; citizenpublichouse.com
ContactScottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 782-1117; experiencescottsdale.com