Native Setting
The Heard Museum in Phoenix has one of the most extensive collections of
art and artifacts of Native Americans in the U.S. The spacious downtown
venue can host events for up to 300 guests. (602) 252-8848;
heard.org Phoenix
Local Update
The Vee Quiva Casino, owned by the Gila River Indian Community, currently is under construction. The venue, set to open later this year, will include a casino spanning approximately 70,000 square feet 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.
The PHX Sky Train, which connects Sky Harbor International Airport's Terminal 4 to the regional Metro light-rail system at the intersection of 44th and Washington Streets in downtown Phoenix, debuted in April. The automated, electrically powered train runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. By early 2015, the PHX Sky Train will serve all of the terminals at Sky Harbor.
Meeting Hotels
Properties include the 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, 950-room JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, 740-room Arizona Biltmore, 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.
To find more hotels and send RFPs, go to mcvenues.com.
Convention Center
Phoenix Convention Center; exhibit space, 872,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 109; (602) 262-6225 or (800) 282-4842; 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
The Orpheum Theatre, a former movie palace built in 1929 and home of an original Wurlitzer pipe organ, seats 1,364 and is available for private functions. (602) 534-5600; phoenixconventioncenter.com/venues/orpheum-theatre
Contact
The Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, (602) 254-6500 or (877) 225-5749; visitphoenix.com
Local Draught
Cool off with a pint or bottle of the beer (we recommend the Sunbru) made by Tempe's Four Peaks Brewery.
fourpeaks.comScottsdale
Local UpdateThe 649-room Fairmont
Scottsdale Princess debuted its new $20 million, 52,331-square-foot
Palomino Conference Center as part of a larger renovation project. The
resort now has a total of 156,000 square feet of meeting space.
Six new suites have debuted at the W Scottsdale. The new quarters
feature décor by designer Theresa Fatino and bring the property's total
number of guest rooms to 230.
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 property now
offers a total of 37,500 square feet of event space.
Butterfly Wonderland, North America's largest repository of the
beautiful winged wonders, opened this spring. The 10,000-square-foot
venue is the first of a four-phase, $170 million entertainment complex.
Odysea Aquarium, a 12-acre freshwater and saltwater facility, will open
during the second phase, slated for 2015. Phases three and four will see
the addition of a Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum and the Arizona
Experience, an interactive exhibit.
Meeting HotelsProperties 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 and 210-room Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon
North.
Outside the city is the 497-room Talking Stick Resort, a gaming property.
To find more hotels and send RFPs, go to 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 VenueGive top performers an adrenaline
fix at Octane Raceway, a high-speed kart-racing track that relocated
from Phoenix to Scottsdale last month. Groups of up to 750 are
accommodated. (602) 302-7223; octaneraceway.com
ContactScottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 782-1117; experiencescottsdale.com