Top Meeting Spot
The Phoenix Convention Center was named one of the top 10 U.S. convention centers by Business Review USA. The publication lauded the PCC as a "truly multifunctional space."
Phoenix
The 242-room Hotel Palomar Phoenix is set to debut this month at CityScape Phoenix, the new downtown district for shopping, entertainment and dining. The property will have 10 meeting rooms, a rooftop pool and bar, and a restaurant, Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails.
The 527-room Wyndham Phoenix Downtown has been reflagged as the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown. The hotel has 21 meeting rooms.
The 155-room Courtyard Phoenix Camelback Hotel has completed a renovation of its guest rooms, public areas, fitness center and three meeting rooms.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has completed its North Runway Project, which upgraded the airport's longest runway with state-of-the-art lighting and other improvements.
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, 242-room Hotel Palomar and 242-room Westin Phoenix Downtown.
Convention Center
Phoenix Convention Center; exhibit space, 872,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 109; (602) 262-6225
Airport Transit
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, three miles east of downtown Phoenix. Transfer cost by taxi, $15-$20; by shuttle, $12
Taxes
Room tax, 5%; sales tax, 8.27%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13.27%
Group Venues
Enjoy a meal on the patio at Windsor, which offers healthy salads, tasty bar food and a selection of traditional cocktails. Attendees can have dessert next door at Churn, the restaurant's ice cream parlor. Groups of up to 80 can be hosted. (602) 279-1111
Since 1929, the Heard Museum has been devoted to exploring the art, culture and history of Native Americans, with a focus on tribes of the Southwest. The downtown venue features some 40,000 fine artworks and cultural artifacts and can host events for up to 300 people. (602) 252-8848
Lucky Strike, an outpost of the hip bowling alley/lounge chain, is part of the CityScape complex. The venue has a private four-lane suite for groups of up to 20 people; larger parties (of up to 150) also are accommodated. (602) 732-5496
Contact
Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, (602) 254-6500 or (877) 225-5749
Worth a Visit
Tour Taliesen West,
Frank Lloyd Wright's singular Scottsdale home and headquarters of the architect's foundation.
Scottsdale
Last fall, The Phoenician completed a three-year, $80 million renovation
that included a new 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art ballroom; the
new Relish Burger Bistro, and a complete refurbishment of the property's
647 guest rooms.
The 101-room Hampton Inn & Suites Scottsdale Riverwalk, near the Talking Stick Resort, opened in February.
The Courtyard by Marriott Scottsdale Salt River debuted in April. The
property has 156 guest rooms and 3,000 square feet of meeting space.
The 270-suite Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountains has wrapped up
a $2 million renovation of its 15,000 square feet of meeting space.
The 5,000-square-foot Valencia Ballroom now has an upgraded sound system
and updated audiovisual capabilities. In addition, the executive
boardrooms were renovated and refitted with 60-inch LCD flat-screen
televisions, and the fitness center was updated and expanded.
The 431-room Xona Resort Suites Scottsdale has been renamed the Zona
Hotel & Suites Scottsdale, following a multimillion-dollar guest
room renovation. New amenities include an in-house golf concierge.
The 649-room Fairmont Scottsdale Princess recently broke ground on a new
$20 million conference center that will add 52,331 square feet of
meeting space to the property, for a total of 150,000 square feet, upon
opening in October.
The 194-room Hotel Valley Ho has a new event space called Sands, which
is a Polynesian-styled area that can accommodate up to 400 attendees.
Following a head-to-toe renovation, the 195-room former Hotel Theodore
has reopened as The Seguaro. This follows the sale of the hotel last
year to the Sydell Group and its move to a new management company, Joie
de Vivre Hospitality. The property has a total of eight meeting rooms
along with a Jose Garces signature restaurant.
Kimpton's Firesky Resort earned green certification from Green Key, the
international organization that rates hotels on their commitment to
improving their environmental and fiscal performance.
Citizen Public House, the gastropub in Old Town Scottsdale, has opened
its new cocktail lounge, Citizen RnD, on the second floor. The new
facility has a decidedly speakeasy vibe: Guests must call from the back
alley (602-904-3904) to request entry.
Meeting Hotels Among the many properties in the area are the 732-room Westin Kierland
Resort & Spa; 649-room Fairmont Scottsdale Princess; 647-room The
Phoenician; 490-room Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey
Ranch; 453-room Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa; 404-room
Scottsdale Plaza Resort, and 210-room Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at
Troon North. A more comprehensive listing of hotels can be found at mcvenues.com.
Airport Transit Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, about 10 miles southwest of
downtown Scottsdale. Transfer cost by taxi, $20; by shuttle, $20
Taxes Room 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 Venues
Organize a tequila tasting for up to 100 people, indoors or out, at La Hacienda at the Fairmont, a contemporary Mexican eatery that features an
impressive 200 varieties of tequila from 36 different labels, as well as
a custom blended barrel from Herradura. (480) 585-4848
The SunRidge Canyon Golf Club opened its Jim McLean Golf School last
November. Instructors teach golfers how to improve their game with
lessons ranging from a 30-minute refresher to a three-day intensive.
(480) 837-5100
For high-energy groups, the Octane Raceway has two indoor race tracks,
an arcade and a challending rock-climbing wall. Groups of 10 to 750
people are accommodated. (602) 302-7223
Guests can dine in the courtyards of the Morroccan-themed Los Cedros USA, then enjoy cocktails while touring the facility's stables to visit
beautiful Arabian horses. Afterward, the sleek animals perform in a
30-minute show, for groups of up to 1,000. (480) 575-6100
More than 12,000 instruments and objects are on display at the Musical Instrument Museum. Exhibits celebrate myriad styles, ranging from folk
and country. The venue can host events for up to 400 people. (480)
478-6000
Contact Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 782-1117