Tucson

TUCSON

Local Update
• A Topgolf entertainment center will open late this year. Construction began last month on the 53,000-square-foot venue, located off Orange Grove and Interstate 10, featuring 72 climate-controlled hitting bays, each with the ability to host up to six players at one time. The three-level venue will have 1,500 square feet of private event space.

• The eight-story AC Hotel Tucson by Marriott is scheduled to open late this summer on Fifth Avenue and Broadway Street. The 137-room property will have a rooftop pool and bar, a fitness center, dining outlets, a lobby bar, 1,500 square-feet of meeting space and 4,800 square-feet of street-level retail space.

• Rancho de la Osa, a 19-room historic ranch that includes one of the last great vintage Spanish haciendas in America, is now open. The newly restored property dates from the 1700s.

• The 428-room Hilton Tucson Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar renovation set to be completed this spring. Features include refreshed guest rooms, creative garden concepts, and a new roster of wildlife and nature programs for guests.

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 610-room JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa, 487-room Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, 428-room Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort, 398-room Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 301-room Holiday Inn Tucson Airport North, 299-room Hotel Tucson City Center InnSuites Conference Suite Resort, 287-room DoubleTree by Hilton Tucson-Reid Park, 250-room Tucson Marriott University Park, 241-room Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort & Spa, 232-room Hilton Tucson East, 216-room Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites and 215-room Casino del Sol Resort.

To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.

Convention Center: Tucson Convention Center; exhibit space, 148,000 square feet; meeting rooms, eight; (520) 791-4101

Airport Transit: Tucson International Airport, about eight miles south of downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, approximately $25

Taxes: Hotels within Tucson city limits: room tax, 12.05%; sales tax, 9.1%; total tax on hotel rooms, 12.05% plus a $4 per night surcharge. Hotels outside Tucson city limits but within Pima County: room tax 12.05%; total tax on hotel rooms, 12.05%

Group Venue: The Pima Air & Space Museum offers more than 20,000 square feet of event space under the wings of historic aircraft from all over the world. Flight Central, in the main hangar, accommodates groups of 20 to 400 people in the same room as a restored F-4 Thunderbird, an F-14 Tomcat and the T-33 John Wayne flew in the 1957 movie Jet Pilot. Flight Grill, a quick-service restaurant, is available for breakfast meetings, luncheons and evening hours for gatherings of up to 200 people. The climate-controlled eatery features floor-to-ceiling windows and a patio. The John R. Stitt Center is a large, climate-controlled room available for group events of up to 100. In-house catering is available. (520) 618-4850

Contact: Visit Tucson, (800) 638-8350

SCOTTSDALE

Local Update
• The Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa opened in December 2016. The resort features 201 bungalow-style guest rooms, a full-service spa and salon, and some 46,000 square feet of meeting and event space on 22 acres. A signature restaurant, Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen, offers an assortment of small plates and shareable dishes.

• The new 183-room, full-service boutique Mountain Shadows hotel is set to open this spring. The original resort on this spot was the Marriott Mountain Shadows Resort, built in 1959. The rebuilt property will have a lounge, a 5,000-square-foot fitness center, 12,500 square feet of indoor meeting space and 25,000 square feet of outdoor event space. The property includes a redesign of the neighboring 18-hole Mountain Shadows Golf Club.

Meeting Hotels: Among Scottsdale's many properties are the 750-room Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, 732-room Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, 493-room Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch and 453-room JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa. Also in the region is the 497-room Talking Stick Resort & Spa, operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.

Airport Transit: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, approximately 10 miles from downtown Scottsdale. Transfer cost to Scottsdale by taxi, $28

Taxes: Room tax, 5%; sales tax, 5.5%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13.92% (includes 1.77% Maricopa County transaction excise tax and 1.65% City of Scottsdale transaction tax)

Group Venues: Lusso Fine Motorcars is a 26,000-square-foot facility offering open space with high ceilings and exposed rafters. Dinners for up to 500 people can be arranged, surrounded by a stellar vintage-car collection. Custom menus and bar service, A/V, décor, staging and entertainment are available. (480) 659-2373

El Samaritano Equestrian Ranch has 28,800 square feet of covered event space in the beautiful Sonoran Desert and can host private groups of up to 2,500 for a seated dinner. A presentation by the Royal Andalusian Riding School offering a taste of Spain is included with booking. (206) 604-3034

Information on both of the above facilities also is available from Karen May, of Venues of North Scottsdale, an event-production supplier. (602) 296-8000

Contact: Experience Scottsdale, (480) 421-1004 or (800) 782-1117